Seeking colostomy reversal

Back on 12/15/10 I had an end sigmoid colostomy performed.  It has been 1 month and I have had nothing but problems with it from impaction, constipation, pain in my abdomen, groin, and chest.  It was an elective procedure, there was nothing wrong with my colon, but I am paraplegic and on the advice of a doctor that I have colostomy to protect my skin, I went ahead and did it.  It was performed laparoscopically and i want it reversed.  I have found out it can be reversed via laparoscope, but I'd like to know what I might be facing once it would be completed, like:  will I have to always worry about an anastomatic leak, constrictions, diarrhea, scar tissue in my colon causing problems like blockage, or greater chance of cancer.  My colon was perfectly fine, but will it be after the reversal?  I pray it will be because the colostomy was such a bad mistake.  thank you

[bennyweny]

i had a ilostomy febuary 2009 it has been up and down good days and bad days i have noticed that i am begining to suffer with trapped wind and very bad stomache pain that lasts for hours my stomache feels realy sore this is the third time since my operation that i have started to get this problem and was wondering if it is normal or is somethink wrong has anybody had this problem would like to hear from you many thanks

[CatPerson1956]

If you can get the reversal done before your rectal muscles atrophy too much, the recovery shouldn't be too bad.  My doctor told me I would have diarrhea and other related problems for six months or more.  It had been two years since I had the colostomy, and my rectum was paper thin.  I also found other muscles had atrophied that support my bladder and aid in evacuating the fecal material.  Even with severe pain on and off daily for the first two months, and still not in total control nearing three months, I am so thankful to not have "Clarence".  (Clarence was the name I gave my stoma so I could talk about it in public.)  I would get a second or third opinion before having the reversal done.  Everyone is different, but nobody told me about the recovery pain and problems.  The reasons for my colostomy were to save my life.  I had a hole in my rectum which let fecal material leak into my abdomen.  Peritonitis was eating away at my small intestine.  If surgery had waited two more days, I would have been dead. My recovery problems from the surgery were an infection at the surgical site (I wore a wound vac for eight weeks) and leakage from the bag not staying tightly on.  After I healed, the bag stayed on much better, but could still cause leaks against my skin.  If I had other problems like the constipation you are complaining about, I didn't notice it.  The healing process was painful enough.  Good Luck.