Experiences with Getting a Barbie Butt Surgery?

Hi Beth

I'm pretty good after it all, thank you. It was the J pouch where it all went wrong; it was terrible. Apparently, it works for some. I would never have gone near it if I had known how much trouble it was. There would have been a lot fewer operations and a lot less suffering, but that was the advice at the time, unfortunately. But I'm pretty good now; I do everything I did before.

Axl

Hi, I have a Barbie butt after my operation in November last year. I had my main colon, rectum, and a kidney removed due to cancer. It's a weird one, but you get used to it. I still mountain bike, swim in the sea, etc. It's amazing what they can do.

Thank you Mike for that information. Gives me hope knowing someone has actually had it done & can share. I hope mine can be pulled up & not closed & a new site. Like I said, it's only been 6 weeks. Hopefully once I see the ostomy nurse, I'll have a better outlook on this. 

A Barbie Butt will prevent mucus discharge, making life much easier.

I was given a waffle cushion, which is used partially inflated.  I used it at home, driving, in restaurants, etc. It was a huge help.  Size is 17”x17”.    Amazon, Walmart, and many other sources are available now. When I got mine, about the only source was www.ehob.com.  As others said, do not use a circle cushion.

Wishing you the best, anyark 

I got the Barbie Butt when I had my permanent ileostomy in 2015. Definitely get a waffle cushion. I got mine at Ehob and it came inflated and was perfect. I had no pain at all in sitting. I had dissolvable stitches, also.

But definitely the waffle cushion! It is a lifesaver with the Barbie Butt.

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

I got my Barbie butt in 2016, and I wish I hadn't waited so long. (Ileostomy was done in 1995). There were no complications and I healed up in a reasonable amount of time. The pain afterwards was ok (about 10 days of painkillers) and I spent the first couple weeks lying on my side on the couch wearing loose clothing. Keeping it clean and dry was a big priority for me - I wanted/needed to get back to work and life. Sitting for extended amounts of time still gets uncomfortable but it's not even that bad. I just get up and walk around for a bit, usually to the bathroom, because it's generally time to do that anyway haha! 
Good luck!

For me, it took about 6 months before everything settled down. I had it from the get-go; my cancer was right on the anus muscle. So, 6 months of sitting awkwardly - usually, I'd slightly perch on one cheek and switch to the other when that became sore. I was perched on the sofa with my legs folded up, lying a bit against the arm. I tried a few different bum supports, inflatable rings, etc. The best one was a medical standard square thing that came in a big box with its own pump, provided for free by the local health nurse. Typical H&S nonsense, it couldn't be given back when I no longer needed it! I think it's packed away somewhere, against the day when I get hemorrhoids!

There was a bit of, um, moisture - mucus? from the wound for most of that time. No biggie, just shower more often, and wear the thinnest women's pantie pads, located a bit further to the rear than where they were intended for. Darn, those things are cheap! €0.02 each or something. But they don't stick awfully well to (men's) underwear, or maybe I was doing it wrong - at least I worked out that they are not meant to stick to the skin - at my age who could I go ask about it? The shop assistant - LOL? Maybe I should have searched out the ones with wings?

Due to Covid, etc., I haven't had a chance to ask my surgeon about one aspect of the Barbie Butt. Maybe it's just me, but sometimes it feels like the area (perineum, I guess) gets inflated, or bulges down a bit. I can't see it, and I have nobody to ask, and I'd feel a bit of a pervert doing upshots! But there is noticeable wear on the crotch of underwear - I'm buying underwear much more often these days. On the other hand, I have been doing much more walking, and recently cycling, than I did pre-BB.

Finally, for a while, there is an element of phantom-bum. Your stomach is telling you to go sit on the loo, your brain is telling you there's no point. And something inside you says how satisfying a good long...evacuation...would be.

I had an ileostomy in April 2021 and the Barbie Butt after a failed J-Pouch. I suspect everyone's experience will differ, but it was not that painful overall. I had a drain bag and could only sit on a support cushion at first. The wound suppurated for several weeks and I had to wear some pads to keep it off clothing. It healed gradually, and I am barely aware of it now. I had dissolvable stitches that took ages to come out but finally did dissolve.

I hope all goes well - courage is required for all this stuff! I'm sure all will be fine in the end - pun not intended.

Hi All... It's Marsha again... this time regarding life without and then with a "Barbie Butt"... I had my original surgery as an emergency, after 4 years with ulcerative colitis... I was not in good shape, and went into shock on the table... Doctors could not do more than just form the ileostomy, but left me with the whole diseased colon inside... I didn't expect to bleed, and be in pain, (my parents didn't tell me about the shortened surgery)... I thought the surgery was a failure and I was going to die... A "friend" overheard our parents talking and he told me the truth... That was in Sept... They kept me in the hospital until I was strong enough for the "next surgery" removal of the colon... done in Dec... leaving me with the damn rectal stump... I was 15 1/2 and finally got back to school that September... (I was 16)... But the damn rectum never healed... Blood, mucus, pain, leaking! It was awful. I was dating some, but had to wear pads all the time... By the time I was 19, I told my parents and doctors, I'd had enough... and wanted the rectum out... The doctors didn't want me to do it... saying that someday... there would be an "internal pouch"... Thanks... but no thanks, no way... I was finished... I had the rectal stump removed, but had more complications... Nerves were inadvertently cut to the bladder... so I have no sensation... (That was another 10-week stay in the hospital). Bladder function returned, but I "go" by the clock... Probably there was cause for a lawsuit... because a year later... what turned out to be "surgical packing" (not a tampon) found its way out of my vagina... I was married for a year... and ever since then, I've had recurring vaginal infections... due to what was probably a "fissure" or fistula... between digestive & vaginal tract... Yes, another "horror story", but I've managed to live with it, give birth to two children... and never regretted having the diseased rectum removed... Just be aware... that there's always a risk... When I was active in the Ostomy Assoc... in NYC (as a Teen) I met many others... men and women both, who had issues from the surgery... Solving one problem, doesn't always make you immune to another... Best of luck to all of you... Marsha

I had surgery six months ago that resulted in a colostomy and removal of the rectum. I had vulvovaginal cancer, so my incision went from the back all the way to my urethra. For me, the back half has healed much better than the front half. It's a long healing process, but the only areas I am having difficulty healing are places where I had radiation treatment twice. It does a number on your tissues.
Good luck.

I had a total colectomy in March with wound vacs front and back. It was tough going for about 3 months. But I don’t have any problems sitting now. 

I had a total colectomy in March with wound vacs front and back. It was tough going for about 3 months. But I don’t have any problems sitting now. 

I know the words rectal and stump, but I’m not familiar with the term rectal stump. 

Yes, I had my Barbie butt installed in May 2019. Woke up from an induced coma two weeks later to find I had two swag bags also fitted!! Yes, to this day I can't sit on hard chairs without a cushion or padding. I used to take an inflatable cushion in my kit bag!! But now I use TEMPUR square cushions on my sofa, even one for the car which looks like a wedge of cheese. It is higher at the back and tapers down at the front. I don't go anywhere without that. I use it in my Moho on my travels; it's a must!! I'm sitting on my sofa while writing this, definitely a pain changer!!

Go well, stay well osto buddies!!

The best investment I found for my Barbie butt, since it is still painful sitting on hard surfaces like metal or wooden chairs, is TEMPUR square wheelchair cushions. I bought one for my Dad many moons ago when he was frail, so I kept it. Boy, was I glad as I use it on my sofa. It is a godsend, so I ended up buying the TEMPUR car cushion. What a big game-changer it has made. You really should get one if you feel the bottom of your pelvic bones like me. I can't wait some days to sit on them as it feels like the only time you feel some kind of respite from the pain from where they cut too much out of your butt because of the cancer margins being greater. My right cheek or glute has loads of muscle mass missing. I find the left side of my butt really aches even after a short walk. It really is a pain in the ass! Just hope I don't need my old man's wheelchair sooner rather than later?

Go well, stay well fellow ostomates!

Hi folks, not sure if this has been addressed, but here goes: we all know Barbie and Ken. Why is she getting all the publicity? I wasn't aware there was a specific medical definition of either. The fact, or term I believe, comes from a sewn butt hole. So, guys have a Ken butt. Girls have the Barbie butt. I think we all had a stump or a piece of intestine inside us for a possible hookup later, whatever it is called, it will come out and you will be sewn up. Not trying to be politically correct, just making sure we are understanding the term here. Of course, if I am wrong, someone should correct me. I am considering the procedure. I'm not calling it a Barbie butt though. --Warrior

I never had a stump left, they just gutted me like a fish and gave me a new exhaust hole. I prefer to have a Barbie butt compared to a Ken butt, I think it makes my butt much more adorable if referenced that way.

You may have something there, dude. Good point. "Gutted like a fish"... eek. What a vision. Hah ha.