Ostomy revision surgery

Hey-I had my Ostomy surgery on 7/28/21. My colostomy is permanent due to cancer. My stoma is an innie and flush to my skin, this has made things difficult for me (leaking, blow outs, consistently stool on skin, burning/painful skin). Has anyone had a Ostomy revision surgery and can share their experience? Time in the hospital? Recovery time? And just generally what to expect. Thank you 

1. Dating and relationships
2. Concealing the pouch
3. Foods to eat and avoid
4. Losing or gaining weight
5. Pouch ballooning

Hi JP

Have you tried a convex appliance, a seal and a spray on/wipe on  barrier liquid yet. My first stoma was like yours, I also cut the hole in the bag smaller than the actual stoma perimeter to get a good seal to the skin around the stoma. My experience with a revision is the stoma gets larger in diameter and isn't necessarily a permanent fix. Use a belt with the convex appliance too if you haven't tried these options yet

Axl

Hi Axl, I am using a convex wafer and convex barrier, they have been very helpful. I ordered Skin Tac and it will be arriving soon. Is that considered a barrier liquid? What barrier do you recommend? I haven't tried a belt but I will (my Ostomy nurse has told me to try it and I haven't yet) haha. Thank you!!

Hi J

A quick google and Skin Tac looks like a similar product, most ostomy product maufacturers make an specific barrier product to protect the skin. I used to use one as a precaution.

This is what I used

https://theaccessstore.com/product/cavillion-no-sting-barrier-film-spray/

They also come as a wipe which can be easier to apply as the spray hits a larger area. Some wipes are called "sheets" as the liquid is impregnated into a small sheet of fabric which can be wiped or squeezed then discarded to apply more precisely.

https://products.coloplast.com.au/coloplast/ostomy-care/brava/brava-barrier/brava-skin-barrier-wipes/

Im not sure if one of the two convex products you describe is in fact a mouldable seal to go between the spray/wipe on barrier and your appliance.

Most maufacturers make mouldable seals in various sizes as well.

https://www.coloplast.com.au/global/ostomy/brava-protective-seal/

All of this should be the basics from your ostomy nurse and there really isnt much more to it other than finding which product you feel works best for you.

I always use the elastic belt, maybe function , maybe peace of mind, its just the way I do it.

Axl 

If you have a colostomy and enough large intestine left you should look into irrigation. It takes about an hour every day but then you don't have to empty a bag ever. 

Hey, I have almost all my of intestines. What exactly is irrigation? How does it work? pros and cons? Thank you 

Hi Just Peachy! I have had an Ostomy revision for the same reason as you where my stoma was almost flush with my skin. It was the best decision I ever made as far as ostomies go. What they did was pull out the stoma and restitch it. It is perfectly safe and not too painful. The surgery was short and requires a one full day in the hospital. I opted not to stay in the hospital and went home that night. My doctor would not sign my release so if anything happened he would not be responsible because I opted to go home. I never had a problem after that revision. Mike

Irrigation is just giving yourself an enema through your stoma. So I go into the bathroom and have an irrigation kit (bag to fill with water, on/off valve and rubber cone to insert into stoma). I fill the bag with warm water and hang it shoulder height, i then feed water into my stoma and it cleans all of your waste out. They make irrigation sleeves for the waste to go into, it's just a long ostomy bag with an opening at the top. I don't use the sleeves I prefer just a small container. I have to use quite a bit of water and it takes me approximately 1 hour. I shower right after and still put a bag on because I have so many extras. You should be able to go 24 hours with zero output. Some people can even go 48 hours and they only irrigate every other day. But you can essentially stop wearing a bad and just wear a stoma patch/ cap. I'm not sure if I'm good at explaining this but Google it and there are some videos. Also, I'm in a great and helpful Facebook group. I'm not sure I'm allowed to post link though. 

I have had ilieostomy for 48 years. After the first couple of years, my stoma was retracting so my surgeon did a revision to pull it out more. I don't remember it being painful and it helped for awhile. Unfortunately, my stoma has a mind of its own and occasionally retracts so much that I think it's going to retract inside of me. Thankfully, it hasn't. I think sometimes, I don't drink enough water. Now before I change, I drink at least a cup of water so that it doesn't retract while I'm changing. It helps. I aso wear a belt on the first day I change and sometimes other days if I feel there is a lot of activity.

Best of luck to you.

Hi Mike - when you went home what was the recovery time like after the revision surgery? We're you able to resume normal activity after a few days? Thank you!!

Peachy, all I can say is everyone is different and different body and strength. I was able to resume working in the office about 3 days after but being careful with how I handled myself and what I ate It took me about one to two weeks to start physical activities like running and exercises. Mike