Today I was given a barium enema to test for reconnection. Everything looks great, so we will be proceeding in May. However, since I came home, I've been passing what feels like bowel movements. It's mostly the solution, but I feel like there was some bowel in there too. If I'm still doing this tomorrow, I'll be contacting my doctor. Has anyone else experienced this?

Has anyone had a colostomy because you couldn't expel stool through the ano-rectal passage due to your pelvic floor muscles contracting rather than relaxing when you wanted to poop? If so, has it worked out for you? Any challenges or complications? Did you get it reversed at some point or do you hope to get it reversed? What are you doing to see if you can reverse it? I know it's a lot of ques ...

Hi!

I'm still new to having a colostomy bag and trying to figure out my life. I have stage 4 colon cancer and also breast cancer. I currently am feeling fairly normal and healthy, a little tired. Pre-surgery and diagnosis, I was pretty active. I love swimming and had just got this cool paddle board. While I'm still feeling good, I'd like to keep doing the things I love. Any advice? Any good ...

Hi everyone! I first posted her back in March of 2024 and it's been a wild ride.

Last November I had a completely clear PET scan and was able to reverse my ileostomy surgery. I had no idea how difficult it was going to be to wake my colon back up and have all organs down there play nice with each other. I was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks just waiting to poop. It finally happened and ...

It's been a year since I left my colon at the hospital and have been blessed with overall good health. I am very active with hiking, biking, skiing, and embarking on a 3-week trip to meet my son in Nepal for a few weeks of trekking!
I currently use a stealth belt for my activities but wanted to get any other advice on what had worked well for others and travel tips. I have never taken 3 weeks ...

Hello my friends, who provide me with support, prayers, and smiles.
I had my stoma revision and have been going day by day on the road to recovery, and... I had indigestion; it was horrible. I started throwing up bile (YUCK), white, yellow, sheesh green.
I called my home healthcare nurse, she called my surgeon, he called me; Ms. Seward, please come to the ER at your convenience.
I went at 6 PM ...

January after 5 years and a prior attempt that was unsuccessful due to the surgeon finding everything inflamed… my Crohn's was active, and I had no clue. Prior scans and blood work showed all was normal. Connected the small intestine to the rectum. It's been a learning curve. Something not used for 5 years is now performing double duty. I have urgency under control, but I still leave folded ...

Hi all! I'm 27 and looking for other young ostomates. I'm in the United States, Georgia to be specific. I'm looking for both local and virtual connections with others in the young adult stage. I have a great local support group, but everyone is over 50 and relatively inactive. When I go through members here local to me, I don't find anyone in my age group. Does anyone have tips on meeting youn ...

I was rushed into emergency surgery on Feb 23 this year . At first I didn’t think I could cope with the mess. I have found products that make it easier. At first I cried constantly. Now I can shower without a tape covering.
I still hate the ostomy but I’m not crying all the time. My family has been wonderful helping with everything. The back up support is vital.

Hi all, I know IRA surgery isn't performed as much as J-pouch, but I still have 10 inches left of sigmoid colon and a current end ileostomy. Last week, I had scopes and was told everything looked great and if I wanted to pursue surgery I should. I saw Dr. Remzi in NYC last year and discussed a J-pouch, but he never mentioned an IRA which suggests to me that he preferred a J-pouch since that's ...

So right after I posted my one-year check-in, I ended up in the ER with an obstruction that night. I was in excruciating pain and vomiting. Again, I escaped the NG tube, thank goodness, but the treating physician said that my CT scan showed that the obstruction was in the small intestine and most likely due to scar tissue. The location of the obstruction was where the small intestine got sucke ...