Persistent Stoma Pain: Possible Gas Build-Up?

I have been having fairly constant semi-sharp pain below my stoma for a few weeks. I am not sure what's causing it but I'm not obstructed. I think it might be gas pain but why does it feel stuck in that area and never leaving?

Have you been checked to see if you have a hernia?

Hello Chrohnsguy84.  From your description it might well be gas. However, as with all these types of things, if you are concerned about it, the best thing would be to talk to a professional - personally I find the stoma nurse seems to know the most about post operation stuff as she is the one that sees the people with the problems.

I get this type of pain on a regular basis and have (I think) identified the cause as gas building up just behind the stoma.  I have reasoned that this is so because in order to insert a stoma plug I need to poke a finger in to force the muscle ( used in peristalsis)to one side, because it migrates across the hole  like a sort of flap.  My reasoning is that once it's in that position it is acting like a valve and the more pressure from the gas, the more it seals it and stays shut. I have on occasions left my finger in for a few minutes to see what happens and I was amazed to experience just how powerful this muscle is when it contracts. However, the force is only applied for a few seconds before it relaxes again and the hole remains in the same position as I've pushed it to for enough time to insert a plug and/or to let out some gas.  Fortunately, the stoma plug will more or less keep the muscle in the right place as long as it's in there and it has the advantage of letting the gas seep through the material it is made of, so during the day I get relief. The main pain comes at night when I don't wear a plug but an 'irridrain' sleeve made into a bag.  By the morning it becomes obvious where the pain was coming from by the excessive amount of gas in the bag.  I cannot imagine anyone having that much gas inside them without having pain!

Always talk to your stoma nurse before trying anything that I do and make sure you have well manicured nails before inserting any fingers!

Best wishes Bill

Good point three.  I forgot to mention I also have a hernia!

The surgeon said it could be gas or a hernia but the stoma looks fine so they aren't interested in probing further.

I noticed my skin is very blood red under the stoma too when I changed my appliance 20 minutes ago. I put powder and barrier wipes and a one-piece. I normally wear a two-piece but maybe less pressure and healthier skin will help some.

Hello friend! I also had this mysterious sharp pain that would suddenly occur without notice and was very uncomfortable and alarming. Mine wasn't gas. Because the pain was so random and fairly severe, I went to my GI doc. He could feel a small hernia under the stoma which many of us get, it just doesn't cause most stoma patients problems. But because mine was causing this pain, he sent me to a GI surgeon. The surgeon also agreed that because the hernia was causing me pain issues, I needed a stoma "revision". It was a fairly simple procedure and did not require another open abdominal major surgery. All he did was "take down" my stoma, removed the hernia that had developed underneath, and then "remade" my stoma as it was before. I stayed overnight in the hospital just as a precaution and went home the next day. The pain I had been experiencing has never returned (this happened in 2005) so the procedure fixed the problem. He did warn me, however, that if I ever developed another hernia under my stoma, that it would require the same procedure to fix it and he would put in an abdominal "mesh" under and around the stoma area for a better chance to prevent any further hernias from developing. Now let me also say that I am a registered nurse and often do a lot of lifting, bending, etc. in my career, so this may be why he was and is willing to give me more aggressive treatment and/or surgery if needed. And since I am a nurse and an ostomate since I was 19, I am sure they knew my knowledge and experience would not be an easy deterrent for any excuses or reasons on their part to not do anything about it. So please don't give up. You do not have to live with this pain if it is a hernia. Unfortunately, these days you and/or your family have to stand your ground and be your own advocate to get the proper health care you deserve. Please let me know if I can help in any other way. Good luck and God bless!

I hope to God it's not a hernia because I just had my ostomy surgery! It does seem to correlate with eating garlic and onion. I do love those flavors on my food, but if they cause me problems, I may need to stop.