bag back on

tiny one

Has anyone here made the decision to have an ileostomy or colostomy bag put back on? If you did what lead you to this decision?

pamysue

I did not and hope not to every have to but...
I spent a lot of time on this board

http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=33

when I had my illeostomy. They were a HUGE help and knew way more than my in-home nurse did. She now give this site to her ostomy patients. Many people there have opted to have a bag to make their life easier for a variety of reasons. I hope this site will be helpful to you.

Moesimo

I made the tough decision
I had a colostomy done about 18 mos. after my reversal. My quality of life was horrible. I was in so much pain from the constant trips to the bathroom. My bottom was always sore and it felt like razor blades. I was afraid to go out because I was incontinent sometimes. I would be at work and have to run to the bathroom and didn't always make it. I wore a pad but that didn't always help.

It was one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make.

I do not regret my decision. I haven't looked back. I went on my first cruise when I was 7 weeks post op. We are going on our 3rd cruise this summer which is a cruise to Alaska.

On 3/17 it will be 6 years since my diagnosis. I had stage 3 rectal cancer and have remained NED since my first surgery.

Please feel free to email me with any specific questions.

Maureen

PamPam2

Bag
Hi. I hope I never have to have the bag again, as my colostomy prolapsed and gave me lots of trouble. I had terrible elimination problems for a couple years, pain,bleeding, very bad hemmorhoids, constipation/diarheah, then I met a gentleman who runs a natural nutrition store, by the way his wife died from cancer, he sold me milled flax seed, you can cook with it, put it on cereal,salads, soup, yogart. I just put it in water and kind of drink/chew it, it has a pleasant nutty flavor, It has been a miracle for my bowels and it is natural, kosher, and fortified. The brand is Omega-Life, Inc. 1 800 328 3529 PO Box 7 Muskego WI 53150-0007 It also helps me with hot flashes and night sweats. High levels of naturally occuring antioxidants Omega-3 Omega_6, fortified with B-6, C and E. Phyto-nutrients. www.fortifiedflax.com is the e-mail on the bag I have. It is worth a try if you are having problems, a tablespoon a day is all I need.
Pam

tiny one

Moesimo said:

I made the tough decision
I had a colostomy done about 18 mos. after my reversal. My quality of life was horrible. I was in so much pain from the constant trips to the bathroom. My bottom was always sore and it felt like razor blades. I was afraid to go out because I was incontinent sometimes. I would be at work and have to run to the bathroom and didn't always make it. I wore a pad but that didn't always help.

It was one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make.

I do not regret my decision. I haven't looked back. I went on my first cruise when I was 7 weeks post op. We are going on our 3rd cruise this summer which is a cruise to Alaska.

On 3/17 it will be 6 years since my diagnosis. I had stage 3 rectal cancer and have remained NED since my first surgery.

Please feel free to email me with any specific questions.

Maureen

not a piece of cake
I didn't know how hard it would be when they reversed my ileostomy. It's been 14 months. I had very little trouble with my ileostomy. I managed it very easily but absolutely hated it being on me. I also never experienced diarrhea from chemo because of it. My surgeon advised me to wait to reverse after chemo was done. Thank God I did. Things are alot better now if I take lomotil. I still get sore very quickly, this is from the radiation. If I eat larger meals and some foods will keep me in the bathroom. I can travel but I worried alot that I would have accidents. The days when I have alot of pain are getting alot less. Did you have radiation and did you know before they reversed your ostomy how tough it would be?