Ceramic towel bar in drywall

[Pirate]

I need to repair a loose ceramic tile towel bar that's in a drywall wall.
I'm going to use thinset and know that it has to curl around the inside of the cut out in the sheetrock in order to hold towel bar.
Ànybody know of good ways to make sure the then setset doesn't slide off the inside of the cut out in the drywall?
I think I should try to back it up somehow with something.
2" to one side of the opening is a stud and there's another one six or eight"on the other side of the opening.
Any suggestions welcome. I don't want us to fall off!

[barnowl]

I'd try epoxy first, then grout around after the epoxy set.

You can always rip into the wall if it doesn't work, but you might well be pleasantly surprised.

[KC]

I need to repair a loose ceramic tile towel bar that's in a drywall wall.
I'm going to use thinset and know that it has to curl around the inside of the cut out in the sheetrock in order to hold towel bar.
Ànybody know of good ways to make sure the then setset   doesn't slide off the inside of the cut out in the drywall?
I think I should try to back it up somehow with something.
2" to one side of the opening is a stud and there's another one six or eight"on the other side of the opening.
Any suggestions welcome. I don't want us to fall off!

Are those like the soap dishes that are designed to be held in place with tile?

[K. L. McReynolds]

Two pieces of lathing/thin wood screwed in place, one top and one bottom of the hole with about 1/2" clearance from the edge(top and bottom) of the hole.

[Pirate]

Lathe screwed to what? There is only about 1/2" of drywall around the fixture.
I'm trying not to have to re texture and paint on drywall, which is now undamaged.

[Roly]

Lathe screwed to what? There is only about 1/2" of drywall around the fixture.
I'm trying not to have to  re texture and paint on drywall, which is now undamaged.

Construction adhesive to glue the lath to the inside of the drywall.  Roly

[Pirate]

I believed it is the same as for ceramic tile.