Frequency??

[Cathy T]

I've had my colostomy about 4 months and I'm wondering about the frequency of bowel movements. It seems like I "go" so much more than I should -- a total of 8-10 times a day and sometimmes overfill the bag at night and have a bursting accident if I don't wake up in time. I eat three SMALL meals a day. I do clean the bag excessively, I won't leave more than one "movement" in it (only exception sleeping and still I usually wake up before its full -- my pain keeps me from sleeping well. the pain isn't from the colostomy, its from my double kidney-based nephrostomy tubes and their effect on my spine.)

Before, when I had "normal" bowel movements I had one a day, m aybe 2 if I overate badly. Will my system slow down or is there always going to be so much more out put than input?

Thanks to anyone who can help, and please everyone if there's a better or more active forum please let meknow via email....

Cathy
[e-mail]
www.roncat.net/

[Jason_D]

Hi There,

Depends on what sort of consistency your output is. If its liquidy then it will pretty much be splurting out most of the day on and off, and give the appearance of 8 times a day.

If its solid, it should eventually settle down to maybe 2 - 3 times a day.

Everyone is different, and a bowel routine can take six months or more to develop post-op because of the bowel having had such a shock to its system by having a strapping big surgeon clamp his rubbery mitts all over it and cut bits here and there and so on.

As to whether it will slow down or not, it all depends on how much bowel you have left. The main job of the colon is to absorb water, if that is removed or bypassed the stool is very liquidy when passed. Therefore Ileostomists will pass liquidy output for the rest of their life because they have no colon left, or all the colon bypassed. Ileostomy stomas are on the right hand side of the belly (your own right.) and protude a lot like a spout to get the liquidy content in the pouch without it burning the skin.

Colostomists output should generally be thicker than ileo output and less constant purely because its more formed/solid. Colostomy stomas are on the left of the belly (your left) and reasonably flush to the skin.

If you are worried about your stoma output have it checked by a GP/Doctor, and whilst there ask if you should drink plenty more water so that you get that fluid back in the system.

Have you looked on the food chart to check you arent eating anything that causes too much diarohea?
www.ostomy.fsnet.co.uk/foods.html

Finally, whilst things are so liquidy, are you using a 2-piece drainable pouch? It will make your life a lot easier if you arent as you can drain the pouch with it in place and without having to do a full time consuming change.

Hope this gives you a little advice that is useful.

Buh bye now,

Jason D.

[Cathy T]

Thanks Jason, in answer to your questions, I have a colostomy, stoma on my left side, not flush to skin but just 1/2" inch or so above skin. It is beginning to harden in consistency (I was told about the liquidity at first and how it would firm up, which it is) but it still seems like I'm putting out so much more than I did as a "normal" person. I see the doctor every 4 weeks right now so I do have access to get serious medical questions answered. I think we're going back to one exam/appointment every 3 months (mainly for pap smear to check for cancer recurrances) after my October 1st appointment.

I was "cut" in 2 places according to my doctor; once in the lower intestine and 2 cuts in the upper. He did refer to the upper cuts as an illeostomy and the lower cut as the colostomy (?? I think, its been several weeks since I had that explained to me, he drew me a diagram which I can't seem to locate at this time.) He also referred to having done a colon resection on me as well, so I guess I actually had 3 different surgeries which are referred to now only as "your colostomy" (I'm guessing since my stoma is on the left).

Right now I still use one piece appliance because I can't seem to get the two piece sealed properly -- I don't do a complete change of bag every time, but I wash the bag out with warm water really really good (upend bag and pour warm water from empty pop bottle into bag, rub and clean) I do have some 2 piece ones that my visiting nurse suggested I try, but since I can't seem to "hook" the second piece on without causing undue pain to myself (guess I'm not healed yet) I prefer the one piece. I change the entire bag out for a new bag every other day.

I've read the food lists and I did try to follow them at first, but since I lost almost 40 pounds in the hospital, (I wasn't expected to live) & now my doctors want me eating very high fat high volume diet at this time to try and gain some weight back, with the threat that if I lose any more they will put me back in the hospital -- so I don't tailor my diet to the "normal" do's and don'ts for colostomy's. I sure don't want back in the hospital, the experience was horrific, due to the fact that they put me on psycotropic hallucinogenic drugs and I was "out of my head" for 2 weeks of the 4 I was in the hospital. I've never hallucinated before, and I don't know why they put me on the drugs (they said it was because "I was confused") but the delerium was so realistic I thought the hallucinations were in fact reality when they weren't, and that the doctors were trying to euthanize me instead of keep me alive....I know it sounds crazy, but that's what happened to my mind when they gave me those drugs.....

point being, I don't EVER EVER want to go in the hospital again, (I'm so fearful of being put into what they told my husband was a "man made coma" by the drugs)......I have my own shrink who is supposed to be called if I'm admitted again and he will try to stop them from giving me the drugs but there's no guarantee that they would call him. I was unconscious and couldn't make my own decisions, and I suppose maybe I said some things that didn't make sense and they thought psychtropic drugs would help. They said the first drug only made me more confused so they added a second drug, they told me one drug was haldol, they didn't tell me the name of the other drug.....

that's probably too much info...

thanks again for your quick reply & answer to my questions.......

Since I'm in such bad shape I don't cook much anymore and eat mainly frozen dinners, I know they have too much salt, I do get PLENTY of water and liquid, that I am accustomed to because of the nephrostomy (I've had that before) and have had recurrant kidney problems since so drinking plenty of fluids is something that is now built into me just like breathing, in fact, sometimes I get too much liquid and that does probably explain why I have so much extra output.

thanks again,

Cathy

[julima]

Hi Cathy

I have IBS and find that if I eat a very high fat diet I have constant diarrhoea ..... could that be it, do you think?

BTW - I use Pelican one-piece drainable pouches with velcro closures, as like you I didn't "get on" with two-piece appliances. Maybe you could give these a try, if they are available in your area?

Julie XXX

[corvus]

Hi,
do not know if this helps but this is what happen with me. I go twice a day for about one to two hours at a time. It does not seem to matter when I eat I eliminate between 6-8 in the evening and out gas at 2-4 am with a smaller eliminatiom between 7-9 am. Shure screws up dating, and took some time getting use to eliminating and eating during the same time period.
I have has some problems with the two peice but use them because I can change bags severl times a day depeding on what I am doing the flexability to use small bags is important, I use coloplast the tupper ware sealing ones did not stay on their flanges well for me and the clips are a pain to use. Coloplast has a velcro sealing device that is great for the large bags. that all I know at the moment,learnign just like you, I also almost died in the hospital got ARDS and spent a week in the ic unit. I am still recovering from the feb opperation, hope my story helps, got to run