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Colostomy reversal tentatively coming up, questions for anyone who has gone through this

Posted , 2 users are following.

rommon
rommon

I will have my FMLA reset in October and will then be able to take time off work to have a temporary colostomy reversal procedure done, however as the date is closing in I am running into some issues that are extremely worrying.

I had a sciatic issue about a month ago that caused extreme muscle weakness in my lower leg and foot, which through physical therapy is getting better and muscle weakness is going away, but I've read that sometimes a reversal cannot be done if muscles in the anus or pelvic area are weak.

Is there exercises I should be doing specifically for my rectum or anything to make sure my body is ready for the reversal beyond just physical therapy to restore muscle weakness in my leg?

Issue #2 stems from an oral steroid prescribed for the sciatic issue initially for one week, this made a rash / weeping skin develop under my colostomy bag which I've been able to somewhat stabilize and reduce irritation, but its not fully going away (which I am going to see an Ostomy nurse early next week to check out what can be done).

I'm wondering if others have had a similar issue and still been able to a the reversal procedure done with skin that is kind of in a constant state of irritation / semi damaged?

The date to get this reversed is fast approaching and the muscle weakness / colostomy rash is extremely concerning, as I cannot afford to wait until the following year when my insurance resets and take on another 10k+ out of pocket costs without probably having to file bankrupty.

If anyone has been through a similar issue that could advise whether there is reason for concern I would greatly appreciate it, as I am really starting to freak out that if I don't get this reversal done this year, I might not get it done and he living in a constant debt / state of panic from colostomy issues.

Any input very welcome, I will update this as I talk to ostomy people and surgical team to update this thread in case others refer to it in the future with similar issues!

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • rommon
    rommon

    Posted

    Oh yes, and this colostomy is from multiple diverticulitis perforations that led to an emergency surgery, which the surgeon did make sound like whenever I am ready, just need to do a colonoscopy first then schedule the surgery the next month.

    So it seems like it would be no big issue, but with all I've been through and now these issues popping up, I'm starting to wonder if life is going to stop getting worse 😦

  • Rhiannon_5000
    Rhiannon_5000 rommon

    Posted

    I haven't had your particular issues. Think, as you said, your surgeon will be bestbest person to ask. I'm interested in your sciatic problem . Did it start with the bowel problem? After my first surgery and continuing after my second, i had back pain and dreadful pins and needles, numbness and weird feelings in my back and legs. I had a lot of tests. As I've resumed my walking( i used to do a lot) this has slowly resolved. I really think bowel problems can lead to different things.

  • Rhiannon_5000
    Rhiannon_5000 rommon

    Posted

    I haven't had your particular issues. Think, as you said, your surgeon will be bestbest person to ask. I'm interested in your sciatic problem . Did it start with the bowel problem? After my first surgery and continuing after my second, i had back pain and dreadful pins and needles, numbness and weird feelings in my back and legs. I had a lot of tests. As I've resumed my walking( i used to do a lot) this has slowly resolved. I really think bowel problems can lead to different things.

  • Rhiannon_5000
    Rhiannon_5000 rommon

    Posted

    I haven't had your particular issues. Think, as you said, your surgeon will be bestbest person to ask. I'm interested in your sciatic problem . Did it start with the bowel problem? After my first surgery and continuing after my second, i had back pain and dreadful pins and needles, numbness and weird feelings in my back and legs. I had a lot of tests. As I've resumed my walking( i used to do a lot) this has slowly resolved. I really think bowel problems can lead to different things.

  • rommon
    rommon

    Posted

    It's really hard to say as I had a "microdiscectomy" surgery where the shave off parts of spinal disc when it is bulging or herniated, this all came from a broken ligament in my spine from my teen year (20 years ago probably), so I've had yearly back pain where things will just fall out of place and my lower spine just feels like a dagger is stuck in it.

    Though this was unique in the way that when I had the initial back pain from doing a lot of bending to break down all my colostomy supply boxes, and tried to walk through the pain the next day to sort of "walk off" the pain, and the day after that my entire leg was tingly / numb / pins and needles so of pain / whole foot felt like it fell asleep.

    I am just getting to a point now where when I try to walk on my heels, the left foot doesn't stomp straight down, and there hasn't been any tingling or pins and needles for awhile though my big toe is still a bit numb and I do get muscle twinges and semi cramps if my legs are positioned weird.

    I brought that difference up to the doctor that this pain seemed different then any before, and upon walking up to tingling/numb left leg, I thought I was about to stroke out or something. Though oddly enough not to get too personal, but after the shockingly intense pain for a couple weeks after my first diverticulitis perforation that almost killed me from the septic infection that I thought was a flu, after the IBS pain finally went away I had an erectile dysfunction where it bends slightly to the left when I get an erection (and kind of hurts cause that muscle or nerve or whatever is not inflating and getting strained).

    So at this point, after the surprise surgeries and side effects, it would surprise me if a Unicorn came walking out from behind a tree and hoof kicked me in the face :p

    I will be sure to follow up once I get news from my ostomy nurse!

  • Rhiannon_5000
    Rhiannon_5000 rommon

    Posted

    Oh gosh you poor thing! You have had bad luck. I had a hellish two years and many setbacks, but i am feeling better than i have for a long time. So take heart, and let's hope your reversal goes to plan. Your comment at the end made me laugh, so you've still got your sense of humour. 😊

    • Rhiannon_5000
      Rhiannon_5000

      Posted

      Sorry my replies are coming up multiple times. Not sure why.

  • Rhiannon_5000
    Rhiannon_5000 rommon

    Posted

    Oh gosh you poor thing! You have had bad luck. I had a hellish two years and many setbacks, but i am feeling better than i have for a long time. So take heart, and let's hope your reversal goes to plan. Your comment at the end made me laugh, so you've still got your sense of humour. 😊

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