I am 4 weeks post-reversal. For me, this surgery was much worse than the loop ileostomy. I don't think this is the norm from what I understand, so those anticipating a reversal should take this into consideration. The surgeon said he had to do a lot of work because of adhesions and almost had to open me up, so this is why I had more pain. The pain is gone, but now I am trying to get used to the other issues. I feel like I was in the dark about what to expect after the surgery. They mentioned that you will have bouts of incontinence, but your body should adjust in about 3 to 12 months. I question whether my body is adjusting or if I am adjusting to my body. In 27 days, I have had 5 days where there were no "accidents," and 1 of those days I had no bowel movement at all. I can go all day and think I have made it, then I will start with minor or major clustering, which usually ends up with one or more incidents of not being able to make it to the bathroom in time. I started taking Metamucil a week ago, which has helped a little bit. I started with once a day and quickly moved to twice a day, and today I am going to three times a day, which is the max. When I have clustering, my stool will start out formed (although very soft) and towards the end, it is loose. I tend to have these bowel movements toward the evening, but I had one time that woke me up at 4 AM and kept me up for 2 hours. Because of this, I have only been out of the house for doctor appointments and brief trips to the store. I am trying to figure out how I will be able to handle going back to work. Can someone tell me, does the incontinence stop, or do I have to wear "Big Girl Panties" for the rest of my life? I still believe the reversal was the right decision. They say everybody is different, but I wish I had more info on just what "everybody" had gone through! Would love to hear some input on this.

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