Managing Mucus Leakage in Public?

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keepers51
Nov 26, 2020 2:48 am

It just occurred to me that tomorrow I will be in a situation where I cannot get to a private area. I am a colostomate, a male, with an occasional leakage of mucus which I easily take care of when at home but what can I wear when there's a time I have to be hours in public?

Bill
Nov 26, 2020 8:12 am

Hello keepers51.

I am presumiing that the mucus you refer to leaks from the anus. This is a very common thing with those who still have one and I'm sure a lot of people will chime in on your post. If not, there have been a number of previous posts on the subject which can still be found in the 'collections' section.

I have had excessive and continuous mucus from the off, so had to find my own solution quickly. Fortunately (or not, depending on your perspective) , I was faecally incontinent prior to my stoma, so I needed to cater for that and was already well prepared for relatively minor leakages from that area.

At first I tried anal plugs, but they are made of the wrong sort of material for absorbing mucus, then I tried the plugs women use for their periods, these absorbed it, but were a liability, as they tended to get stuck, or get sucked further in, or, as on one or two occasions, the tail-end broke and the only way to get it out was using artery forcepts. Also, this tail-end on some of them is made of material and the mucus simply wicked out and was still as much a problem as when I wasn't wearing it. Thus, after so many failed experiments, I  simply continued using incontinence pads. However, the mucus does not absorb very quickly into them so it needs slowing down to give the pads a chance. For this, I use a folded hand tissue (Toilet roll tends to disintigrate and is rendered useless), which catches the bulk of the mucus and slows it down so that the pad has a chance to absorb it more slowly. 

It is interesting that I find the anal mucus more of a nuisance than the stoma. Probably because nobody warned me about it beforehand, so I wasn't mentally prepared. 

I hope this information proves helpful 

Best wishes

Bill 

Posted by: Audrey Warren

This site is a godsend. As a newbie (colostomy on Nov 8, '21), I look at it every day for a number of reasons. Reading what people are going through makes me grateful that my elective surgery because of a severe case of IBS-C is nothing compared to what they have been through and are still living with.

I don't have to go to the hospital for anything related to my ostomy. I feel sorry for those who do and am in awe of those who can use humor to describe their ordeal. I identify with those who express their fears. I especially identify with those who are depressed because I am clinically depressed and have general anxiety disorder. How ironic that having a colostomy eliminated some of the depression and anxiety that the IBS created. I've been widowed twice and I'm on match.com.
I immediately included my operation in my profile and am pleased to say it doesn't seem to make a difference.

And there is much humor on this site and it's one of the reasons I enjoy it so much.

I could name numerous things I've learned from reading people's comments/questions/answers.

After months following on a daily basis, my only negative comment is I don't like listing the most popular members.
It's not that I don't like these people; I do. It's that I think it elicits some "Facebook"-like banter or comments that are gratuitous.

I don't do any social media and think that its merits are overshadowed by too much negativity.

Meetanostomate is in no way negative. I just think the gallery of "popularity" detracts from what is an excellent website that deals with a serious issue that causes a myriad of emotions.

keepers51
Nov 26, 2020 1:28 pm

Thank you, Bill.

Maried
Nov 26, 2020 5:47 pm

As my ex-husband would tell me, stuff the area like a turkey.

As Bill said, tissue slows it down and padding catches the excess leakage.

No one told me about the mucus either!

Past Member
Nov 26, 2020 7:29 pm

When I used to have mucus, I just used a tampon for padding. They soaked it up much better than any padding I've ever used.... My ex was a nurse, she told me to use them.

 

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Penguins7
Nov 27, 2020 10:18 pm

After my surgery and while my abscess was healing, I used my wife's maxi feminine pads in the back of my underwear. They worked great. Good luck. Penguins7