Summer’s Barbie Butt Surgery

What lead me to have the Barbie butt?

A bit of background for those that don’t know me, I had my stoma surgery 11 months ago on 28th June 2021, a week after my 21st birthday. This was done after suffering with ulcerative colitis for 2 years. They removed my whole large bowel apart from my rectum. They like to leave the rectum behind as there is hope that when there is no food is passing through your rectum, it can heal. They also didn’t want to remove my rectum because I haven’t had any children yet and the Barbie butt surgery can cause fertility issues.

A few weeks after my stoma surgery I started passing blood from my rectum again. Which totally freaked me out because I didn’t know this could still happen! I was worried the staples in my rectum had come loose! It turns out my colitis was back. For the next few months, the bleeding got increasingly worse where I was back to rushing to the toilet 10+ times a day passing blood & mucus. So, I spoke with my surgeon, and he said I needed to have my rectum removed asap and wanted to do it in January 2022 as your body needs 6 months between surgeries to heal. But I was in the middle of my final year at university so I put it off until May 2022. During this time, I ended up back in hospital and on steroids in attempt to control the colitis as it had just got out of control.

I should probably explain why it’s called a Barbie butt and its simply because when they remove your rectum, they sew up your bum hole and this leaves you with a fake bum! Some also called it a Ken butt when men that have this surgery!

Hospital experience

Due to complications with scheduling my usual surgeon (Dr Hammond) wasn’t around on the day I had my surgery so it was planned that I would have Dr Laurence instead. Like all surgery’s I had various tests done the morning off to check everything was alright. I had Dr Laurence come round to see if I had any final questions. Then it was time to go down to theatre. This part immediately before the op where they get you ready for the actual operation is by far the most nerve wracking for me. As I’m sat on the bed having cannulas put in, blood pressure checks and discussions about epidural, it’s all so real. We opted for an epidural to be put in as I didn’t react well to the iv-morphine last time and my pain was poorly controlled. When they put the epidural needle in, I really started to panic so one of the nurses said she was going to give me an injection which would feel like I’ve had a few G&Ts. I can tell you I’ve never needed a few G&Ts than in that moment ahah! After that they put a mask over my face and within a few moments I was asleep.

Once I woke up from the surgery I remember crying in pain as my bum wound was so painful, so I had plenty of fentanyl until they turned on my epidural a few hours later. As brilliant as the epidural was in relieving the pain it made both my legs completely dead, to the point I couldn’t even move my toes. So, the next day when I was moved to the ward it was turned off and I was given oral morphine. I was only in hospital for three nights after my operation as once I was able to walk again, I started to feel better.

I was only on the strong pain killers for about a week after I was home before moving solely to paracetamol. I was surprised at how quickly my body healed and how little pain I felt in my stomach. I’m three weeks post op today as I write this, and I feel like I’m back to myself already. I still get shooting pains in my bum, but my surgeon explained this could last a while as the nerve endings cut during surgery are trying to find their way back to each other. I’m able to sit down for about an hour comfortably. Which is one thing I was really worried about as I know some people don’t feel able to sit properly for months!

Some of my FAQs

How did you sit to begin with when you couldn’t sit on you bum?

I sat/laid on my side

Do you still get the sensation to fart?

Not anymore no!

Is the surgery done keyhole?

Yes, I have three small incisions on my belly which was used to cut the rectum out and then I have a 2-inch wound where my bum hole was where they removed the rectum.

Why can the Barbie butt surgery cause fertility issues?

Because the surgery is done in the pelvic area so it can create scar tissue in the pelvic area which in turn can cause issues with fertility.

Summer @summers_stoma

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