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Hernia, blockage, stoma issue or am I paranoid?

Posts:96
 

Photo attached. Since last night I've had liquid output. I can hear gurgling. No pain, no fever. I changed my bag because it leaked from the diarrhea and my stoma has a little purple around the middle of the column part. Is that normal? It also seems that the skin on my belly around it is a little raised, but in not sure if it has always been slightly raised and I never noticed. As my stoma is 2.5 months old so I'm still new to all this. 

 
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It could be constipation . Ask for an appointment to your stomacare.

Posts:96
 

I now have a little output that is less liquidy I had a lot of fiber yesterday so maybe it causes an issue.

Posts:396
 

Gemd,

  It looks like maybe the hole for your stoma on your pouch or wafer may not have been large enough for your stoma to expand.  This can cause the stoma to swell to larger than normal and cause the skin around it to raise slightly.  The hole should be cut to the widest size as your stoma.  It's ok if a little bit of skin is exposed as long as you use a skin prep.

  I wouldn't worry about the purple part as long as the rest of your stoma is a nice bright red like it is now.  If it turns pale or light pinkish, you're not getting enough blood supply to it.

  Do you use a 1 or 2 piece system?  And where did it leak?

Bain

Posts:122
 

The usual rule of thumb  is  when applying your Pouch/bag leave 1/8 of an inch from your stoma   But if you are in doubt go to your  ER  and have it checked out.  some swelling around a stoma can be normal.  I had mine checked awhile ago by my surgeon,  Since I have developed a  small hernia.  but I wear a stoma/hernia belt and it  helps. 

Posts:96
 

Ah perhaps I did cut my hole too close to my stoma. I lost my stoma-hole scissors )(waiting for new ones in the mail) so my sizing and cutting is a little off. But that seems to make sense for my stoma. Thanks.

The leak was to the side, looks like the eakins ring got kind of....disintegrated from diarrhea and so the diarrhea leaked out.

I use a one piece.

Posts:122
 

I also use a one piece,   Hollister 8331  and when mine leaks it is always to the inside.  (seldom )    You can go to any pharmacy and purchase a pair of bandage Nursing sissors to cut your pouches with,   That is what I use and they work really well.  also Walmart pharmacy carries Stool softener  for $4.oo  Your stool should be the thickness of pudding,   So if you need to thin it use  one or two of these a day  am and pm  I don,t use anything except my pouch  and water to clean with then apply a fresh one  every 5 or 6 days.  Just make sure the area around your stoma is good and dry before applying.  Then I use a warm wash cloth and hold it over the whole pouch  then a dry one and hold  for a few min,  This seems to help with no leaks.  so far it has worked for me.

Posts:396
 
Gemd wrote:

The leak was to the side, looks like the eakins ring got kind of....disintegrated from diarrhea and so the diarrhea leaked out.


  So I'm guessing poo got under the eakins ring?  Or the weld between the wafer and the pouch?  I'm trying to figure out the exact causes of ostomates with leakage issues.

Posts:275
 

Really liquid output can be from a number of causes, everything from a bug, to the barium smoothie they give you before a CT scan sometimes, to a slight blockage. Hard to tell sometimes; there are a lot of factors that can affect it. However, beware of taking what I call "fiber in a jar" or fiber supplements like Metamucil. While I understand many people take them with no problem, I have found that even a mild dose can cause near-crippling gas, cramps, and very soft/liquid output. And while I can eat beans and other natural food sources of fiber with no problem, they do need to be properly cooked - I used some split peas in a soup and did not cook them long enough, and ended up with severe gas.

I have also found that popcorn and some seeds swell up in my intestine and will not easily go through my stoma (although it may be that they won't let my stoma expand enough for them to go through the hole in my wafer). Everybody is different in what causes blockages, though. Good luck, and hope everything successfully passes eventually.

Oh, and a stomach bug is the worst. Especially when traveling. 11 pouches in a day and a half. Miserable. I certainly hope you haven't had that!

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