I had revision surgery on my Kock pouch in February 2009 and now have about 2 tbsp of clear liquid coming out of my stoma daily. I saw my doctor and he did all sorts of tests and told me my pouch and valve look just fine, maybe perhaps my valve could be a little bit longer. He doesn't know what is causing all the liquid leakage. I did for awhile have gas leaking out of the stoma as well, along with cramping. Cipro and Flagyl worked immediately for those two things, but I still have the clear liquid leaking out. A few times it has slowed down almost to a stop, but then starts up again. I suspected pouchitis, but a radiologist who performed a pouchogram told me it didn't look like pouchitis to him and my doctor told me he doesn't know why it is leaking. I've been on antibiotics for quite awhile now and am finishing my 3 month prescription in a couple of weeks. I am really hoping the pills will kick in & fix my problem. Has anyone else had any similar symptoms?

My first valve was too short. But, I didn't have leakage, I couldn't insert my cath.

Clear mucous just sounds like you have alot of pouch/valve/stoma activity. It's active all the time - like with a brooke ileo except the wetness is in the bag.

I have always had alot of mucous and have to change my stoma cover frequently or my pants get wet. There are alot of stoma pad covers suggested here that trap the wetness.

But, the good news is that you have a great valve and pouch! Wetness is much better then a dry stoma. I hardly use lubrication since it's so wet. A dry stoma requires so much lube and can tug on the valve.

I agree with Janice, it just sounds like your valve is a wet one...mine used to be..since the last couple of revisions it is very dry and even with gobs of lube it 'pulls'...as long as I do not have a difficult intubation (going in and out a lot trying to remove pieces/unclog the tube) it is dry..if I have activity it gets very damp and wets my clothes...as long as it is clear it is not leakage it is mucous...leakage is stool and/or air...
Sharon

Dixie! I'm glad you finally joined! Skn69, Sharon, is a patient of Dr. Cohen too.

I hope someone can shed light on that. Maybe it is normal, but I'm too new and complicated to tell. I have lots of wetness and need to change the dressing pretty often or it soaks through my clothes. I will run the wetness thing by Dr. Buie when I see him next week and find out if it is normal or not.

As for the antibiotics, I have never found they take 3 months to get rid of pouchitis, maybe a couple of weeks or so. Hmmm!

Hi,

I'm a newbie, but I'm like Janice, I always have a lot of clear mucous coming out, it's just a wet stoma and takes a good absorbent pad.

My surgeon said it's totally normal. Hope you find the same thing.

Thanks for your replies, everyone. When I had my Kock pouch originally made in 2004 it worked wonderfully, then for some reason my pouch slipped out of place and that is why I had to have Kock pouch revision surgery a year ago. During the first 4 years I just had mucous coming out and could wear a normal Mestopore S pad for a week just by replacing the inside square with folded up toilet paper. After my revision surgery last year I do have mucous coming out, but also have what looks like clear water(2 tbsp. per day)coming out as well. I was having an extremely hard time of things with my skin being all red and excoriated with all the fluid coming out and didn't realize how much there was until I put an ileostomy bag on to try & clear my skin up. As I only had mucous coming out the first 4 years I had my pouch, I was expecting my Kock pouch to work the same way - just mucous, not a massive amount of liquid coming out every day.

Have you tried an antihistimine to see if it will dry up? They make some that are non sedating.

Anything different now from then? New job? Stress? Any different medications? Also, not sure your age - but my hormones really effects liquid output. All types of things effect the clear output.

I swear by a zinc oxide based cream around the skin around my stoma. Yes, the constant wetness makes the skin irritated. I really love Extra Protective Cream (EPC by Secura). I put it on every time after I interbate. My skin stays nice and healed.

I google where to buy products. Many ostomy supply stores will help. Or maybe you're local pharmacy would be able to place orders for you.

I know it's frustrating, but really a perfectly functional kpouch is really good!

Dixie, I'm 3 weeks out from my kp surgery and last week I started having leakage mainly in the mornings. Saw dr. and he didn't seem to think it was the valve. Today I didn't have my one cup of coffee thinking that was it and and didn't leak. I'll keep trying that. Im sure you know more than me on this subject. LG

Dixie,
Are you very active?
I am a trumpet player and when I play my horn or do other physical activity I notice my fluid output increases and it's a clear liquid too.
Phil

I'm definitely getting some interesting things to think about. JaniceM - No I haven't tried an antihistimine. Am willing to try anything though. This is the first time I have heard of trying that. You asked my age - I am 58 years old and yes, I have had a major amount of stress in the last year. Skn69 - Thanks for the comment about overactivity in the stoma area. I have been trying not to put the catheter in & out too many times when I intubate to see if this makes a difference. Dr. C told me to twist it slightly and pull it out quickly which I have been doing as well. LG - I certainly hope it is not due to drinking coffee, as I do love my coffee. Trumpet Phil - I'm not really too active. I do have a stepper machine whicb I use several times a week. I guess I was spoilt during the first 4 years of having my Kock pouch and just want to have the same carefree pouch that I had in the beginning.

Dixie, I started drinking coffee again and that isn't the problem with the morning leakage! I don't know what it is. Now I'm waking up (with gravity bag and cath in) to solid poo all around the cath and clothing. Have anyone else had this problem? I go to the surgeon on Thur. March 15th. LG

LG - I'm so sorry to hear about what you are going through now. Thanks for letting me know that I won't have to give up my coffee in the mornings, which I do love. My problem seems minimal now compared to yours. You said you just had surgery about 3 weeks ago. When did your latest problems start?

Dixie, I drink over a litre of coffee every morning..started at TGH when Dr. C did my k pouch in 79...plus at least 4-6 per day (and I drink the French sludge!)
Drinking coffee shouldn't make you leak...it should help keep the stuff liquid but not leak out..I drink prune juice every morning too...the only times I leak are when I have a valve slipage of if more rarely something gets 'caught' in the valve and blocks it open for moment...
You should be safe drinking coffee to your hearts content...for the rest...well you had better get a professional opinion...
Sharon

LG, did you get an answer about the solid poo around your cath?
Is the gauze soaked through with brown liquid?
If the holes in your cath are block by stuff or if the cath is bent or pulls out a touch too far then the poo leaks..but because it is night time, the liquid in it is absorbed by the gauze pad and soaks your underclothes and/or your bed and leave the solid part stuck around the base and under the flange...
In either case, unless your tube is sewn down, you need to irrigate to clear it out, and if necessary to have it pulled out, cleared and repositioned inside...
That should be enough if nothing is wrong...
Let us know what is going on and how you are doing now..
Sharon
Sharon

Hi everyone,
Just thought I'd let you know that the 3 month prescription of antibiotics that I took didn't work. The leakage got worse, in fact a huge amount of fecal matter is spurting out several times a day now and the stoma is "farting" - very audible and extremely embarassing. I am wearing an ileostomy bag to collect all the leakage. I contacted my doctor with my symptoms and will be travelling to Toronto for another revision surgery on my Kock pouch on September 23rd - yeh! I am so glad to finally get to a point to get this fixed. I had thought all along that something was not right with my Kock pouch revision surgery that I had in February 2009. I'm sure hoping this surgery will give me the same carefree Kock pouch I had the first time. Wish me luck! - Dixie