Brown rectal discharge and discomfort - is it normal?

For the last couple of days, I have had a brown discharge from my rectum. It feels like I need to have a normal bowel movement, and it hurts a little. Is this normal? Has anyone else had this problem?

Hello lovely. 

Rectal discharge is a common problem and is usually caused by mucus. The colour and texture varies from person to person and time to time. Sometimes it is hard and stool-like and other times it might be completely clear and relatively liquid. A lot depends on how long it has been clinging to the anal stump and whether it is containing congealed blood from the operation. This anal mucus discharge is described as 'normal' by the medics and we seem to be expected to put up with it.

Personally, I have found it one of the most irritating aspects of having a stoma as it means I am effectively still 'incontinent' after they promised me that all those problems would be gone once I had a stoma. My 'solution'  ( if that's what it can be called) has been to continue to wear incontinence pads. However, the mucus is not absorbed very well into these and I need to also wear a folded tissue to stem the flow sufficiently for the pad to be effective. 

I regularly get pain, which is related to the amount of mucus in the rectum. However, pain is not something to be ignored (unless we have identified to cause and it is benign). So, it might be best to discuss it with your stoma nurse or doctor just to put your mind at rest.

One solution is to have the lower colon removed and to have what is referred to as a 'Barbie-butt' . My surgeon explained that this is a major operation and carries its own risks -- so I have opted to put up with the inconvenience of excessive mucus discharge. It's yet another thing that they do not tell us about prior to having a stoma!!

This subject has been discussed before and if you are interested in past posts and replies, they can be found in 'Collections' under 'stoma problems'. 

Best wishes

Bill   

Nailed it, Bill. As always. One thing I'd like to share is cleaning that stump. With an empty enema-type bottle and warm water, it has greatly reduced the blood mix, and no one told me about this until I thought about washing my car... Ha ha. You take a shower, why not clean/wash the butt stump? Just saying, a clean stump is a healthy stump.

Hello warrior.

In the early days when it was really painful and the mucus was disgusting and voluminous, I used to irrigate the anal stump with an adapted anal irrigator connected to the shower. It worked very well for about a year or so, cleaning it all out. Plus, watching the grot as it emptied into the bath was most satisfying - in a disgusting sort of way.

After a while the mucus became clearer and smelt of nothing, so I decided that I could manage it with incontinence pads, which I have been doing ever since. I am reluctant to suggest things like anal irrigation for others because the people who showed me how to do it warned me that they no longer recommend this approach as it can be quite risky with the potential for rupturing the bowel. It is probably for this reason that anal irrigation catheters are difficult to obtain - it just so happens that I still have some left over from when that was what I had to do on a daily basis.

I think that your idea sound a lot safer and if it works, then that would be my preferred option. ( if I needed to start again.)

Best wishes

Bill

 

Thanks Bill, I was very worried about this. I have had some mucus discharge before, but only a little once in a while. The last couple of days has been a lot, guess it built up. I don't know if I should tell this or not, but now I wonder if that can be what causes me to have so many UTIs. I just wonder why they don't close the end of the colon if they know it is going to be permanent.

They don't know it will be permanent since the small intestine could be attached later. That's my guess.

The other thing that I was told was that they don't like doing the 'Barbie- bum' because it is a major operation and carries the risks of further complications. 

Hello lovely.

I put up with discharge for years and took antibiotics when it got bad. It was mostly just a nuisance, but it got to the point where the pain was unbearable (often times it felt like I was sitting on a tennis ball), and the antibiotics were no longer effective.

I had my proctectomy (Barbie-Butt surgery) three years ago and have never regretted it. No more discharge. No more pain. No more antibiotics.

There are risks with every surgery, but of all the surgeries I've had up to this point, this one caused me the fewest problems.

My advice, talk to your doctor. Meet with the surgeon. Ask a lot of questions - even the ones that might seem embarrassing - and be confident in your decision.

I wish you well.

JayKay

Hello lovely,

My consultant suggested using a suppository when I had the buildup of mucus. It definitely worked for me, within an hour or so I was able to pass the solid mucus without pain and I would be pain-free for a few weeks until the mucus built up again! Hope this might be useful! Onwards and upwards!!

Wouldn't this be dangerous to insert it without knowing how long the stump is and whether the end of it is open. nbsp

I found a very good site with a lot of information on the rectal stump. Hope it answers some questions for some of you as it did for me. http://www.colostomyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Rectal-Stump.pdf