Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Small Intestine

Question:
I have Crohn's Disease; so, my J-pouch operation was a failure. I am going for an operation that will staple off the j-pouch and give me an ileostomy.  I want to keep my connection (the rectal stump) incase there is something in the future, etc. My question is:   Has anyone had problems with many many mucous bowel movements or tenesmus (urgency to go) with just the stump left and not removed when you got your ileostomy? The surgeon said that because he will remove about 2 to 3 feet of diseased intestine, he may not be able to reach the ileostomy area. The intestines can not be stretched easily because of blood supply connections. Has anyone encountered that?

Answer:
When I had my 'stump' I went like every third day (= no problem), and that’s much because I put medication in there I think. I had my 'stump' and ileostomy for one year. I reconnected the 'stump' and the small intestant 1 month ago and it's working really well right now. Only the ileum, the upper part of the small intestine, can be reached by colonoscopy. The scope only goes so far. My first two scopes the GI's were not able to get past the colon, turns out that is where all my trouble began but they were unable to view anything because of the severe swelling. Thanks for the post; but, I was talking about something else. After the surgeon cuts me open (we are talking about surgery), he will remove about 2 to 3 feet of diseased intestine. I am concerned that he may not be able to reach the ileostomy area with the healthy end of the remaining small intestine (he told me this). The intestines can not be stretched easily because of blood supply connections he told me.  Has anyone had problems with this?