Questions About A Colostomy

[Lions]

Hi,

I have Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy and will probably have to have a Colostomy soon. Basically the problem i'm having that may warrant having one is that the Anus muscle (i think thats what it's called) is weak and so I cant 'go' unless it is really loose, and I take tablets to make it like this just so I can 'go'. Sometimes it gets so loose I can't control it and obviously is quite embarassing, especially at work. The flipside of that is if I don't have the pills I get terribly constipated, the worst time being 14 days and I ended up in hospital.

I just have some questions about having it done. Firstly I play electric wheelchair hockey, and am a little worried about playing with a bag on is there any way around this like a blocker type thing so I don't have to use the bag for a few hours?

Secondly, I eat a very high fibre diet, a lot of salad and I get quite a bit of gas, will this make the bag explode if I have too much?

And lastly, whats this irrigation thing about? Do you not need a bag at all for this?

Cheers

Sean

[Jason_D]

Hi Lions,

Welcome to the board. In your post you asked.....

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Firstly I play electric wheelchair hockey, and am a little worried about playing with a bag on is there any way around this like a blocker type thing so I don't have to use the bag for a few hours?
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Theres no way to physically stop the stool from being passed however there is a solid plastic cap and belt system that you place over the stoma and hold it in place with the belt. Its designed to protect the stoma in rough contact sports such as Ice Hockey, Rugby, Karate, and Supermarket Shopping at Peak Times etc. ;D

Can give u details of places to get em from if that is of interest to you. If you are in the UK convatec do one u can get on prescription. Elsewhere you may have to buy them but they arent expensive. $10US tops I should think and they are reusable.

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Secondly, I eat a very high fibre diet, a lot of salad and I get quite a bit of gas, will this make the bag explode if I have too much?
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Nope. Most bags today have a built in filter system to let air out and keep smells in. Your initial bags the hospital give you may not contain a filter but you dont have to stick to the ones they give you, u can change brands and types wheneve ryou want, and I would suggest you do try as many as possible so u find some you are happy with. I personally find Coloplast the best and looking at the poll that I started yesterday on the board it seems that Coloplast is widely regarded as the best so far.

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And lastly, whats this irrigation thing about? Do you not need a bag at all for this?
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It basically is a water system wher eyou insert a pipe in the stoma and flush the stool out. This stops the need for a full size bag for maybe three days or so, but you still need a small bag in place in case of any bits its misses and to protect the stoma.

www.ostomy.fsnet.co.uk/irr.html will give you more details.

Warning: NOt everyone can irrigate, it depends on consistency of stool, reason for ostomy and so on. You need medical approval before you start irrigating from your Stoma nurse or doc first to be on the safe side.

Hope this helps, any further question syou know where we are.

Buh bye now,

Jason D.

[corvus]

Hi,
Your life will change for the better after the operation. I swim and it has not slowed me down, different yes, but you are only limited by your mind. Coloplast has great products for active people, the only problem I have is keeping the water away from the seal, Hy Tape around the edge seems to work the best. It will take you a while to get use to the bag system but your life will improve after the operation mine did after 18 months of illlness. Jason answered your questions better than I can, welcome to the board