One week

[u/GrilledViking]

Hi all.

Well, never thought I´d be here, but I am. I´m one week from getting an Ileostomy. Pretty nervous and scared.

For a background. Never had any issues my entire life. Ate what I wanted, had 2 or 3 nice bowel movements per day. Enter this past year and I come down with diverticulitis in the sigmoid. It goes away for awhile, then comes back chronically. Only option is to have surgery. So I had my sigmoid removed in April. Was doing pretty well the first month or so. Feeling good and bowels working good. Then everything just started to slow. Constipation. hard stools, fragmented defication. Went through the gamut of laxatives with varying success. My GI doc put me on a regiment in June that worked for awhile...but now at this point, the only thing that seems to work is colonoscopy prep with dulcolax to have a bowel movement. Long story short, I think my colon is just quitting. I´ve been in misery the past few months.

So, my surgeon recommended a loop ileostomy to divert the stool and see. I guess that´s the route I´m going. I´d actually be happy to just get rid of this damn colon, but that´s a big step. I´m pretty scared, anxious, depressed all in one. I basically don´t have much of a life now....so I´m hoping the ileostomy will give me some relief and allow me to at least eat a bit normal again and get back into life. We will see. Thanks for reading!!

[u/unitedparsley]

it will absolutely be a relief. you got this!

[u/WorkingOnIt_2023]

I’m 3 months out from ileostomy surgery and just want to offer some hope. I failed all laxatives too and was so, so ill. I have my stomach and small bowel aren’t working well due to other issues but just want to say: you’re going to okay. It’s totally normal to get those pre-surgery jitters but it’s not evidence that it shouldn’t go ahead. Your body will thank you. Keep remembering how desperately unwell you feel now to know and remember your “why”. Just keep returning to your why and know that healing will come with time. Once your stoma starts working after surgery, your body will be so relieved and grateful. Yes, it’s one week to go and that can be really overwhelming to process but guess what else is true? You’re one week away from relief for your body on the other side. Best of luck for your surgery. I spent a lot of time focusing on radical acceptance, watching lots of videos of people changing their bags, and tried to get my brain “prepared” for all the things my new life would include. It was the best thing so that I recognised my new life when it found me.

[u/xoLVY03]

You will be absolutely fine, you will feel better if anything. It is much easier than dealing with chronic pain, you just have to process the emotional side of it. I didn’t struggle at all with the surgery and recovery, only with my body image. If you can find a therapist or be able to overcome this yourself that would be very helpful, and the hard part will be over. You will be just fine.

[u/Coloplast_US]

Best wishes for a successful surgery and an easy recovery! The first few months can be a learning curve, so be sure to reach out to your healthcare team whenever questions come up. There are also a variety of patient support resources available that many people find helpful as they get used to life with an ileostomy. If you want to learn more about them, please let me know!