Brown Residue on Healed Barbie Butt: Seeking Advice

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711
DylanCooperJ
Dec 30, 2022 6:10 am

Hi, I'm Dylan, this is my first post on here so please excuse me if I do anything wrong.

So I've had a permanent colostomy for about two years, my Barbie butt has been fully healed since June 2021. And on and off this whole time, I've gotten brown residue on my butt where my anus used to be. It goes away after I wipe it off a few times, but sooner or later it will be back, sometimes it's an average brown color and sometimes it can be lighter, almost a bit yellow. I've been told by doctors and others who've looked at it that there's no opening that anything could be coming from. And I logically know that it's not stool, but sometimes it sure as hell looks like it, and it's very stressful.

So my question is, has anybody else had this before? Or know what I could be experiencing? Any info would be really really appreciated. Thank you.

AlexT
Dec 30, 2022 6:41 am

Could it be a tiny pinhole leak in your scar? I had one as my radiation wound was healing, and the wound nurse had a tough time even seeing it.

Posted by: w30bob

Hi gang,

I was thinking what a great resource this site has been for me since I found it. It would have been really helpful, but maybe a bit scary, to have found it before my ostomy, but that's water under the bridge. But I got thinking about it, and now I'm questioning why doctors and hospitals don't provide this site's contact info to any patient even considering an ostomy today. And how can we change that so potential ostomates can learn about the road ahead for them by getting on here and asking questions before the docs go chop-chop. How exactly do you get all hospitals to provide their patients specific information, like this website?

I just happened to find this site something like 4 years after my ostomy when I Googled "ostomy forum" or something like that. But I never found it during previous searches.....so I found this site pretty much by pure luck. We need to find a way to make this site available to new or soon-to-be ostomates......as that's when we really need to commiserate with fellow ostomates. Anybody have any thoughts on how we do this?

Thanks,

Bob

Bill
Dec 30, 2022 7:42 am

Hello Dylan.

Thank you for sharing this interesting experience.
I must admit that I haven't a clue as to what it might be, so I'm pleased that Alex has started us off with a sensible suggestion. 

Whenever I have something like this that I find puzzling, I tend to approach it in a methodical way so that I can satisfy myself that I have done all I can to try to find answers.

What I would do in this scenario is not simply keep wiping the substance off, but put a folded tissue in place to try to identify more precisely from where it is emerging. I would also retain the 'sample' and ask my doctor if it could be analysed so that the substance could be properly identified. This would also give us a clue as to what it is and what might be causing it to 'leak'.  Gathering such 'evidence', usually helps to pinpoint what might be amiss.  I tend to adopt this approach with identifying where bleeding is taking place somewhere around my stoma. Sometimes the spots where it leaks are so small as to be invisible to the eye at the distance we are from the source.  In the case of a Barbie bum, it would be almost impossible to see without a mirror or a camera of some sort. Even then I suspect it would need considerable magnification to be sure of what is causing the problem. 

I recall many years ago, when I was having problems with hair follicles, my GP did not seem very interested. I eventually found a powerful microscope in the engineering department at the University that I was attending and took a photograph of the offending area and the hair that was causing it.  This 'evidence' was enough to peek the interest of my GP and get him to prescribe some ointment for folliculitis - which has been successful ever since.

Sometimes, when things are not blindingly obvious to doctors, they adopt an attitude of 'there seems to be nothing wrong', rather than one of 'well, let's see if we can find out'.

Whilst working in the field of Mental Health, I came across several cases where ailments had been diagnosed as 'psychological' simply because the doctor concerned had not shown due diligence in their initial assessments. This is particularly relevant when it comes to digestive disorders, where anti-psychotics have been prescribed instead of antibiotics. It's a dead giveaway, as to what is perceived by the prescriber. 

It sounds as if you are being told only what they are 'seeing', rather than trying to find out what exactly is happening. Perhaps it is time for a slightly different approach and, if necessary, with a different set of doctors.

Just a thought!

Best wishes

Bill

      

John A
Jan 02, 2023 2:23 am
Very helpful

Hi Dylan,

I had my stoma surgery and APR on June 5th, 2019. For a couple of years, I went through something similar with a sticky, light-colored, sometimes darker discharge coming from between where they stitched my butt up. There were definitely a couple of small holes between stitches.

I saw my surgeon, and his intern was able to apply, I believe, salicylic acid on the area to cauterize the area and seal it up. Since then, it seems to have worked, and there is no more discharge. That, and the fact that any additional weight I gain goes straight to the butt, haha. That also has helped to seal things up, so no second visit needed with the surgeon. I have been extremely routine in bathing and showering each day, as the last thing I want is an infection. I would mention it ahead of time to your surgeon before your next visit. They should be able to seal things up without surgery, and problem solved.