Onc says most people keep their colostomies after chemo?

[JenTehLuv]

Hey folks!

I just had a talk with my oncologist after a progress CT was done (chest, abdomen, and pelvis) with the good news that my CEA levels went down (started with 147 and I'm now down to 74!) and the CT showed some of the tumors have been shrinking, no dramatic changes but still any shrinkage is better than nothing (or worse the tumors growing in size). Although it's great news especially since I had a few complications since my diagnosis in September 2014 and I had to skip a month and a half due to blood clots, pneumonia, liver biopsy, etc.

I told her that one of the things that motivates me to continue treatment is the hope of getting my colostomy reversed since when I was first given it I was told that only a bit of my sigmoid colon was taken out so getting it reversed after chemotherapy is possible. I was still keeping that in mind throughout all these moths since I'm not at all fond of my colostomy, except my onc said that most people keep theirs even after treatment and just live with it for the rest of their lives, is this true? I see some posts on here talking about their reversals as well as the issues the people deal with it, however I still want to get rid of my stoma.

Should I be concerned about this? Is it true most people keep their stomas (when the option of a reversal is possible)? My surgeon said after chemo I can get a reversal and being told otherwise worries me since its a major reason I can try to deal with the effects of my treatments since they kick my ass, and since being told the treatment is working I'm worried now.

[justin case]

I can't even fathom why you have a colostomy with a sigmoid tumor I would get a second opinion. I am editing, because I just read your signature. I don't know what was removed because of your emergency blockage
Please excuse me for responding.
Michael

[megan120]

I have an ileostomy that is temporary at this time. By the time my surgeon is done with me I won't have any colon left, just an ileorectal reservoir. I will have had 12 rounds of folfox, plus radiation with Xeloda by the time my next surgery comes around. I don't know why you couldn't get it reversed, and I don't think that most people "just keep it" if there is another option.

[Voxx66]

Some people do keep them as reversals aren't always successful but I think most people at least prefer trying to reconnect.

[KWT]

Yes, one must try. It's hard at times but it's nice not dealing with the bag.

I think it's safe to say most people on this board have their reversal ASAP.

[CRguy]

Should I be concerned about this? Is it true most people keep their stomas (when the option of a reversal is possible)? My surgeon said after chemo I can get a reversal and being told otherwise worries me since its a major reason I can try to deal with the effects of my treatments since they kick my ass, and since being told the treatment is working I'm worried now.

Please consider my recent advice in another topic HERE

Suggestion : don't take chemo advice from a surgeon and don't take surgical advice from a medical oncologist. Each has their own expertise and experiences to draw from and will often be in disagreement .....

While it may be true that folks let the ostomy take the brunt of GIT issues with chemo ...... only YOU and your SURGEON should be making decisions about whether or not the stoma needs to go. ( I kept my temp ileo during chemo and reversed when I was finished. Some folks cannot wait to get rid of the stoma. Some folks eventually have the ostomy made permanent because of ongoing issues from chemo-radiation-surgery. )

YOUR choice, your body, your life.

IME .. most people who can reverse a temporary ostomy, do so and give it a try with the new plumbing.
JMO.... if you still have most of the rectosigmoid intact ... AND your surgeon says you should be able to reverse the ostomy .... I would politely thank the Oncologist for the opinion and then deal with the folks who know shit from shinola = the SURGEONS !

again ... JMO !

Cheers and best wishes
CRguy

[JenTehLuv]

I can't even fathom why you have a colostomy with a sigmoid tumor I would get a second opinion. I am editing, because I just read your signature. I don't know what was removed because of your emergency blockage
Please excuse me for responding.
Michael

No worries! Heck I duplicated this post by accident so don't worry about it lol.

[JenTehLuv]

I have an ileostomy that is temporary at this time. By the time my surgeon is done with me I won't have any colon left, just an ileorectal reservoir. I will have had 12 rounds of folfox, plus radiation with Xeloda by the time my next surgery comes around. I don't know why you couldn't get it reversed, and I don't think that most people "just keep it" if there is another option.

My goodness you have a lot ahead of you! I wish you all the luck in the world, and thank you for responding. As I said I know many posts on here about reversals so I thought it was odd that my onc told me most people tend to keep their stomas after chemo.

[NWgirl]

From all I've read here over the past 7 years I can assure you most if not all people DO reverse their ileostomies. Your plumbing will never be what it was, but through trial, error and a lot of support from the folks here, most people find ways to make things bearable with their new plumbing. It takes patience and work, but most people are willing to give it a try. My reversal never worked and I ultimately opted for a permanent colostomy. But I'm really the exception here. As CRGuy said, talk to your surgeon about this - not your oncologist.


Typing from my phone so I apologize for any weird typos.