Ostomy Blockage Help Needed

I am 72 years old, have had my ostomy since August 2012. Things had been fine up until now. I am having issues with some blockage and need some advice or pointers. Thank you, Joe.

Hi pemen64,

Sorry you are having this issue. First thing is to figure out what is causing your blockages. It could be you are not chewing your food long enough and it isn't getting broken down as well as it should before entering your colon.

Or perhaps you're having too large of a meal at one sitting?

Whatever the case, a warm water bottle or soak in the bath can help. Massaging your belly helps too. I haven't found any surefire remedies, but from what I have read and tried, it is a good idea to increase your water intake. If possible, take off your flange (the part that is surrounding your stoma), use a plastic cover and towel where you are trying to relax, and try the warm water bottle and massages.

If the pain persists for more than 8 hours, a visit to the doctor or emergency room is in order.

Thank you. I will do this.

Hello Joe.

I agree entirely with Mrs A that you should try to figure out what is causing the blockages. At one stage I tried liquidising everything I ate and that seemed to help a bit but I had problems with swallowing so that was the main reason for liquifying  my food.  

I see from your profile that you have a colostomy. This means that you have a bit more colon left than people with an ileostomy. As I understand the process,  the lower part of the intestines is where most of the moisture is extracted from the faeces. This will make it hard and sometimes cause blockages. In people without ostomies this would be called constipation. This had always been a problem for me both before and after the stoma, that is until I started irrigating.

You don't say if you have tried it, but I would rcommend that you look into IRRIGATION. It helps to shift these blockages and you won't have to bother wearing bags.

Best wishes

Bill 

The only thing I can say is corn and other things that are hard to digest, you stay away from. If you eat a lot of vegetables and they are not cooked soft enough, it is a big problem. I steam all mine and the only thing then is if the veggies are gassy, your bag will fill up with air. Hope this helps, Greg.

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Hi Bill, I am happy that you mentioned irrigation. I am interested in the process, but there is some fear. I will be receiving the kit later this month. As I understand this, in the beginning, it can be difficult or hard to stomach? I have watched YouTube videos and it doesn't seem to be that difficult.

Hello Bettyjoe. There really isn't anything to be afraid of with the irrigation process. All you will be doing is putting water into your stoma and waiting for it to come out along with the faeces. If you follow the procedure it will not be difficult. However, like most things to do with stomas and faeces - the first few times can seem disgusting and therefore may be 'hard to stomach' for some people. I'm afraid that's the nature of the exercise but it's all about weighing one thing against another. My feeling is that irrigation gives us the oportunity to get all that disgusting stuf over and done with in one session, at home,  in privacy with almost total control. Whereas wearing a bag means catering to the stoma on and off all day long, in public and with little control in comparison.

One thing I would advise you about, that I wish that I had known before the first time I irrigated is that  when the output of water and faecescomes out of the stoma it is being put under pressure by the peristalsis and comes out like a high pressure hose. I called it a 'volcano'. If you are not aware of this it can catch you out and boy, what a mess you can get into. However, now you have been warned you should be able to quickly seal the top of the sleeve and  keep all the output within the sleeve . If you persevere with it the process becomes much easier with practice and I think you will find it will be worth your while.

Best wishes

Bill

Excellent advice, Bill, and very well written.

As a long-time irrigator, I could not have said it any better.

Just a tip for 'newbies': You have to train your insides, irrigate at the same time every day...do not miss a day.

V.J.

Thanks for the complement Veejay and I agree with your tip about getting into a regular routine and training your insides. It may sound implausible to newbies that we can actually train our insides but it is important for people like us to try to persuade our new friends that it is not only possible but is highly desirable that we can have some control over those things which at first site might seem uncontrollable.

Best wishes

Bill  

Thanks, folks. I am really serious about irrigating. I will start as soon as I get the kit. Also, thanks for the advanced notice. No surprises. I will keep you guys informed. I would really like to control my body rather than it controlling me.

Hey Bettyjoe...just checking in on you...I see you're getting ready to start irrigation. I've been doing it for about a month or so now, and I can honestly say it's the BEST decision I've made regarding my colostomy. I think you will agree once you adapt to the process. Please let me know how you're doing with it and if you have any questions at all, I will be happy to help, if I can...good luck...you will do great! :)

I couldn't agree more, Bill... You might remember I was very hesitant, and now I can say it was the best decision I've made regarding my colostomy... Actually, it's the only decision I've made on my own regarding my colostomy, so that speaks volumes about how much I feel like I'm still in control... It has changed my life! :) CH

Hello CH.

I'm so pleased that irrigation has worked out well for you and that you are willing to respond to others who are asking questions and maybe still a bit hesitant about trying it. Having people communicate positively about irrigation who have recently tried it is so important for those who are not so sure can be very helpful. I hope to see some more posts from you in future documenting how you are progressing and how the process of irrigation changes our lives in practical ways. Also, as a consequence of feeling the freedom it offers, it's useful for people to understand how it improves our wellbeing on the emotional and psychological planes of our existence.

Best wishes

Bill

Hello Bettyjoe.

Thanks for telling us that you are about to start irrigating. It's a strange process to begin with so needs to be approached with an open mind. I found that it helped to focus on getting the job done as efficiently as possible but then quickly switch concentration to how it altered my life for the good. All these things are about balancing the negatives against the positives to see what turns out to be the best in terms of improving the quality of one's life. I'm confident that once you get going with the irrigation you will  look back and wish you had started it earlier.

Best wishes and keep us informed as to how it goes.

Bill

Thank you Bill for your always uplifting and encouraging comments! I appreciate the positive yet practical spin you're able to convey in this forum...it's a wonderful gift to be able to express just what needs to be said and said with a smile that I can almost feel! I will continue to be a "poster girl" for irrigation if I can be! :)

I am a year out from my take down surgery with a colostomy forever. I have been following some of the posts about irrigation... some say that they now go without a bag? How does that work? I would think you still would want something there...?

Hey Letsrock.. I have just started irrigation and I am one of those that no longer wear a bag. The idea of irrigation is that it essentially "trains" the colon to only "go" when irrigated. Once it's empty, there is no need for a bag. I irrigate every other day and have not had any issues at all in terms of accidents, etc. That said.. some people feel more secure wearing a bag, and if that's the case, they still typically won't have anything in it, which is almost as nice as not wearing one! I wear a stoma "patch".

CH,

Thanks for the reply. I am not familiar with a "patch". Does it attach to a barrier or is it a stand-alone product?

The patch stands alone. It just has adhesive around the edges, similar to a flange, and it has a small amount of cushion in the center to absorb any residual drops that may happen. Typically, it doesn't. I have also worn just a larger size band-aid a time or two! It's much more like "normal," and it has been life-changing for me! Feel free to ask any questions you may have. This forum is full of people that live it every day! :)

So, do you remove it each time to irrigate? You must if there isn't any type of opening... If that's the case, it must be changed each time you irrigate?

Hello, I ordered my package. I can't wait to start. Question: my stoma does not stick out a lot like some that I have seen on YouTube. I am hoping that this is not a problem for me. What do you guys think?

My stoma doesn't stick out either...it shouldn't be a problem. You will be surprised at how easily the cone goes into the stoma...it's really an easy process. Please keep us posted and if you have any questions, there are so many people on here that irrigate successfully and have for years...good luck Bettyjoe...you will do great! :)

Yes...the patch is only made to be worn between irrigations to protect the stoma. When you're actually irrigating, you will put on a wafer just as if you were attaching a bag. The irrigation sleeve attaches right to the wafer.

Hello Bettyjoe. One of the things about stomas is that you really never know what is or is not going to be a problem until you try to do something that you haven't done before. Even though we have a stoma, we are all different in the problems we face and sometimes things that are a problem for one person are no problem at all for someone else. I do not think that having a stoma that doesn't stick out will necessarily affect the way the irrigation works. My evacuation comes out so fast it really doesn't touch the sides and I'm more concerned with keeping it all in the sleeve than worrying about whether it is on the skin or stoma. After the evacuation I wash the area by putting a quantity of warm, clean water in the irrigation sleeve and rinsing it all round a couple of times. This gets rid of any faeces that might be remaining on or near the stoma. However, I also use a container that squirts water around the site and down the sleeve to clean everything because I find that it is less messy than simply rinsing the sleeve out. I am a firm believer in experimentation to see what methods and procedures work best for me. Whenever I read on this site that someone is doing something diffferent, I will try these things out for myself to see if their methods are any better than mine. If they are, then this will be my new method until something better comes along. I have invented all sorts of gadgets and procedures over the years. Many of them didn't work at first until I tweeked them to overcome the problems that they presented. Sometimes after I've chnged things many times I've ended up realising that the thing I invented in the first place was probably the best I could do. I have a shed full of failed experiments  but one or two things that have made my life easier as far as the stoma is concerned. Irrigation has been one of the best things I've tried for improving the quality of life so of course I wil encourage people like you to try it for yourself. If it doesn't work after you've persevered with it, then I would suggest that you will not have lost anything by trying and if it does work, then you will have a much better quality of lifew from then on.  Give it a go!

Best wishes

Bill

You guys are amazing. I am looking forward to the process of irrigating. I will for sure keep you guys posted. One question. My stoma does not stick out a lot. I hope this won't be a problem.

Hello Bettyjoe. I don't think the fact that your stoma does not stick out very far will be a problem with regard to irrigation. However, the only way to really find out obout these things is to give it a go!

Best wishes

Bill 

Yeah, understood.

Been reading about irrigation here. What is the difference between doing irrigation and taking a laxative every second day? When I first got out of surgery, I had to do that for weeks, and I noticed I would have no output at all for a day or two. Wouldn't either of these accomplish the same thing?

Hello HarleyDoll.     WHAT  GREAT QUESTION! and I think it is inspired by 'common-sense' so thanks for posing it.

People , particularly politicians, always say this sort of thing when they don't really know what the answer is and I am no different. 

However, I am always willing to have a guess at these types of things so here goes with my own logic.

By the time the waste gets to the lower bowel it has probably relinquished most of the goodness from the food that you ate into the body's system.

Irrigation is just flushing out that which you no longer need to keep inside.

Taking a laxative would clean you out from the throat , right through your system. Therefore, presumably would not be so effective at transferring the good stuff into your body.

I would imagine there would be some sort of warning on the laxatives to the effect that you should not be taking them on a regular basis without consulting a doctor.

Please don't take this answer to mean that I actually know anything about this subject and I will be quite happy for others to join in that can quote facts rather than opinions. But you know how it is with these internet sites - a lot of people with lots to say but may not actually know too much. You only have to read the warnings on Wickipedia to be reminded of the dangers.

Best wishes

Bill

Hi Bill, I love your answers and your honesty. Well, to answer the first question, you can 'time' the laxative so your food is already in the lower bowel. Best to take on an empty stomach; in the morning, by that time everything from the day before is pretty much 'down there'. The other issue, which I knew would come up from somebody, is that we are told we aren't supposed to take laxatives on an ongoing basis, however, if you have a chronic medical condition, you should be able to do so because there are motility problems and the nerves and muscles don't always work properly, the 'peristalsis' is not working properly - which is my case. Also, there are two kinds of laxatives, the ones that work on the muscles (that increase peristaltic movement and can cause cramping), or the OSMOTIC laxatives (which I use) which work on drawing water from the intestine and generally give little to no cramping (like CitroMag or Magnalax). With osmotic laxatives, you have to be careful to replenish fluids especially if you have had a colostomy I would think, so I drink a ton of Gatorade. But I've been thinking that the end result is not much different than irrigating, and may be more acceptable to people who have trouble dealing with the poop you know - lol. It's much easier to let the bag fill up and empty it than to irrigate I would think.

Anyways, there is not a hope in hell that I could ever "train" my bowel to the extent I have read some of you can as I had other pre-existing conditions besides the diverticulitis. Such as IBS and motility problems.

I don't think I would ever trust my little Rosie (stoma) to not do her own thing when she felt like it and go without a bag though. Although there are times when I have had no output for two days after a laxative. So there you go. In closing, here is one of my recently acquired philosophies of life..................

Make friends with your Stoma! It's the right thing to do! :)