Need relief for sore bum after ileostomy reversal!

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone knows the best thing to use for sore bum after ileostomy reversal!? I have tried Vaseline and A+D Ointment, not much relief! Thank you for any suggestions!!!

Hello Miss Worrier. It is a good question you ask, but to try to give a helpful answer it might be useful to know what constitutes a 'sore bum'

If it's a rash or sore skin, then there are lots of treatments that can help. I have found that 'nappy-rash ointments are quite good for this.

If it is more of an internal or painful thing, then it really needs to be looked at by a professional ( perhaps that should be done anyway to ascertain what the problem is.

I have found that suppositories for piles are quite good at dealing with many of the internal discomforts. 

It might be some sort of pressure on the  wounds, in which case some pain killers might help in the short-term. 

With people like us, it is just a matter of educated guesswork. However, if you can get a competent medic to have a look and tell you what id wrong, then you stand a better chance of fixing it. They might even have some useful suggestions., although I have found the stoma nurses are more educated in these aftercare matters than surgeons.

I do hope you find a solution soon.

Best wishes

Bill  

Hi Miss W, if your plumbing is hooked up as natural, did you get a J-Pouch? Did they just do a straight line hookup to your anus? They are both difficult for quite a while, sorry to say. I had the J-Pouch irritation after getting it and disconnecting it.

I got something in Ireland called "Instillagel". This is basically like Novocaine. It comes in plastic syringes for inserting inside. This will take away your pain (localized) while the Vaseline protects from further skin damage. What's coming out will literally burn the skin around the anal area, mine was like raw hamburger, raw and bloody at times. I feel for you because I struggle to describe the intensity of this pain!!! It is the most awful pain I've ever felt.

I assume your frequency is off the charts right now, so anything to neutralize the excess stomach acid will help. I had a lot of pain and cramping in my lower pelvis, gripping, pulling type of cramps. Any type of muscle relaxant may help with those cramps.

Bottom line is you will be dealing with this for a while, so try everything that's feasible, the sooner you find something, the sooner you will have that lovely smile back.

Sitting upright as little as possible helps, stretch out with a cushion just where your buttocks begin, under your upper thighs and not sitting directly on the cushion.

If your frequency is very high, sending out copious amounts of stomach acid, you could try Imodium to slow it down.

You will have inflammation inside your anus/rectum. There is a steroid foam that you can squirt in there, a little canister of compressed foam steroid. This works best for all the above. The one I used (steroid) is called "Colifoam". This brand is European, so the name may be different.

Magoo

Thank you, Bill. It's sore from wiping so much, having to go so often!! Thank you!!

Hi Magoo, they just hooked me back together like it was before the ileostomy!!

Hello Miss Worrier.

Thanks for this additional information as it has triggered another idea. 

My daughter had her toilet converted into one of those where she doesn't need to wipe, as it has a washing and drying system, which seems to work well for her. 

There are plenty of them on the market and they offer a range of choices as to  what you can do with them. 

Best wishes

Bill

Congratulations on your reversal! I'm about a month into recovery myself. Make sure you are drinking lots of water and eating plenty of fiber. Fiber helps bulk up your stools, keeps you more regular, and softens things a bit. A baby diaper cream like Desitin would protect your bum a bit between BMs. If you can't get a bidet system like Bill suggested, a squeeze bottle of water can work wonders. Take care!

-Rae

Hey Miss Warrior (should be Miss Warrior though!) I've just recently had my J-pouch reversed, and when I still had the J-pouch, I always used wet wipes to wipe my bum, and I would also then put on a medical glove and apply some Sudocrem - I used to use Cavilon cream at first, but switched over to the Sudocrem and got better results. And I had a little tube in my handbag for when I was out and about. Without the wet wipes and Sudocrem, my bum would get so red and sore so quickly, I'm really happy I no longer have to worry about that!

Hopefully, you're in a good place with things now, but Calmoseptine is what was highly recommended to me by many in the ostomy reversal community.