Seeking Relief for Chronic Rectal Pain

It's going on 2 years since my surgery. I had squamous cell carcinoma anal cancer. I suffer every day. Is there any comfort? In the morning, I get this pressure pain (severe pain) in my rectum from the back. It's a sharp pain like something wants to come out..sometimes I get mucus, sometimes I bleed a little. I've been to the doctors about this and they don't have an answer as to what is causing this pain. I get this pain every morning. I once asked a nurse and she said it could be a colon wave (?) My sister said it could be gas trying to find a way out.. If anyone has ever experienced this, please let me know what it is and what can I do to stop it.. Thank you, Sue

Hi SusieQ901, do you have an ostomy nurse? I have some pain sometimes but not every day and I do pass mucus but not blood. I just use toilet paper and press on my rectum. You may need to check with your doctor that did the surgery or an ostomy nurse. Especially if you keep passing blood, I have never heard of a colon wave. Best wishes

Hi Lovely,

I did see my surgeon several times and I told him that when I wipe myself there is blood. His response is as long as the blood is not dripping in the toilet..which it doesn't. When I get ready to urinate, I get the pressure pain in the rectum in the back. I can feel a discharge and a few put put of gas. This week it was a discharge of dark brown. The smell was of rotten. Dr. told me that there is still some fetus (poop) in the rectum that will come out in time. Right now, I am suffering with the skin around my stoma. It is all red and some areas worse than others. Dr. gave me antibiotic cream to put on it.. Does it get better in time? I've had this for 1 and a half years.... Lost my husband 6 weeks after I was told I had cancer.. I was told I had cancer on Friday.. He came home the following Monday and said the doctor told him he had stage 4 lung cancer and a tumor in the middle of his brain.. He died 6 weeks later. I miss him so much..

Hi SusieQ901,

First of all, as regards the sore skin around the stoma! My stoma nurse gave me the steroid puffer that people with asthma and the likes use. I know this sounds strange, but it does work. You just spray on the sore skin, it dries very quickly so it doesn't interfere with the adhesion of the baseplate! My skin cleared up very quickly with that! I'm wondering if you have a lot of mucus buildup in your rectum. I am bothered a bit with that and I was told by my GP to use a suppository which helps to lubricate the hardened mucus and it passes easily! Mucus buildup hardens and is very normal, but maybe you are getting a lot which will cause pain. If you're not clearing it all out, it might be causing irritation inside, hence the bleeding! It might be worth a try. A suppository won't do any harm and might do a lot of good! Sorry for your loss, you have had a tough time. Hopefully things will get a bit better for you soon! Take care!

Lovely,

Hope you are having a nice day. Do you remember the name of the steroid puffer that you spray around your stoma? I think I will try the suppository. Do you buy them over the counter in the store, or does the doctor have to prescribe them? What you say about the build-up of mucus makes sense. Do I buy the suppository over the counter...This is all so new to me...it scares me. I cried all day...for my husband...I feel like "I want to go home" "Come home Charles"." Let's go home"...There isn't a home anymore. But I know the only home we will be together is in the home of the Lord. Thank you, Lovely...keep in touch...Sue

Susie, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Normally we look to our spouse to get us through these times. I hope, so hope, you have found someone to lean on.

That being said, I went through a period about 5 or 6 months after my colostomy where I felt, strongly, that I had to pass gas in the traditional way, and you know, a few times I did. It completely freaked me out, but damn if it didn't feel good. Forgive my crudity but it felt as if I had been holding in a fart for days, if not weeks, and all the accompanying pain and I finally let it out. Right around that time, I also started passing a lot of mucus from my rear end. I was running in several times a day! Then, after about two weeks, it just stopped. I'm not sure if my rectal stump was just clearing itself out, or if it was just trying to remind me it was still there.

If you need anything whatsoever, please don't hesitate to message me.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on such a nasty disorder. I do believe it is waste that was left in and will slowly make its way out. My surgeon swears that in no way can I pass gas or anything else from the rectum. He said it is matter that was left in after surgery for they didn't clean me out. My pain is still there but not as much. I would hold it in which I learned was the worst thing to do. Now I sit on the toilet and just let it come out. It is the worst smell of rotten I have ever smelled in my life.   It was my younger sister who said it might be gas. I think she is right. I am still crying like a baby for my husband, asking him to come home but I know it will not happen.   Again, thank you for sharing... Sue

Hi SusieQ901, I am not the one who mentioned the puffer. I do have pain sometimes and I just apply pressure to the rectum. I have mucus discharge several times a week which is normal according to everything I have read and heard from other ostomates. The stump still lubricates the rectum just as it did when you had regular bowel movements. I am truly sorry you are having a lot of trouble since you lost your husband. I have lost two and grieving is a personal thing. Some it takes longer for some than others. I wish you the very best. People say time heals but it doesn't, it just makes each day easier to get through. Try to find things to occupy your time.

It is so interesting that we all are going through the same sort of pain in our rectum discharge. I texted my surgeon several times about this and he says there is no way I could have a discharge for it is sewn shut. So one day I passed some mucus and blood and some nasty brown stuff. I took a picture of it and sent it to my surgeon. He called and wanted me in the hospital to go inside of me to make sure everything was ok. The results were that it was all fine. So the next time it happened I sent him the pictures and he said as long as I'm not dripping blood in the toilet it is ok. Some say to insert suppositories in the rectum and it will clear it out. I would have to ask my doctor first before trying that.
Thanks for listening, Sue

Marilyn, do you remember the name of the steroid puffer so I can bring it up with my doctor? It sounds like a miracle medicine. I am so tired of cleaning and putting on the Marathon medicine and powder. Yes, it is mucus and I don't know what the brown stuff is, but it has a nasty rotten smell. My surgeon put me back in the hospital to go into the rectum to see if everything was ok, and it was. He said as long as I'm not dripping blood in the toilet, I'll be ok. I think Kaiser let me and my husband down. Thank you for listening. Sue

Hi Sue,

Apologies for taking so long to reply! The name of the puffer is Beclometasone Dipropionate 250 microgram. It is a steroid puffer so I don't know if you will be able to buy it over the counter where you live and will have to speak to your doctor! It is used widely by Stoma Nurses in the UK for skin problems round the stoma, as it dries quickly it doesn't interfere with adhesion of the bag as creams do! Good luck, keep your chin up, things will get better with time, as Lovely said try to keep yourself busy! X