Unexplained Rectal Discharge and Back Pain - Seeking Advice

Hi everyone, not a very pleasant subject I'm afraid, but I have just come back out of the hospital with no answers. I have a colostomy and while I am used to having a small rectal discharge which is just mucus, I suddenly had a very bad one (equivalent to passing a large stool) which was bright green. I told you it wasn't pleasant! This then coincided with me getting a very bad backache. I went to the GP but as I was in so much pain from my back and the discharge appeared to have stopped, I asked her not to do an examination. She gave me strong painkillers and then the rest of the week I just had the back pain and started vomiting. However, after a week, after the first proper meal, the discharge came back. The GP's exam showed there was still some of this bright green stuff, so she sent me off to the hospital. When I got there, the admitting surgeon also examined and said no, it was okay, but to have a CT scan. After 3 days, I had a CT scan which showed nothing, only the hernia, so what now? They rubbish me when I say that it seems to be worse when I eat a proper meal, and I know that some of the mucus generally can be a reflex reaction from the brain, but not like this. Anybody else have any ideas, please?

Sup,
Check this pamphlet out:

http://www.colostomyassociation.org.uk/_assets/File/pdf/aboutrectaldischarge.pdf

Good luck!

PB

Hey Superman - I know this will sound silly to you - but when you get this green mucus, have you been eating anything green? Peas, salad, etc. - I have noticed with myself if I eat something green, then my output is also on the green side - just like when I drink a lot of red wine, the output goes black from the tannin in the wine. (I have an ileo) I don't mean to sound flippant about your problem, but sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one. And it sounds like you have done all the right things by going to your doc and having a CT, let me know what happens - Good luck Terry

Hi Supernan

I am a colostomate and have been for a few years now. I firstly had 2 Ilo's but now a permanent colostomy. I too have the mucus discharge at regular intervals (I had my rectum closed off apart from about an inch or so) and I have had a number of chats with my consultant about it, as at times it is a good amount. He did say that it is nothing apart from the glands in my bowel making juices to help the poop slide, and even though I do not use the area anymore it still makes and must dispatch..
I also have a bad back not due to the discharge though.. I had a motorbike accident...hahahaha

Not sure this is anything you don't already know but that's my two penneth worth.
Hope it helps and take care
Malc

Hi, I have the same problem and was told that when pain starts either in the back or rectum, to insert a

glycerin suppository. It works for me and can't hurt you. Maybe worth a try.

Thanks everyone for their input, the only thing that differentiated this from 'normal' discharge was the colour, bright green! I have just thought that perhaps it is the amount of scans/x-rays etc that I have had over the years and I am now glow in the dark ha ha! Anyway, I will carry on and see what happens. If it returns to normal, well I guess I will never know. Anyway, thanks again, all ideas always gratefully received.

Hey supernan, I was gonna say the same with me but mine's mucus greeny goo, but it's a proper stool?? That my friends is a hard one. And like Tess, if I have red wine, I actually pass red watery ileo for me too. What about a stomal therapy nurse? I'm interested to know... darlz. Yeah, keep us posted. Moozeeeeee xxxxxxxxx

I don't know what your future plans are, but you may need to remove the rectal stump. If that's not doable, I would look into getting a flap surgery done.

thank g-d, i thought i was the only one that has been experiencing this. I had my entire large colon removed last year dec 11th to be exact things went into pouch as i guess it is supposed to i was told i had mega colon which one fellow sergeon told me was as big and long as her leg.it weighed over 15lbs plus. the surgery lasted over 10 hours aaand waaas much worse than anticipated . i ended up in icu and had my beautiful new dooty bag to carry around. i couldnt find a pouching system that worked with out exploding in such wonderful places as walmart,sears and many other public places!finally i found a nurse that was able to find a system that worked. because the first surgery lasted ssso long the sergeon stopped the procedure and ssaid she would finish fixing everything(i aalso had horrific dammage from being cult sexually abused at 5) so here in april 11th. i had the head of two major depaartments at preforming and fixing my insides i had to have complete reconstruction of my bladder, gyn. stuff and finish all the stuff they did not have time with on the last one. i did not have as much time to recover from this surgery as my family that lived thru hell last year esp my kids we went to a cabin in alaska to be alone and heal as a family that part was great. except prior to leaving i started to have explosions from my rectum. not the mucus sludge i was told to expect. i emailed my sergeon prior to leaving for rural alasska no water electric out house you get the picture. sshe told me go have fun and she will se me when i get back. in alaska i started having major fecel material in my rectum that sorry to be so gross i had to manually remove three or four times a week. when i got back i saw my sergeons the gyn oked me.but the colorectal sergeon as my husband said looked mortified aand said we needed three disgusting tests asap. because i had no prep as im not supposed to have any bile in my rectum i was even told by a 12 yr old lookinf doctor thaat it was phyciaally impossoble. so now the up date, im really sick back to being in bed no quality of life no energy,even feeling sucidal but i knowww thats not an option. i went to my gp who is the best dr and one of the most increadable person i have ever met. he exaamaained me and said well now your dr. aalso knows you do have trmendous fecal material in your rectum it felt so great to finally find my dr. who belived me he got the segeron on the phone in 5 sec he doesnt mess around,he drew me a picture of what my insides look like now too bad i waaas in sso much pain i really didnt understand what he ment but i wil ask him aagin next visit. my gp also changed my meds i also have end stage RSD,which is beleved to have stopped the mobility in my colon in the first place! I also have been in so much pain and really week not able to get out of bed weak, whenever i attempt to eat anything it hurts so bad and you could be sitting on the other side of the room and it sounds like i have a gargole that lives in my stomache. so i dont eat but yet out comes fecal meteral from my rectum and in my stoma bag out comes green foam.go figure. if any one else has ever delt with this pls pls let me now what the outcome is/was no pun intended. i pray you aand i can find some relief aand to stop this crazyness. its bad enough having aan illilostomy aand bag. plus having to deal with rectum explosns. i also dont have much control of my rectal muscles as i also had aa recal prolapse. i really felt like the end was close in ssight when i had to go buy depends. im not even 50 yet and really normally dont look or uually feel anywhere near my age.... help anyone please!

Hi

I too have had this problem and have recently been told that I have diverticulitis (i.e., colitis in the rectal stump). Currently on a course of antibiotic suppositories which appear to help a little. I have an end colostomy since April 2008 due to ulcerative colitis, and while I always had discharge, it was generally clear until a few months ago when it changed to be almost like the discharge from a bad sinus infection. I too find that if I eat something which would have played up with me pre-colostomy, it still plays up with me in the rectal stump, which is weird given nothing passes that section. I have been told I could have the rectal stump removed, but my surgeon is loath to do it and tells me the surgery and recovery are three times worse than the colostomy itself. I also have chronic pain due to adhesions and nerve damage from multiple surgeries over 40 years. I have a pain stimulation system implanted but still, unfortunately, have to rely on heavy pain medication to get through the day.

Hi Superman

I have had my colostomy for over 11 years and still have occasional rectal discharge! Years ago, I used to have extremely painful "phantom" defecation urges accompanied by a discharge. When I asked my consultant way back then, he couldn't give an explanation. If it's any consolation, it gets less and less, and I hardly notice it at all now! Good luck.

Hi everybody, thanks for all the words of experience. You would think that after 10 months, I would have picked up on most of these things. But just as I get sorted, something else comes along to throw me. My GP had said that she thought that it could be some form of diverticulitis in the rectal stump, but she actually witnessed the discharge. However, it stopped while I was in the hospital, so we will just have to wait and see. I have been referred back to my surgeon, so I will see what he says. Oh joy!! Mind you, my stay in the hospital did one good thing, which was that I got to see my stoma nurse who hadn't actually seen my hernia and has come up with new ideas and bags to help. So now I am using the Hollister 2 piece, which I am finding brilliant. Also, I had to relearn how to apply the backing plate as it is different for a hernia. My back problem, I think I might have found the answer to. I am always twisted to the side whenever I am cooking, washing up, ironing, etc., as the hernia is in the way. So that is probably why. I will have to work on ways around this, a housekeeper perhaps!! Ha ha.

Hi friends:

I am having a reddish mucus discharge with a foul odor. When this happens, I feel like I am about to have a bowel movement. I have had my colostomy for two years. Also, I just have a stump left for a rectum. Any answers?

Thanks, Joyce

Hi, my stoma nurse and surgeon told me that mucus can be green, orange, brown but mostly are light brown when I am experiencing orange/pink. At first, I thought it was mixed with scar blood, but they said no worry unless you experience temperature or pain, so I guess 95% of it is 'normal'.
Regards,
Jo

That is exactly what I am having!

Hi, all-
I also have an ileostomy and experience this same discharge. My doctor told me that one of the most common things that gets overlooked to discuss is this very thing. People don't get told anything about it and then get freaked out or nervous when it happens. When you leave the rectum in, it still thinks it has a job to do. So, you will get this discharge. When it causes a lot of pain and is mixed with blood, one should consider getting surgery. Sometimes, the cramping and mucous discharge is so bad that it mirrors the same feelings we had prior to getting the ileo surgery (for those with ulcerative colitis). Otherwise, it is an unfortunate and annoying thing to live with. Some people wear pantyliners; others don't get it except for when they are sitting on the bowl. Many of us also experience adhesion pains. My first ileostomy failed. I have multiple fistulas and eventually we moved the ileo to the other side. I now experience chronic pain. To those who have this, what drugs do you find to help with that, if any? Best of luck to all of you. It would be nice to have been more informed on this, huh? Anyway, be well and hang tough. XOXO

I was lucky in that a stoma nurse did tell me that the brain will tell the rectal stump to produce mucus at times, but the problem with this one was the amount and color. After having one pelvic collection I didn't want a repeat! However, this time my stoma nurse told me to see a doctor that day and I certainly think if it has any odor then this also has to be the case. In my case, I know that they left quite a long rectal stump which might be the cause of the problem but as I cannot have any more surgery then it is just a case of looking after it.

My rectal discharge is sometimes copious and pink, but this has not happened very often. I believe it happens as a symptom of stress, which is, I believe, what caused my ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease in the first place. I am planning to have a reversal in due course, but I won't be able to do anything about that until this situation has calmed down. At least I don't have any pain, so that's one good thing. It's good to hear from others that this type of thing is actually quite normal!

Oh, I do agree with you how hearing about other people's experiences can help and sometimes give you hope for the future and normality (whatever that is!).

I had a terrible scare myself the first time I had sweet and sour sauce the first time after my ileostomy. The discharge in my bag never got mixed up and it looked just like a bunch of blood clots. I went to the nursing station and the nurse was checking to see if it was blood, and my doctor happened to look in and casually asked me if I was eating Chinese food for dinner. He sees it with most of his ostomy patients. So since then, I kind of anticipate what the color of my stool will be when I eat new foods.

Hi All, I just want to first say I am profoundly appreciative to have found a topic related to rectal discharge from the rectal remnant. This particular subject is difficult to research and my doctor dismisses my concerns by saying that everything I am experiencing is normal in regards to color and consistency of mucosal discharge. If you are looking to read studies use search terms that include "rectal remnant." So to get down to the concern in the post.

Number 1) rectal discharge is normal and the quantity and consistency change ;slightly ;throughout the week. Number 2) the mucus does come in different colors, in my case it is almost always sinus infection green, however, it has also been yellow-light tan and tinged with pink-orange (how reassuring and pleasant!). Number 3) the most important thing to determine is your baseline for rectal discharge. What does it typically smell like, look like and how much do you typically produce? If any of these factors vary from your baseline then you might have a problem and you should not stop pestering ;your doctor until it has been examined. I will tell you why they should take you seriously.

I was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma last year after suffering from severe abdominal ;pain, severe anemia, and indigestion for a few months. I grudgingly went to a doctor who found I had anemia with no cause and gave me iron treatments and sent me home. 2 months later the pain became so severe and I was vomiting a few times a day I could barely bring myself to work. Night sweats, unbearable pain, this was no IBS (like the doctors said I was suffering from). I was admitted to the hospital, thanks to my general ;PA, and eventually learned I had a very large tumor that was connected to the outside of both my small intestine and large intestine in multiple places. After resection of most of my colon, rectum and a section of small intestine I awoke from surgery to find I had a colostomy. Because I was starved of food for 1.5 weeks I didn't have bowel movements or solid food for over a month after surgery. Like many of you, I may have died without having the surgery which left me with a colostomy. Fortunately for my personality, it was easy to adjust to and I was grateful just to be alive at all. Not long after getting home, I began to have discharge that was embarrassingly foul smelling and green. I was deemed cancer free after the resection from surgery and waiting for adjuvant cancer therapy. A month down the road and the green smelly sticky mucus changed into an uncontrollable liquid that would leak out of my rectum. Additionally, the discharge was accompanied by a sensation of my ;rectal muscles working and it was distracting and unpleasant. I couldn't get the muscles to relax, similar to a charley-horse. It was uncomfortable and the feeling of my rectum was constant. I ;started having to wear diapers and I would have to change the padding in them almost every 30 minutes. I spoke with my doctor several times about the discharge and in the beginning, it was dismissed as normal. The progression happened quickly from the green mucus to runny, pink, liquid mayhem. Finally, I got an endoscopy (I like to call them rectoscopy because my rectal remnant is only 4 inches long at most lol) and they found that the cancer had moved into my rectal remnant on the surgical line. After about 1 month of living like this, my doctor finally started me on a treatment. The day after my first treatment I noticed immediate changes in the ;characteristics of the rectal discharge. The ;quantity of the discharge began to lessen and color returned to green. Additionally, I was put on an antibiotic treatment and this eliminated the foul smell. Most importantly I could remove the diaper!

One year has passed has since I was diagnosed with cancer and I am clear of cancer as far as I know, however, today I had a pink discharge of a slightly more watery quality than normal. Typically I have green sticky mucus so this raised my alarm. I will schedule the unpleasant but necessary endoscopy Monday. Don't let your doctors minimize your concerns. Remind them that we have put this much time and money into providing a healthy and pain-free life and if we want to continue this we should make sure that the little things are not overlooked. Fortunately, many of you do not have a history of extremely aggressive cancer, however, listening to the little voice that tells you, this doesn't feel right, are valid and should be investigated. Of course, I hope the pink is of no concern, but best to be on the safe side!

I had heard that because the rectum is accustomed to having fecal matter sweeping through the cavity assisted by mucus ;that the cells in the rectum are starved of nutrients that would be provided by the fecal matter and this malnourishment can be the cause of the unhappy mucus. I also have heard that poop transplant into the rectum can assist in bringing those cells back into a healthy state. Of course, research and talk to a trusted open healthcare provider before you try anything. I haven't cared to try this method as it seems cumbersome. I do have concerns of the cells mutating in the rectal remnant and becoming cancerous due to the lack of proper nourishment and therefore I may try this method to see if the rectal discharge turns to a mellow white or clear mucus rather than green (which to me is indicative of unhappy cells and infection). Any thoughts, call outs for inaccuracies of the functioning of the remnant or clarification on this topic?

Wishing you all vitality and health,