Concerns about Stomal Prolapse - Need Advice

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Katman
Okay, so I am a newbie who is still trying to figure out what is normal. I figure my stoma is on the larger end of things anyway as it looks longer than any pictures I have seen anywhere... after surgery, it was 1-1.5 inches long at rest, and when it decided to work, would stretch to nearly 3 inches in length. Kinda cute since it has a nice hook to it... like I'm trying to poop around corners.

Anyway, the stoma has been feeling kinda sore and achy the last few days. When I changed my bag and plate this morning, the stoma was hanging limp about 6 inches down into the bag. Once in the shower, it pulled back to about 3 inches, but again hangs somewhere around 4-5 inches most times.

Should I be concerned? Not counting the extreme volume of stuff coming through (I have a very active stoma), everything has been fairly easy up to now. Can I just chalk this up to personality?

Thanks,
Katman
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sherrybear

Maybe you should call a stoma nurse, and ask her. I'm having a problem with mine. It has gone down to match my skin on the right side only, so I'm going to call a stoma nurse to see if that is normal. I do hope everything will be okay.

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Pinky

Sounds like a prolapse, but not a bad one. I had a previous loop colostomy that prolapsed about a foot - when I complained to my surgeon, he said "Oh big deal - some people's dangle down to their toes" - how sympathetic.

I agree - have your ostomy nurse take a look and give you suggestions. I doubt you would want to have more surgery for this.

mooza

Wow, I have seen a prolapse. It's bad. In my view, I would want it fixed. Stoma nurse, hospital, who cares? Surgery. It looks like a sausage. Get it fixed and the doctor tells them. xxxxxxmare - mooza.

TravelB
I had a problem very similar to the original post. The prolapse was accompanied by a stomal hernia, and the conditions made normal life activities unbearable. Irritation, abrasion, congestion of the colon, and pain made living with a stoma almost impossible. My surgeon and local stoma nurses were of little or no help, and the surgeon was disrespectful and insulting. He said that I was too much of a perfectionist and a complainer. Fortunately, my oncologist and my family physician recognized the true extent of my problems and were alarmed by the surgeon's response. The oncologist referred me to a teaching surgeon at the University of Michigan, and seeing him has changed my life. He, in the first fifteen minutes of the initial consultation, examined my stoma more thoroughly than the original surgeon ever had in numerous hospital and office visits. He also immediately recognized that repair was advisable. Shortly thereafter, he did a reconstruction of the stoma and repaired the hernia. The outcome was and continues to be remarkable. There is no pain and discomfort, and I have thus been able to return to an active and productive life. I encourage anyone with similar difficulties to seek the services of a competent and caring physician who is dedicated to patient well-being.
 
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lottagelady

@ TravelB

Hi there....
Can you please tell me how they managed to repair your hernia around the stoma or was the stoma resited?

Many thanks

Rach x

Tiggy
Yikes! If you are headed for a prolapse, make sure that you don't stop bugging the doctors until they are ready to offer you answers and solutions which meet with your approval. You are still so young and have much more life to enjoy, and there is no reason whatsoever that you should have to live with a prolapse if it is fixable (which I think they are in nearly all cases). So, in summation, get thee to a doctor and then report back to us so we can all have an update!

Remember, worst case scenario is that it's a minor prolapse and if that is the case, I am sure there are acceptable ways of either living with it, or having it fixed.

*hugs* to you!
Caretaker

My husband has a prolapsed stoma that's at least 6" long and pretty thick. We have seen the surgeon and the ostomy nurse and have been told that it's fine as long as everything is still working. They both advised against further surgery. We had to increase the size of the bag/skin barrier to accommodate. He feels okay and it doesn't cause any pain.

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