Hey guys!

I'm sure a few of you know that my pouch failed and whatnot. I had surgery in February, and by March my valve was kinked/slipped and by April my koch pouch became totally incontinent. I had an ileoscopy done at the end of May, and it showed my valve was gone, and the part where the small bowel joins the pouch was narrowed, and the surgeon couldn't get the scope past the pouch. There's also a kink in the stoma/valve or whatever, and my stoma is protruding a little. I need a total reconstruction I think. I'm on this big project at work where I'm designing training material for a new business system, so I'm working out of town, and home the odd weekend. It's been kind of tiring, but Dr. Cohen wanted me to wait to have surgery for a bit longer anyway. I'm tied up to this project until November, so I hope to go on a vacation and then git er done!

Anyway, I've had the most embarrassing time with leaking gas, and so I devised a plan to keep the stoma open so as to avoid it. I am wearing an ileostomy appliance, so I took a catheter tube, cut it down to about 2.5 inches (just sticks a few mm out of the stoma), and sutured the edge of it to the ring on the ostomy flange. I think that after I get the revision surgery I may do this if/when I require a constant drain for some reason. An ostomy bag sure beats a leg bag. Anyway, I thought I'd let you know how well this has worked since having an incontinent pouch. There are also certain ostomy appliance items I am using because of the stumpy stoma and scar it sits on. I can send a pic if anyone would like to see.

Take care! Tiff

You're a rock and genius! and, sure a hard worker. I'm so proud of you Tiff.

just a note....on the leg beg after surgery, I would do it this way. Gravity pulls out the poo while it stretches the pouch. But, this method sounds great for you while you wait. And, this method may work great during a bout of the flu or if anyone is having non related surgery and wants to rig it up so they don't have to cath or worry about nurses doing it until you wake up.

xoxoxo

Hey tiffany have been too busy to get on j-pouch.org did not know of all your troubles.Let me know if i can help in anyway seeing i am so close to toronto.Please e-mail me when you are coming down in the fall hope all goes well.