Hey all…nice to be here.
My major issue is to control colostomy output. I've been testing diet and meal times. I need to get back to work in restaurant management and prefer output to NOT occur from 4 PM to midnight. I've been wearing a hernia-type brace, and it seems to help a bit. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Cub, have you looked into irrigation? You may be a candidate for that. At the top of the page, there's a part of this site called collections. Type in irrigation and see what comes up.
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About seven years ago, just about every aspect of my life was ostomy related. From the moment I was told an ostomy might be needed until some months down the road I existed as a person afflicted with a colostomy. I feared someone other than my immediate family might find out I had a bag. Ugh! What could be worse? Suppose it filled real fast when I was out with no place to hide and take care of myself. God forbid should it leak in church! Suppose I roll over on it in bed. I was a lesser creature, destined to a life of emotional anguish and physical routines different from most of the rest of the world. I felt like a freak. Then I found folks like you guys here, read your stuff, really “listened” to what you had to say and I began looking at things differently. We know perception is everything and I began to understand how good things were relative to what they could’ve been. So many folks had it so much worse than I did. That didn’t make my discomfort go away but it exposed how fortunate I was to be dealing with my stuff and not their’s. I felt a little guilt, maybe selfishness but quickly forgave myself by understanding I just wasn’t smart enough to fix my feelings. Then, I wonder what smarts have to do with feelings. My perception was warped so my perspective toward my existence was warped.
I learned over the last few years with the help of lots of folks right here at MAO that I could be better at living just by accepting some facts. It is what it is and so what? It’s not the worst thing to happen to a person.
I think everything is, in some way, related to everything else. I just put the ostomy thing in the back seat and drive forward.
Respectfully,
Mike
Welcome!
I've not found a way to control my colostomy. Output is most likely for me after a meal or coffee, but that's not going to control everything.
Hopefully, you are a candidate for irrigation.
Hi. Welcome.
Are you sure you have a colostomy? Not an ileo?
Sometimes it's a bit confusing. No thanks to the doctors.
Please advise. Help is on the way.
Did you ever go to the bathroom while at work before your ostomy? Do you get so much output that you have to empty immediately? Irrigation is about the only way to almost guarantee no output during certain times. I figure I spend 10-20 minutes a day actually emptying my bag, where I believe irrigation would need me to devote more time per day (all at once) in order to not have random times of output.
To be a candidate for irrigation requires a colostomy to be on the descending colon or sigmoid colon.
Without irrigation, 8 hours is a long time to go without output, whether effluent or gas. As an alternative, using a 2-piece appliance, you can wear closed-end pouches on workdays. A pouch can be removed and replaced in seconds. Minimizing odor in the pouch is a much easier challenge than going 8 hours with no output.
I have a colostomy and work 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. I usually do not have to empty during the workday because I eat very little food. I start the evening before with no meals after 7 p.m. I have morning herbal tea with sugar; lunch is soup, ramen noodle soup, or creamy tomato. Sometimes I go to a fast food place and get their smallest burger and eat 1/2 and a small regular Coke. On my commute home, I have a banana and yogurt. Dinner is almost simple: Chinese dumplings, wonton soup, spaghetti with meat sauce, mac and cheese; dessert is raspberries with whipped cream, or 1/2 chocolate bar, or applesauce. I will need to empty in the evening. Finding foods that do not cause a lot of gas or output is very individual. Low-fiber, low-fat foods are best. Good luck.
