I know Jill and possibly others here have been pregnant with an ostomy... I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen.

I'm 20 weeks pregnant and my stoma has been somewhat more temperamental thus far... swelling and minor prolapsing, but nothing that's lasted more than a day.

But this time it's been swollen for a week. I cut back on fiberous foods, and then went to only soft foods. It's better when I wake up it the morning, but even with sitting at a desk all day and eating only soft foods, it swells up again. Being on my feet a lot makes it worse.

It's freaking me out. I barely have a belly now so I can't imagine how much worse it can get in the next 20 weeks as the baby grows. I can't spend the rest of my pregnancy laying in bed and eating nothing but tomato soup

Has anyone else had this happen? Did it last the rest of the pregnancy? Is there anything I can do to make it better?

Thanks

Kate

Send Jill a private message, she might be not online due to the holidays. Private message notifications should show on in her email account.

Hmm...I didn't have that specifically, but that is right around the time I had my adhesion problem that caused an obstruction. Did you change your diet because output had slowed or were you assuming it caused the swelling? It could be that you are starting to expand, even if you don't notice it yet, and an adhesion is pushing against the intestine near the stoma creating the swell. If this is the case, the good news is that once you get big enough, the adhesion should snap. It could still take a few weeks though so you need to get it checked out.

If that isn't the issue, then getting it checked out is important too.

When I had my issue the surgeon is the one who fixed the problem. First he determined that the blockage was relatively close to the stoma (by putting his finger into the stoma - really hurt and was the weirdest feeling). Once he determined that, he put a foley catheter tube into the stoma and left a tail hanging out into the bag. This held the intestine open. When the tube fell out then we knew the adhesion had broken.

Another thought is that your appliance is too small if the stoma is growing and the too small wafer is causing the swelling. Try changing up your appliance and see if that helps.

If you feel you need extra nutrition, drink some Ensure or Boost. I was on a liquid diet for 2 weeks with my obstruction.

Let me know if you have questions - i'll try to check back here more frequently in case you want to "chat"

Jill,

Thanks so much for your reply. A never-ending string of Christmas gatherings have kept me from responding until tonight

It has gotten better overall, but I still end each day with it somewhat swollen. I've also noticed that it seems a little longer. But it's no longer bad enough during the day that output gets painful, so I'm happy. I'm slowly adding some fibrous foods back into my diet.

I never considered that it could be an adhesion. I just assumed it was extra pressure from my uterus and that there was nothing I could do about it. But you made me realize that my surgeon is definitely the most qualified person to ask and maybe it is something that can be fixed. I haven't seen her in several years, but I think it's better to get her opinion on this.

I really appreciate your input! It's nice to not feel like the only one on earth who's ever dealt with this.