This may sound strange, but every once in awhile I have the urge to pass gas or poop the normal way. Sometimes I feel like I need to get to the bathroom quick.
Does anyone else have these urges? I've had my ostomy less than a month.
Just curious as I find this kind of humorous.
Yes, it's normal even after almost 30 years. I get it at times for myself. It's usually the first sign of a blockage. It's known as phantom pain and can be very painful for some.
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I've had my temporary ileostomy since March, and I was warned of that feeling. It's caused because the rectum still produces mucus.
Yes, it's normal. I am almost 3 years post-op and just minor urges.
Afternoon little stinker....
Perfectly normal, hun. You will find it will subside in time, but it will still happen....you will have sometimes mucous discharge from anus as well. This too is normal and expected....
Tracy
Hello little stinker.
A good, simple, straightforward question, which is easily answered as per the replies you have already had.
It's also good that you see the humour in such a situation - as this is the sort of attitude that will see you through the more complex questions which might arise in your future stoma journey.
I hope that all your problems will be little ones!
Best wishes
Bill
Well, that is good to know! Hope that is not the case, but it's been happening since the day after surgery, so probably not.
Thank you. So far it's not painful, just uncomfortable.
Thank you for the positivity! I'm so grateful to not have the pain I've had. And I'm over the initial shock of the surgery pain so onward and upward!
Yep, I refer to it as the "urge to purge" and I am of the belief my colon wants its old job back. Since my 2-year-old ileostomy is a result of a large benign cyst which was removed along with 12 inches of colon and other no longer useful body parts (ovary and appendix), I am a candidate for reversal. In fact, the urge to purge has shoved (poor choice of words) me back to my surgeon to again discuss a reversal. Early on in this journey, I was anxiously awaiting reversal, but some setbacks forced delays and I now live almost peacefully with my stoma and fear the thought of surgery, but I feel I must try.
As others have said, it is perfectly normal, and it may or may not subside. Your bowel continues to produce mucus because, as the ostomy nurse told me, it "didn't get the memo" that its job was no longer needed. I'm 2 1/2 years in and I still get the feeling that something needs to come out, and then the mucus.
Terry
Interesting! I've had no mucus, but today...all day...I wished I could just get it done already, lol. Thought for sure I would soil myself if I didn't!
That is so funny! I think mine wants its old job back too!
And so say all of us!! I still get a little of that urge but rarely compared to the past. In the past (hopefully stays that way!!) I would feel like I needed to expel a bowling ball from my poor suffering butt. Sometimes...often...that bowling ball felt like it was covered in sharp spikes!!! Never felt pain like it. When I would sit on the throne and push, there might be a half teaspoon of "stuff" (mucus) after wiping. The inside was described as looking like chopped liver!! By a doc who looked in there. It kept getting bacterial infections, like pouchitis disconnected J-pouch, in what's left of my rectum. Flagyl helped, but Flagyl and Cipro together seemed to clear it up after years of pain and suffering. I now get zero mucus and the horrible cramping is no more!!! Gone completely for a few years now...happily. Flagyl always helped alleviate the feeling of pressure and pain in my rectum. I was willing to try anything at that stage and an MAO member talked about Flagyl and Cipro together and it changed my life!!
I used to have to use women's pads (the small self-adhesive ones) because I would sometimes get a fair bit of very stinky grey mucus spurting out my butt at the worst time. No pads, no stinky, and very little pain now.
Some have described this as being similar to "phantom limb" pain, so that could be a factor, like your gut does want the old job back.
I remember the first time that happened to me, it actually really scared me. It just didn't seem normal that I would feel like I had to poop in the normal way with my new colostomy, and I thought maybe something was wrong with the surgery. Thankfully, it turned out it was all fine and normal. I've had my colostomy for about a year and a half now, and it still happens to me, and it usually coincides with stoma output. Sometimes I feel like I've gone a little in my pants, but it's just clear mucus. Still pretty strange.
I had that 7 months after my ileostomy surgery. My surgeon said it was normal and that your butt area produces a clay-colored type of substance that helps bowel movement. It builds up after some time and had to come out. As long as there's no blood with it. After 2 weeks, I had it happen again with blood. We did a colonoscopy and had a benign polyp. That was in late June. And it hasn't happened since.
Yes, it's the worst! It also seems to coincide with a blockage or slow-moving stool for me too. Always feeling like you have to go, and the mucus. People without ostomies don't understand. And when it's really bad there's blood. Aren't our dumb dysfunctional butts fun? Lol
Oh my, wasn't aware it was a sign of a blockage. My surgeon told me it was phantom urges to make you think you had to release a movement, but it was due to reversal and not being able to go that way anymore. Well, it happens to me on occasions. Doc said go through the motions, it goes away after sitting on the toilet and waiting. I take a warm cloth and lay on the base of my tailbone, it subsides, minus a movement.
