Basically hello :)

Hey all, just thought I'd say hello and introduce myself :) I very recently had reversal surgery of my stoma, which feels very odd and is taking time to adjust to. I'm happy to chat with like-minded people who are going through similar circumstances :) Nice to meet you all.

Hi Gaia, I had a reversal too. Hope you are adjusting okay. Did you have a j-pouch?

Hello, nice to meet you virtually. I actually had a full reversal of my colostomy and hernia repaired, so I am just trying to adjust again at the moment. Sounds like you have been through rather a lot too. Hope all is okay. Best wishes x

Nice to meet you too. 🙂

Yes, I went from ileostomy to J-pouch, but they hadn't repaired the hernia, so I had to have that done privately more recently. 🙈 Even then, it looks the same. 🙄 😂

Are you happy with your reversal? X

Hi there, I'm in the process of trying to decide if reconnecting is my next best step. Today I just had a flexible sigmoidoscopy to determine if there is enough viable rectum for them to connect to. Then I have to weigh the possibility of having too much scar tissue to deal with and the possibility of not healing well internally. In the meantime, my colostomy stoma is not doing great; it's severely retracted and stenotic, so the surgeon is worried about blockages at the stoma. On top of that, I have to deal with the potential return of my cancer, which would mean I need to be as healthy as possible to deal with more chemo. How has the healing been?

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hey , thank you for your message , so very sorry to hear what you are going through it sounds so tough, I do hope things begin to get a bit easier soon. My situation was a little different in a matter that they were always hopeful to reverse as I still had quite a bit left but it has been quite hard - I guess it’s early days still but it’s been a hard adjustment emotionally and physically and struggling with diet etc and pain of post surgery but I am just taking one day at a time really. X happy to chat more if you want to drop a message , best wishes. X 

Thank you for your message. Wow, it sounds like you've really gone through it. It's so exhausting physically and mentally, I find. Yes, I am pleased with my reversal. Well, I am pleased I have had it done, as I didn't think I would at one stage. I thought I'd be having an ileostomy, so I do feel thankful, but it was still a pretty big operation, and it's taking time to recover. But I am just taking it day by day at the moment, really, and trying to re-adjust to a different sort of life again, really. Happy to chat more if you wanted to drop a message. Best wishes, x

Welcome from Oz 🇦🇺

Thank you x