Getting a colostomy for my 31st SCI anniversary!

[DavesMom]

Hi All,
David's colsotomy was the best thing ever. It is easier and no big deal to deal with emptying. He had lots of noise in the beginning but that seems to have eased off alot. He does use the bag with a filter and that helps with the gas issue as well as taking one of those pills for gas at night. It is going to happen occasionally but it should not be too bad. As for the mucous, David does pass a little but not much at all. Not enough to even worry about. Your colostomy is new so just give things time to adjust and you will be fine.
DavesMom, Diane

[sjean423]

SHannon, mine was noisier in the beginning. It settled down, and now is definitely food related. Anything that made me gassy before, will make it noisy and gassy now. No different.

I swear by odor drops. The ones I usually buy are M9 I think. In the beginning, don;t ever "burp" it, or let gas out except in the bathroom (or alone). I also use bags w/ filters, that supposedly let the gas out. But I find the filter sometimes must clog up or something.

I never have anything pass the rectum by itself, altho just recently, my gyn commented that that he could feel stool. I just happened to have an apointment the next day w. the nurse at my phsyiatrists office, for my pump, and she helped me clean it out. So now I am told to check every once in a while to see of anything is there, and if so remove it. (So far, it has been once in 4 years .....)

[cara_m]

Hi Shannon, I wanted to thank you ever so much for starting this thread. I have been thinking about having one done for years. I actually have an upcoming appointment with a surgeon. I thought I knew the right questions before but now I feel much more prepared. The older I get the more frequent the bowel accidents seem to come. Please keep us posted on your recovery and adaptabilty to the bag. The surgery alone isn't my only concern but wearing the bag is. I suppose anything would be better than having 2-3 bowel accidents a week. Was your surgery laproscopic? If it was it sure had to cut down on recovery time. I'm glad you like it and hope it continues to do well for you.

[smokey]

Shannon, Thanks for all your information. Regarding the discharge of mucous from your butt...can't they remove your "rectal stump"? It seems that might solve the problem....but what the heck do I know.

[Steph73]

Shannon,
My colostomy was also noisier in the beginning it will settle down eventually; sometimes mine will let one rip but not to often. My colostomy was huge when I first had it, I actually thought it looked like one of those beefstake tomatoes but once the swelling went down it is only about an inch wide and long now. The mucous will continue but the amount might lessen a bit. The way it was explained to me is this: the bowel is similar to your mouth producing saliva, the bowel produces mucous to help pass the stool to the rectum. So unless you have your rectum removed which is a MAJOR surgery and one I wouldn't recommend (or think a doctor would do) unless you have a disease of the bowel that requires it. I will pm you with another board that might help you cope with your new colostomy.

[xJdinox]

Shannon,
I am glad that the colostomy went well. TY for starting this thread. I need to get a flap done and the Plastic Surgeon wants me to get a temporary one. TY to everyone who asked and answered questions. Now I have questions to ask the ostomy nurse and general surgeon if the PS decides that I most definitely need one.

[Shannon]

Regarding the mucous, does it stink? I guess it's not really a big deal. I think I just thought I was done with that hole forever and was surprised when I found out I'm not!

[Shannon]

Hi Shannon, I wanted to thank you ever so much for starting this thread. I have been thinking about having one done for years. I actually have an upcoming appointment with a surgeon. I thought I knew the right questions before but now I feel much more prepared. The older I get the more frequent the bowel accidents seem to come. Please keep us posted on your recovery and adaptabilty to the bag. The surgery alone isn't my only concern but wearing the bag is. I suppose anything would be better than having 2-3 bowel accidents a week. Was your surgery laproscopic? If it was it sure had to cut down on recovery time. I'm glad you like it and hope it continues to do well for you.

I think you'd be quite pleased if you got one Cara. I hear you on wearing the bag. It still bothers me a bit, but I can tell it won't be long before I think nothing of it.

Yes, the surgery was laparscopic. I had the surgery on Thursday morning. I believe the surgery was about 2 hours. I slept pretty much the rest of the day. The next day I was out of bed wanting to go home. They let me leave on Saturday around noon. Recovery has been super easy. The day of the surgery was a little tough because I was so out of it and didn't want to be, but other than being a bit tired over the past few days, I feel fine!

[Shannon]

I never have anything pass the rectum by itself, altho just recently, my gyn commented that that he could feel stool.

Stool? Not just mucous?

[sjean423]

Yes. Mine is a loop ilieostomy. Designed to be reversible, as it was done as an emergency, not a choice. So they were leaving me options at the time. I guess b/c of the loop, tiny bits can sometimes pass through the loop? Anyway, after 4 years of this, it built up. As I never knew until just recently it was even something that was possible. So now I am just supposed to check once in a while to see if anything is there. (like every couple of months .... not every day or anything). But I have never had anything pass on its own.

I am assuming that yours as a choice wasn;t a loop, so nothing would be able to pass.

But my point, was that I have never even had mucus pass until then.

[keps]

If English health care is the same as here, they don't make such operations except if the person is sick. And since SCI is not a sickness and the people can have a bowel program, they don't do it. We can't choose, just like we can't choose to have a mitro. I am ready to take my bladder out because I think the destroyed bladder is the reason for all my UTIs, but it is still difficult. The doctors have to find a reason to do it. I have told them for years but I haven't even been to a urologist who is making a stoma yet.

Yes, this is what it is like here too. I'm sure I wouldn't be considered for a colostomy unless there was a strong medical reason for one.

[Steph73]

I've never noticed a smell to the mucous. If it did I can guarantee that it would be slight and certainly not as bad as the stool. It can feel like stool when you need to pass some but as long as your surgeon gave you a permanent colostomy and not a loop you should not pass stool from anywhere but the colostomy.

[wheelady]

I am T10/11 incomplete para and just had a colostomy three weeks ago. I decided on it after struggling for years with bowel issues. I have IBS (even before injury) and ended up spending upwards to two hours morning and night in the bathroom. I was losing sleep and my butt hurt all the time. Finally I was developing prolapsed rectum and other issues, so I opted for the colostomy. So far I'm pretty happy with it. At the six week point I am going to start using the irrigation method. Has anyone else used this method? I understand you only need to irrigate every other or every third day. Good to know that the noise settles down after awhile. Right now I don't feel comfortable in social situations. A nurse friend of mine told me about a product that reduces the odor called Devrom. I ordered some and will post the results. I am not sorry I opted for the colostomy at all. I have already gained back hours and hours of my life just in three weeks. Now I have a quad friend who is considering it , too.

[quad79]

I think I just thought I was done with that hole forever and was surprised when I found out I'm not!

I'm sure that will calm down when your body adjusts.Sorry,but I giggled at this.I want to thank you too.I'm tired of a bp ruling my life not to mention accidents even if it's just "return".I've been pondering this for some time too.The bag,smell & noises cause my anxieites still yet but so does the latter.I still have another consult as to whether I'm having a urostomy.I told my husband"what the hell,why not two bags?!"The freedom must be liberating for sure though!Where is the stoma?Can it/does it go on your side?How high/low?I'm glad things are going well for you,good news.

[Shannon]

3 week update

Things are going well. I'm happy with the colostomy. Well, maybe I shouldn't say "happy" with it, but I'm happier than I was before I got it. I love that I don't have to do a bp anymore... really love that. Also, I don't have to worry about accidents anymore. I no longer have to cancel plans because I'm feeling off. Now when I leave the house I don't have the constant worry that I will have an accident while I'm out.

I was concerned the first couple of weeks after the surgery because I was getting AD quite often. Fortunately, it wasn't the killer headache AD. It was just a lot of sweating on my lower back and crazy goosebumps. That seems to have cleared itself up now though.

This morning I was thinking about how before I had the surgery I assumed my roids would clear up when I stopped using that hole . I'm wondering now if that's true. I never asked my doctor about it because like I said, I assumed they would go away. But do they go away on their own, especially if I'm sitting on them all the time???