Shy Stoma

Just wondering if anyone has the same problem that I do. When I change my pouch, nothing flows out for hours. It's like the stoma is shy and everything stopped working. I always change first thing in the morning and within a half hour I have a light breakfast as always. But nothing seems to come out for hours. I don't know if the air gets to it or what happens?

What you describe is exactly how my stoma works. I have a colostomy, and use a 2-piece Hollister system. I change the wafer every 7 days (change bags every couple of days). I changed the wafer this morning at 7:00 am. It's now 2:20 pm, the bag is empty, the stoma is looking clean and red. Sometimes nothing comes out for 1 1/2 days. It's been like this for 8 months. It does not seem to matter what I eat or when.

At first, I freaked out a little... thought I had a blockage. But had no pain, stoma looked good, so I waited to see what would happen. The next morning, output returned to normal.

Stomas are "shape-shifting" fickle little beasts. After a shower, my little jewel will sometimes grow a big bump near the tip. Other times it shrinks, exposing another bump area at the base. Hours later.... All is back to normal.

As long as your stoma is red and looks shiny, you should be OK. Any unexplained pain or different color, see a Stoma nurse or doctor right away.

Cheers,

Dan

Sounds like you have an ileostomy. I have noticed the same thing. It might be hours before it functions sometimes. Other times it will function quickly. Ileostomies function whenever they want to sometimes.

It's now 5:30.... Still no output. Business as usual.

Egads! Hours, you say? I wish! 😰

Daniel

7:36... All quiet on the stoma front. Wish my bag looked new like this all the time.

Enjoy the time with no output and relax. Mine is like that too. I go a little bit here or there, then I'll get a lot of output at once. Then, nothing for up to 2 days.

I can understand how that can be with a colostomy. I did not think that an ileostomy would act that way. My output is constant. I'm sure that is related to my lifelong habit of grazing, rather than eating regular meals. But even if I limit my eating to regular meals, I still get at least a modicum of output between getting rid of a meal and waiting for the next one to erupt. The gap is never hours, much less days. I would be interested in understanding the eating habits of people with ileostomies that go for hours with no output.

Daniel

It's 12:30 now in California.

Stoma still silent, bag still looking new. But like magma waiting to erupt... I'm gonna have a mini stoma volcano soon.

I'm like you, Daniel. I don't just eat three meals a day and probably don't go more than four hours without eating something. Plus, I have an ileo, so my stoma is pretty active all day and night. I tend to eat late at night, not a great thing I know, but so be it. The price I pay is having to empty two to four times in the night. Changing my pouch is always a bit stressful, as I know I have a fairly small window of time before things start working. Most times, my timing is pretty close. I'll get my new pouch on, and within a couple of minutes, it starts to erupt. Whew!

Terry

High Redondo, your profile doesn't say whether you have a colostomy or an ileostomy. It is common to go for hours without any output if you have a colostomy. As others have said, as long as you are comfortable and your stoma looks healthy, nothing to worry about.

Terry

I also tend to eat late at night and have to deal with burps and/or emptying during the night. This does not bother me, as I am up anyway, due to an aging bladder/prostate and arthritis pain. Adding the one task is no big deal. Just have to be extra careful if I am on the groggy side. :-)

I also try to curtail my night eating before appliance changing mornings. Am not always successful with that, but I try...

Daniel

I have the opposite problem. When I change my bag, my stoma can't wait to dirty the new bag and make itself all dirty again. A lot of times when I press the wafer down, it squirts then too before I can get the bag on. LOL

What's your secret?

Lee

Finally at 9:00 am or so (Tuesday), my little volcano became active again. Had to empty my plastic containment device (AKA...bag) twice in one hour.

So to recap: Changed wafer Sunday morning, no output until Tuesday morning, even though I ate quite a bit.

This mirrors my routine before I was graced with an ostomy. Usually BM every 2-3 days.

Pretty much how mine works. I'll get a little here or there but most comes out all at once and then I'm pretty much done for another 1-2 days.

If you eat a big volume of food, you will have a big volume of shit.

All depends on what kind of food you eat and how well it gets absorbed.

Yes, I have an ileostomy. Normally, within a half hour to an hour after I eat, I have to empty it. Stoma looks good so I'm not worried. Actually, I think it's best it doesn't flow for a while after I change to give more time for the new pouch to adhere.

Thanks for sharing your info.

I usually have output quite regularly and at least 1/2 hour to an hour after eating. But, I'm trying to eat low calories and not eat too late at night so that I don't have to wake in the middle of the night to empty. I don't eat very many vegetables or fiber because I'm concerned about blockage which has happened to me when I do that.

I have an ileostomy. Everything looks healthy. I was just wondering if others are the same way.

Thank you everyone for sharing your info. It was very helpful. Even though everything is healthy, I was just curious if others had the same experience.

My husband doesn't want any output from his ileostomy when he goes to the gym (3 days a week) or if we're going out for linner (3:30 meal). So in the AM he only has OJ, coffee, and an Ensure shake. This works for him.

But when he's just eating normal meals, it's kind of willy-nilly. Sometimes we feel like it rules our lives. There are times we think we have timing figured out and all at once it will start up during an appliance change. His ileostomy is certainly an adventure for us.

I have an ileostomy and my output is constant. My stoma is healthy and I feel I am as well. I've become accustomed to emptying my bag as often as I can just to prevent a bulging look under my clothes and I seem to feel cleaner without having anything much in it. It doesn't matter too much what I eat or how much…this little thing is a busy bug 😜.

I am not talking about what you eat and how you eat it, but the volume you eat. You eat big, you shit big.

Eat big
Shit big

Would fit nicely on a t-shirt! Where do we send the royalty check? :-))

Daniel

Overheard at work this year:

Shit happens

I don't give a shit

Shit-faced

Shit for brains

Dumb shit

Stupid shit

And shit's poopy derivatives:

Asswipe 

Shit ass

Stupid ass

Tight ass

And my all-time favorite...

Asshole.

Me too... jb

LOL! Sign me up for one of them.

Consider it paid in full. Regards, IGGIE

Mine is the same. It is only non-active if I don't eat at all. But even when I drink, it comes out. I have two, one on the right side and the left one is the poop stoma, and the other is my ileostomy. It just has mucus in my dressing.