Life After Anus Removal Surgery - Experiences?

Hello everyone. It's been a while, but I know that this is absolutely the best place to ask my question. :)

How is life after the removal of the anus?

I've had 2 colostomies, 2 failed reversals, and finally my ileo, which I've had now for 12 years. (I had anal canal cancer)

I've never had issues with leakage back there until about 6 months ago. It started slowly, but now it's ridiculous. I have to wear pads, which I have to change 4 or 5 times a day. It has disrupted my life more than my ostomies.

My surgeon thinks some of the leakage is coming from my stomach, and he wants to remove my anus. He sent me for an MRI to see if there's any cancer before he operates. I meet with him on Wednesday to discuss the result and hopefully schedule surgery.

What can I expect before and after surgery? Recovery? What was it like for you?

You are the ones who understand. I look forward to all your help and advice. :)

I had mine done all at once. The thing I remember is to not wear too thick of a pad once it is done. It will put pressure on it. Get something comfortable to sit on; do not use a donut.

I was the same, having to wear pads, and the smell of what was coming out was foul. I was afraid of going out because everyone could smell it. After surgery, I had an abscess inside, so I felt pretty rough and it took about 6 months to heal. That was over 20 years ago; other than that, no problems. They weren't around back then, but if I were having it done now, I would buy a gel cushion to sit on. I do have one now for back pain; they're really comfortable to sit on and very cheap to buy.

I still have my rectal stump and anus and get the mucus coming from it. Flushing it out with water helps to keep it under control. Very easy to do with an enema bulb, all kinds these days.

Good luck!

If a person is never going to poop the old school way again, I have no idea why a person would want to keep parts they don't need and deal with dripping gooey stuff regularly. 🤢 Why put yourself through that? 🤷‍♂️ Anyway, you won't sit for a while and when you do, you'll either need a good cushion that covers the whole area (no donut-type cushion) or you'll need to sit/lean on one cheek until you're healed. You'll be sore, but I don't think it was overly painful. Keep your wound clean and dry.

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I have considered having it done, but I'm concerned about how long I'd be off work; I drive for a living.

With no issues while healing, I'd guess 2-3 months. Maybe part-time for a bit after that and work your way back to full time. Just my guess. Vehicle seats weren't so bad for me; it was hard seats that killed me (patio furniture, restaurant chairs, stadium seats, etc.)

Alex T because some people can't have their anus and rectum removed. I can't have my anus removed, but I did have my rectum removed.

Ok, let me reword it. If you're never going to poop the old-style way again and it's an option, I don't understand why anyone would want to deal with the dripping gooey stuff. I presumed everyone would get the "if it's an option" part, but I forgot the world we live in today, sorry.

Had my ileostomy in 1985, they left everything with the hope I could one day be reattached; it was a "pipe dream" (pun intended). I had 5 more surgeries, including moving my stoma to the other side of my stomach, and was told the rectum had to go; there was no way around that. I will say it took a little longer to recover than my other surgeries, but I've been in remission since 2006, am on no meds, and see my GI doctor once a year to chat and have him tell me how amazed he is at my health. Anything is possible.

Mine was taken rectum, anus, and my whole colon all in the same operation called a total proctocolectomy. They sewed my bum up, which they call a Barbie butt here. I made sure he was going to take that thing because I read people had problems when left in, and something about a stump causing problems. My thoughts were, if I can never use it, then why leave it in and possibly get cancer in it or have those other issues. I told him to take the appendix while he's in there too because some of my symptoms could have been related to that thing too.

Lol, I know what you meant... and no, I can't and have never been able to pass stool out of my bum, hence my ileo. But removing the anus isn't even an option for me; taking the rectum is as far as I can go. So, some people actually don't have an option. Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions; not everyone is in the same boat. Just like we all have ileos, colostomies, or a urostomy for different reasons.

I didn't jump to any conclusions; I just forgot to add if it's an option. Obviously, to most, if it's not an option to take it all out, then a person wouldn't have it all taken out.

A year after my colostomy, I underwent ileostomy surgery to make it permanent. This included the removal of my rectum and anus. Recovery, for me, was relatively swift and minimally painful. And now I'm appreciative of the fact that, technically, people cannot call me an asshole since I no longer have one. Yes, the benefits of perception and humor...

I've always referred to it as the "nice guy" surgery!