Experiencing Nausea and Pain After Colostomy, Need Advice

For a few days I've been nauseas and feeling twinges of pain on the left side of my stoma.  I was massaging it and drinking lots of water as well as eating lighter in case a blockage was happening, but have been feeling so yucky I finally went to the er.  The dr seemed more curious as to how I got my colostomy and why then dealing with the issue at hand.  He did, however, order and xray that showed no blockage and he gave me no reason for the nausea and twinges of pain when I asked.  He changed the subject.  He said to take tylenol and gravol when needed and to make sure to have lots of water.  Has anyone experienced this?  I'm a little scared.

Hello becrhomat. Have you considered that the pain and the nausea may not be connected?  I have had  both these symptoms so I'll describe them separately.

the pain to the left of mey stoma can sometimes be caused by my hernia and often it is trapped wind. The latter is relieved when the wind passes but the former I tend to think I'm going to have to live with.

My severe nausea I recognised from before I had a stoma. I had/have a problem with my oesophogus which doesn't work very effectivelyand I was prescribed a drug called Domperidone which is a dopamine antagonist. It works by helping to move the food faster through the whole of your food pipe including the oesophogus, stomach and gut. It is designed to treat nausea and to prevent indigestion.

Doctors are reluctant to prescribe the drug because of its unwanted side effects on things like kidneys and liver. However, I still had some left over so I've been taking them again over the past few weeks and the nausea cleared up.

Of course, I will not be telling my doctor that I'm taking out of date medication and I intend to keep some back in case the nausea returns.

I hope this helps in some way.

Best wishes

Bill

Hi becrhomat,

I have no idea about your pain but since the ER  hasn't found anything maybe you should follow up with your general practicioner and run some more tests if it hasn't gotten any better. Glad to know you weren't forming a blockage.

Hi Becrhomat!

I have a colostomy AND stage 4 cancer, so anti-nausea pills are a normal part of my life.  The chemo that originally invoked the prescriptions has long passed, but the nausea is chronic but very treatable.  But I could also say that the nausea started when I first got my colostomy. . .blurry times of confusing surgery, we've all been there.

First course for nausea is consulting all pregnancy tips, which are invariably healthiest.

Then, anti-nausea drugs are :

Odansetron: very constipating but with no other side effects (for me, at least)

Promethazine: knocks me out like a light. Nobody feels nauseated if they're asleep!

Compazine: very mild, barely works for anti-nausea, but does work on mild nausea

When my stoma aches, which it does randomly, I take motrin. Works fine.  And if you really get pain, parse motrin, tylenol, aleve in recommended doses.  If my stoma gets achy, usually it's because my flow slows, I go for PRUNE JUICE! Like a little old man.  By golly it WORKS!