Is This Amount of Discharge Normal After Loop Ileostomy Surgery?

Hi all,

Just looking for some reassurance really. I had loop ileostomy surgery around 11 days ago. I had a j-pouch which was strictured, so we decided to defunction it to allow my bowel to rest. The past 3 nights I've had a lot of discharge coming from my bum. It's brown watery discharge, with tiny bits of dried black stuff (blood maybe from the surgery?). I know discharge is normal, but is this amount normal? It's probably the equivalent of about 6/7 really big wees. Hard to describe really. And it stinks to high heaven!!

Hello,

It will take a month or longer for your system to adjust. During that time, you will have a lot of discharge.

Many ostomates on this website got rid of their J-pouch because, over time, their quality of life decreased having it. They switched to an ostomy.

If you have pain or fever, you need to consult with a doctor right away.

More detail on why you had a J-pouch is needed for people on this website to offer proper advice.

Hello Kat

Having had a disconnected jpouch, I would say your description is accurate for the early days. Are you estimating the quantity of output or measuring it accurately? It always feels like a lot more than it actually is. I would have expected what you are experiencing to be very similar to when the pouch was first created before connection unless you had it done in one hit. However, as usual, running it past your professionals is always the best advice.

Hi Beachboy,

Thanks for the response. I've no pain or fever, so that's a good thing. I'm only 2 weeks out today, so I'm probably being paranoid. I had my J-pouch surgery 9 years ago, though, and it's difficult to remember. I was expecting mucus discharge but not the brown water so much.
I originally had a total colectomy for ulcerative colitis, but I've since been re-diagnosed with Crohn's. No active disease at the moment, though, and the defunctioning was purely for the strictures.

Hi Axl,

You're probably right about it feeling more than it actually is. I'm not accurately measuring it. Do you think I should be? I know last time I had creation of J-pouch I had some mucus but don't remember anything else. And it wasn't a lot either, maybe once a week. I'll give it a couple of days and if I don't feel like it's lessening I'll give my stoma nurse a call. Thanks ☺️

Hi Kat,

Everyone is different. I have multiple daily mucus; weekly sounds great! As the volume was one of your main concerns, they will obviously ask you about it. Nuisance that it is, you can then give them accurate information. However, you are only 11 days in, so your body is still having a tantrum. Maybe it will settle shortly.

Hi Kata,

I agree with Axl's advice. If you have any concerns, then contact your stoma nurse. That is, after all, what they are there for... and they don't bite!

Also, have you looked up St. Mark's 'pouch care nurses'? Apparently, they are some of the best in the world, and St. Mark's Hospital is where the J-Pouch surgery was pioneered by Prof. Nicholls et al.

Some support sites/contact in the UK:

St. Mark's Hospital pouch care website https://www.stmarkshospital.nhs.uk/services-a-z/stoma-care/

Get in touch with them. They take patients from anywhere in the UK. St. Mark's is the J-Pouch specialist center. Also, on that first landing page, there is an email address that they respond to very quickly. The best thing about it is, you can email them from anywhere in the world, i.e., you don't have to be a UK resident or be registered on the NHS or have ever been. It's a wonderful service; please check it out.

Stoma care contact details
Tel: 020 8453 2196
Email: lnwh-tr.stomacare@nhs.net

Pouch care contact details
Tel: 020 8453 2099
Email: lnwh-tr.internalpouchcare@nhs.net

Pouch support group associated with St. Mark's, Red Lion Group website https://pouchsupport.org/

Hope that helps.

And as always, if in any doubt or you have any queries at all, contact your stoma nurse without delay!

Kind regards,

David