Can you live without your large intestine?

Answer 1

Yes. Some medical conditions require the removal of the bowel or a bypass from the small intestine to the rectum or sigmoid colon.

However, this requires careful medical monitoring. Food will pass through the system quickly and will be excreted in a more liquid form. Dehydration can be a problem because the large intestine is where water (and some vitamins) are removed.

(see discussion)

Answer 2

Of course you can, I am proof of that. 10 years ago my large intestine burst, in an emergency surgery they had to remove all of the large intestine and a section of small intestine. Immediately following the surgery I had to have an ileostomy, that is the illeum section of the small bowel sticking out of your belly and you have a bag attached to it. After allowing my body to heal for 3 months they then reconnected my small intestine to the remaining rectum so I no longer have a ileostomy. It does certainly change your life as there are many things that I can no longer eat and food goes through me very quickly, although now it is slower than it was at first, I can usually go a couple hours before I have to go where in the beginning it was about 15 minutes. Also you always have diarrhea, there are some foods that will thicken it up a little (like bananas for example) but I will never have a formed stool again. I am much healthier now than I was before the surgeries, it saved my life to lose my large intestine.