Problems after first surgery

I understand the temporary stoma is only there to let the pouch heal properly, so I'm hoping it's not a major problem that on a few occasions I've had poo come out of my bum. I'm more worried that the pouch will be damaged higher up (where the loop ileostomy is) but can they fix any damage with more surgery?

This sounds pretty normal, @gdl900. Sometimes feces gets past the loop, sometimes mucus comes out (and is very hard to control), and sometimes blood comes out. If you have steady or heavy bleeding you should contact your surgeon’s office. Heck, if you’re concerned you can contact your surgeon’s office now.

@Scott F posted:

This sounds pretty normal, @gdl900. Sometimes feces gets past the loop, sometimes mucus comes out (and is very hard to control), and sometimes blood comes out. If you have steady or heavy bleeding you should contact your surgeon’s office. Heck, if you’re concerned you can contact your surgeon’s office now.

Thanks for the reassurance, I'm noticing that when I urinate is when mucus is passing out. Must be due to the pressure - its really hard to hold it in.

I guess I will chime in here also.

for the 13 weeks I had my stoma I had mucous discharge from the jpouch.

at first it was brown, sometimes light brown, or brownish red. Sometimes I saw red.
at the end before takedown the mucous was clear.

I asked my surgeon numerous times about the discharge and was told it’s normal and the limb from the stoma to the jpouch produces mucous.

I think others will weigh in with the same opinion.

eric

Similar is happening with me and I understand how your feel. I get mucus from back passage now and then and sometimes feces. Iv been told it’s normal that some feces passes the loop stoma. But my mucus and feces is minimum from back passage and no blood thankfully. If your concerned best to ring surgeon.

Thanks a lot for the replies and reassurance. Guess I'm just panicking that having the j pouch will end up just being like having ulcerative colitis again with the mucus coming out and multiple trips to toilet incoming.

The blood has stopped and only happened on a few nights just after surgery (but a lot did come out) There is less mucus coming out now than there was a few weeks ago - I was going on walks and mucus was just seeping out all into my underwear (couldn't hold it in) and was not pleasant.

But its reassuring to hear others had this problem before having the stoma removed.

@Scott F posted:

This sounds pretty normal, @gdl900. Sometimes feces gets past the loop, sometimes mucus comes out (and is very hard to control), and sometimes blood comes out. If you have steady or heavy bleeding you should contact your surgeon’s office. Heck, if you’re concerned you can contact your surgeon’s office now.

@New577 posted:

I guess I will chime in here also.

for the 13 weeks I had my stoma I had mucous discharge from the jpouch.

at first it was brown, sometimes light brown, or brownish red. Sometimes I saw red.
at the end before takedown the mucous was clear.

I asked my surgeon numerous times about the discharge and was told it’s normal and the limb from the stoma to the jpouch produces mucous.

I think others will weigh in with the same opinion.

eric

For the surgery that removes the stoma, how long does it take to recover from this surgery? I understand its only a minor surgery, compared to the main op I had to make the j pouch.

Also, I'm fully aware that there will be lots of toilet trips everyday, but how long can you hold it in for? In an ideal world, I don't want to have to rush to the toilet all the time, but I know it's different for everyone.

Thankyou

The surgery is fairly small, but the adjustment takes time. Most J-pouchers don’t experience a lot of urgency, but a new pouch doesn’t have very much capacity, and that takes time (and patience) to develop.

Hi, GDL900. You’re right, the second surgery to close the stoma is a small surgery compared to the first surgery creating your j pouch. My second surgery was approximately one hour. I was in hospital for 5 days recovering. Some J pouchers  are in hospital for 2 or 3 days only. When I got home, it was frequency and urgency, at least 12 times a day in the first week or so. But it got better after a few months and now I am completely well and in control of when I need to use the bathroom. There is no sense of desperate urgency now. Just be prepared that there will be some urgency and frequency as your body learns how to use your new j pouch. It is an amazing thing you have now, so give your pouch time to get used to your new system. Eat nutritious foods, choose foods that are easy to digest. I avoided spicy, raw, nuts, seeds in the first few months. Now I can eat anything I want, even spicy!

When you are away from home, carry wipes or a travel bidet to keep your bum clean and free of residue. This will keep you from getting raw, burning skin around your bum. you might experience pouchitis but it can be addressed with antibiotics from your doctor. I had it twice in the first months and it was sorted out very, very quickly by a course of Cipro. You’ll learn how, when, and what to eat to control when you need to find a bathroom. Be patient, be good to your pouch, eat well, drink LOTS of water. I find I dehydrate easily now that I have a j pouch. I can hold for 6 or 8 hours with no issues, but it depends on what you eat in a day, and how much you eat. Your pouch will give you advance warning before things gets near urgent. Don’t worry. My life is back to normal and some days I don’t even remember I have a j pouch. Good luck to you.

I am glad you are not bleeding anymore! Please keep us updated. Hope you feel better all the way.

@gdl900 posted:

For the surgery that removes the stoma, how long does it take to recover from this surgery? I understand its only a minor surgery, compared to the main op I had to make the j pouch.

Also, I'm fully aware that there will be lots of toilet trips everyday, but how long can you hold it in for? In an ideal world, I don't want to have to rush to the toilet all the time, but I know it's different for everyone.

Thankyou

It me months to recover but I had complications unfortunately, I was a rare case as I am in most things lol. If I have to, sometimes I can hold it for hours although I prefer not to and sometimes I cannot hold it for long periods of time. Its hit or miss.