end colostomy with mucus fistula
On April 20th I had colostomy surgery with a mucus fistula. Prior to the surgery I searched in vain to find anyone else who could explain what it would look like and how easy or difficult to pouch it would be so my purpose with this discussion is to share my experiences over time. In October of 2023 I was diagnosed with Stage IV rectal cancer. I underwent chemo, radiation, surgery, and chemo and now I am cancer free at the moment, but I did have a temporary ileostomy for 7 months and then had subsequent reversal surgery, but I developed a rectal fistula in March and had to have a colostomy to divert stool away from the fistula. This was in hopes that the fistula would heal which it appears to be doing. My doctors want me to keep an open mind about a future reversal, but prior to the surgery I had moderate LARS and was in the bathroom 10-15 times a day and constantly in fear of messing my pants. Life with the colostomy so far is vastly improved. So, that's it for my first post.