Hi all stoma mates.
Have had my stoma for seven months.
Was told the reversal would be a year's time?
Does this sound right?
Also, the surgeon who operated said that she would not be doing the reversal, so who is looking after my interests to get the operation as soon as possible?
Have now developed a hernia and a bit concerned about long-term problems over a year.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks, Chris.
Hi, I'm hoping someone from the UK will share as I am not familiar with the NHS. What type of ostomy do you have right now? Colostomy? Ileostomy? Do you know what type of surgeon did your first surgery? Are you able to contact their office or your primary care physician to ask any questions?
Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 38,073 members who truly understand you.
When it comes to ostomy, members share DIY hacks to save money, product comparisons, practical advice on insurance and medical coverage advice, information on new products to make life easier, and much more.
But, it's not all about ostomy. We talk about everything.
Many come here for advice or to give advice, others have found good friends, and some have even found love. Most importantly, people here are honest and genuinely care.
🛑 Privacy is very important - we have many features that are only visible to members.
Create an account and you will be amazed by the warmth of this community.
38,073 members
You underwent major surgery. I think it is pretty standard to be told it would be a year before you have the next major surgery. That is what I was told and it makes perfect sense as to why I was told that. The healing process takes time. It can also take different time for different folks. Depends on how hard you work on recovery. In my case, I have been diligent about following rehab instructions and I have been doing a lot of walking. 3-4 miles a day, 7 days a week. I credit this with me being able to get my reversal ~10 months post surgery. I have seen others that have had the surgery sooner, but they were much younger than my 75 years. Patience and diligence in recovery are the keys to this, I think. That and your overall health situation.
Daniel
Hi Chris,
I'm in the US, so my experience would reflect that.
The surgeon who installed my colostomy, 9 months ago, would not be the one to perform reversal. After consulting with the reversal surgeon, I opted to keep the colostomy.
With the colostomy, I have regained my health. I'm 65, so I'm unwilling to "roll the dice" on reversal. If I was 45.. I probably would chance it.
Good luck!
Dan
Hello, I am in the US and have had my colostomy for 4 months. I was initially told by various doctors while in the hospital that I could probably get a reversal in 6 months...but the surgeon who performed my emergency surgery said it would be best to wait for a year due to all the infection/inflammation I had (in his opinion, 6 months is the minimum wait time). So yes, a year does sound right. He will also be the one performing my reversal when the time comes.
As far as hernias.... I was told by my wound nurse that they typically don't fix them if you are likely going to have a reversal, unless the hernia is really bad. If you are working with a wound nurse, they should be able to watch the hernia and advise you. Sorry I am not much help - I'm sure things are much different in the UK! Best wishes.
Hi cgiles101, I can't give you any real advice, just tell you what went on with my reversal. I waited approximately 18 months, and it was the same surgeon that did the reversal. Unfortunately, that's when things went wrong. I got MRSA infection in the wound and caught another bug called Clostridium Difficile. After 8 weeks of the medical people unsuccessfully trying to get rid of the infections and me down to approximately 50% of my body weight, they decided to do a complete removal (collectomy, not sure if I've spelt that correctly), which has left me with a very short ileum and an ileostomy. To be fair, that was over 17 years ago, and I'm still here. Best of luck. Elwick
Hi Chris, as CC Diaries has suggested, someone from the UK could possibly throw some light onto your plight and she is as usual, right on the button but… most people who have had any medical treatment on the NHS and in particular with ‘in Hospital' treatment will have dramatically different answers to any question put forward. First of all, let's get something straightened out, our NHS is desperately short of funding but I personally still think it is by far the best system out there,.. unfortunately it is widely accepted that we have various elements in the government who would sell to private enterprise if given half a chance and have indeed snuck a few private companies in, in the past. So… having spent quite a decent time over the past years in the hands of our wonderful NHS heroes, I can proudly stand up and say that without any doubt, ‘I' would have died on a number of occasions over the past 17 years had it not been for the treatment and care of these remarkable people. My wife owes the same debt of gratitude to the same people who have literally gifted her with at least 25 years we would never have had the opportunity of sharing.
The reason I've mentioned the above Chris, is just to put a point across, that in that time and those circumstances, I have gradually, personally accepted information from these dedicated people which I believe nowadays to be as near to the truth as is professionally possible. I am 14 months into my colostomy journey and in my preliminary meetings with my surgeon his offer was simple,.. my cancer had to be removed along with part of my colon, this was possible and came with two choices. He proceeded to say that he would remove the offending portion and perform an ileostomy which he would follow up in due course with an operation to reverse back to the ‘normal' condition of a backward-facing bum. I asked about the second option and was told I could however have a non-reversible permanent colostomy. In the following discussions he gave me an estimate of around 2 years before any reversal could be performed and had more than one solid reason for this including the serious backlog caused by the devastation of the early Covid epidemic. He then added that at the end of the 2 years he had no way of knowing how much longer that list would have grown and could very easily be 3 or more years. Well… I was 81 years then and I thought, aahh!! bollocks, and decided on the permanent option. Absolutely no regrets so far even with the odd mishaps on the way!
The thing is Chris, I would take what you've been told as the best information he can professionally offer at this time and.. take it easy.. because he may have to take many other decisions based on circumstances he can't discuss, unfortunately, things like the levels of care and available beds etc differ drastically from area to area in the UK so my story will not be just like any other but I hope it helps.
Best wishes Chris,
Brian
Hello, I'm also from the US and I had two different doctors. One for the emergency surgery and one for the reversal. That is all the second doctor does is reversals. It was also done robotically… and it was 6 months from the original surgery. Good luck and I hope you find the support you need. This is a wonderful support group. John
Hi, I had my colostomy in March '22 on the NHS in the UK under a Hartmann's procedure. I asked about reversal, but I was told that there was a waiting time as it's not strictly urgent surgery and can only be done once you are fully healed in both body and mind.
I am fortunate that I have private medical cover, and I have found a consultant I am happy with, and my reversal is set for late Jan 2024. But the reversal surgery is considered more complex than the Hartmann's original surgery and takes longer; I've been told up to 5 hours. Also, there are a lot of tricks and sensible procedures which a good consultant should take on board. Look for someone who has done a lot of reversals. This is why your original surgeon will not do the reversal.
Good luck. Rob.
Gotta be careful. Don't want to be worse after reversal, and spend most of the days post-op on the toilet.
Hi Chris. I had acute diverticulitis and emergency Hartmann's on September 9th. I was in the hospital for 3 weeks as I had a ‘collection' and apparently the operation was particularly tricky. But the same surgeon already has me on his list for a reversal, hopefully robotically, and I have done my pre-op checks apart from seeing the anesthetist who I am booked in with on January 11th. I am expecting a date soon after; otherwise, why do all the pre-op tests now? I am not exactly looking forward to it but hopeful that I will be ‘put back together' with no major problems. Good luck to you, Chris. I think I nagged my surgeon and medics so much they just want to do the reversal and get me off their backs, he he!
