Struggling with Post-Surgery Complications and Regret

Now day 11 after surgery. As I posted earlier I woke up yesterday in a big mess. So I slept on the couch last night (easier to clean). I woke up at about 3:00am, emptied my bag and went back to sleep. I woke up two hours later with my bag ready to explode. When I stood up the bag fell off, hit the floor and exploded. What a mess and two nights in row is about as much as I can handle. I feel discusting. I dont know if I can do this. Sometimes I regret having the surgery and feel like I should have just dealt with my UC. I am so exhausted.

Well Pammer...welcome to the club where as it is said "SHIT HAPPENS" and right now my best advise, and the one that will  sustain you for a long time..is get a sense of humor about it all, and be grateful  ... I personally am very happy to not have to deal with the ugliness of UC, also we are all very much alive ( those who have had to endure this LIFE SAVING indignity as  many did not have that choice ), and thirdly once you get the hang of dealing with the bag, life will get MUCH easier !!!! A couple of things to keep in mind, your still feeling pretty tired and sore as the surgery is so recent and as for reducing the chances of the bag coming off... two recommendations...use the tape commonly used in the hospital to tape down the edges of the wafer, and assuming you might be using a two piece system, make sure the bag is properly attached to the wafer and the lock properly secured, then TAPE THE LOCK SHUT...I have had most of my "crappy " accidents over the past 5 years because the lock on the bag either was not latched during my weekly replacement OR I rolled over at night and the latch released...believe me I know what it is like to go to the washroom and have poo splashing on my shoes as the bag hit the floor, or to role over and realize you just had a blow out...that said set your alarm for 3:00 AM, your body will eventually get in the rhythm and wake you instinctively...my cat has solved that problem, he seems to think a 3 am lunch is his god given right..we disagree on that point his timing has often saved the night for me so to speak...finally perspective ... there are so many, especially young folk who retuned from Iraq and Afghanistan that would give anything to deal with just a bag...spring is on its way, it WILL get better !!!! Cheers

Keep your chin up Pammer, I went through the same thing but I learned lots of tricks along the way. I now use a 2 piece system with an eakin ring, stoma paste and a light coating of Torbot adheisive when I change my bad. I also use an elastic waist belt that hooks to my bag. I have not had an accident in over a year and I change my bag once a week. Your output may be heavy now as mine was at first, but your body will adjust with time, just be patient. I used to hate being so tired just to wake up and realize I had a leak, but now I have no issues. When I do remove my bag for changing I use an adheisive remover gently because the thing is stuck on there so good. You can e-mail me if you want me to give you any more details.

Thanks for the ideas and support. I never had a ring on when I was in hospital, I didnt know about them. It was my home care nurse that helped me put one on. That was the night my flange popped open and I had the big mess. I am now afraid to use the ring. Havnt had a big problem since I stopped using it. Do I just have a false sense of security?

Pammer

Well maybe, every illeostomy has a different body shape around it depending on your surgery. I found untill I was completely healed I had 2 small divits on my left side that I actually hade to put a little more of eakin material and adheisive in before I put my bag over it. I attach the main ring to the bag, then the stoma paste circiling the ring, the brush the tobat adheisive thinly over it all. My divots eventually leveled out and I didn't have to do that anymore. You just have to keep trying different things till you get confident. Believe me when I first started back to work, I was running to the mens room, just to check my bag for leaks because I was back in work clothes. But today I am very confident with my system.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister