Is Occasional Stoma Bleeding Normal Months After Surgery?

It's been five months since I had my surgery...originally they said it was normal for the stoma to bleed once in awhile, but I was lucky and didn't have that problem.  Well, now all of a sudden I've had a couple occasions when it has bled.  It's rather scary to see rich red blood in the bag.  My question is:  Is it normal to have the stoma bleed once in awhile, regardless of how long the stoma has been in place?

mine is 7 months old, and still bleeds a little from time to time, i was told by my stoma nurse that it is normal, don't think its any thing to worry about.

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wendy, x

Thanks, Wendy...makes me feel better!

I'm glad they tell us it is normal for the stoma to bleed cause mine bleeds regularly.  But I'm on two blood thinners also.  Used to be on 3 and I could hardly ever stop the bleeding.  



Went to a BB game once right after work with a large bandage on my hand cause it was bleeding.  Had to change it often during the game to keep from grossing my neighbors out.  It is the same with the stoma.



My work can cause some physical abuse to the stoma when I work in very tight places.  It can bleed heavily after that.  Ugh.

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Loren

uhh grammy some foods like pork imatate  blood so save a sample if you can.

just speaking from experience.I freaked out the first time.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I'm not on blood thinners, but I do take asprin, which can work the same way.  I imagine it is very easy to irratate the stoma, causing it to bleed.   I think sometimes I might be too rough, around the stoma, when I clean out my bag, which may be part of the problem.   I'll discuss it with my doctor when I see him the end of September and let you know what he says.  Thanks to everyone for your answers, it always makes me feel so much better knowing, I'm not the only one having these issues.

I have had my stoma 3 yrs and still get some bleedig so dont worry about it it usualy stop with the powder

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I have a stoma for 5 years and it still bleeds when I change my appliance, It does not bleed otherwise. My ET nurse says that this is normal.



Mike

I got on the site today with a problem I need help with and see that someone else has already started a string for it. I think My problem may be different though and I need input badly. I had a urostomy 2 years ago and never any problems. Sure, when I clean myself, if I accidently rub the stoma it bleeds a little bit, but that is from the outside and it is normal. I hook my urine bag up to a jug at night so I won't have to empty it every couple of hours and can get a good nights sleep. Last Thursday, I woke up and had 4 chunks of bloody mucus in the tube going to the jug and at least 12 pieces of bloody mucas in my jug. I called the doctor immediately and he got me in that afternoon. (No blood in the bag for the appointment of course) but he scheduled me for a loop a gram at the hospital 4 days later. (I had the proceedure yesterday) On Friday I had bloody mucus in my bag again, but no real blood in my urine that I could see. This is freaking me out. I'm worried about cancer again of course, that's why they took my bladder out in the first place. The loop a gram freaked me out too. They catherized the stoma and pumped imaging die into my kidneys and took pictures. I'm still waiting for results, but even if they say they didn't see anything, it doesn't mean there isn't something going on. They scoped my bladder 3 times before they found the cancer, but I kept going back because I had blood in my urine and I just knew if they would keep looking they would find it, which they did. I am crying several times a day over this and can't seem to stop. (My best friend is dying of ovarian cancer too which has made me an emotional wreck. Does anyone else have experience with this that you can tell me about? If it is cancer again I want them to catch it early before it kills me. Thanks for your help.

Linda

lampelady: Continue to press your medical team for a firm diagnosis. I have a continent urostomy made of bowel tissue (stoma but no bag) following removal of cancerous bladder many years ago. I catheterize every four hours around the clock. From time to time I see the same type of bloody chunks you describe in addition to occasional bleeds from brushing the stoma surface.  In my case the internal bleeds (that look like bloody chunks in the urine but not dissolved in the urine) appear to follow vigorous physical activity earlier that day or the day before; things like lifting heavy stuff or bending and reaching a lot while fishing and boating. Think about what you did the day before or earlier on the day you see the stuff. If the days were business as usual you may have a different health problem; if the days were more physically demanding, you may have found a benign cause. Ask your docs about this. Please let us know. Best, Alamar

my stoma does not bleed . knock on wood. put one time my bag had. or you could say alot blood in it.what happened was i had a bowl of maple nut ice cream and i must have swallowed some nuts hole. they kinda plowed ther way out. now i pay more attention how i chew my food.

Thanks for your input Alamar. I finally got the results back from the Loopogram. It was only one paragraph so I'll just type it in:  Contrast was injected under fluoroscopic observation. The ileal loop filled normally with no suspicious findings. Contrast load retrograde into either ureter without obstruction. The callces are mildly ectatic. (Whatever that means) There was no evidence of obstruction of either ureter. No definite suspicious radiographic findings.



So now they will do nothing, I guess, unless I have other issues. Hopefully it is as you suggested. I had been doing a lot of house cleaning, stretching, bending over, and moving some of my plants around that are really a little to heavy for me. I have a 15 pound weight limit.



I see you live in Lampe, as I do. What a surprise to find someone so close. You don't have a profile, so I know nothing about you, other than you like to fish. I have a boat slip, but no boat. Let me know if you would like to meet for coffee sometime. Maybe at Rogers, if they are ever open. It won't be for at least a week though. I picked up a virus in the hospital Monday and have been running a very high temperature. 102.5 sometimes and I am pretty weak last night I was so hot I drempt about swimming in the lake, which I do often in the summer. I finally figured out how to keep my bag on in the water. The doctor said the virus that is going around lasts between 7 and 14 days. This is my 4th day, so I imagine I will feel like hell and be contagious for a while.

Regards,

Linda

Regarding bleeding...I've had my ostomy most of my life ( 48 years).  The stoma itself can get irritated and bleed, and that takes awhile to heal.  I've always had some bleeding around the base of the stoma.  That comes and goes, and is often affected by the fit of the flange.  I use the stoma adhesive paste but understand that there are other products available.  A number of years ago, I developed pain on the underside of the stoma, and had small white "blisters" there...   I was told by a dermatologist that it looked like an ulcer, and that I should see a surgeon.  i ignored that warning, and tried to keep the area clean.  The irritation came and went along with the associated pain.  Then one day, three years ago, I was visiting a friend in Brooklyn, and got up early to empty my pouch.  I emptied a bag full of blood.  I decided to remove the appliance to better see what was happening, and when I did, blood sprayed from the base of my stoma all around a white bathroom.  The walls, floor,  fixtures everything in the room was splattered in blood.  I called a NY doctor I knew and made an emergency trip to the hospital.....  Diagnoses was  " Stomal Pyoderma Gangarosum, which is actually ulcerative colitis on the skin.  They stopped the bleeding, cauterized the site, and  I was sent home.  The next morning the same thing happened, and so back to the hospital I went.  When I finally saw the senior surgeon, he explained the condition, and told me what to do.  It still happens from time to time, and when it does, I have to remove the pouch.....hold a pressure bandage to the area, and expose it to the air.  It's upsetting and disconcerting, because I never know when it's going to happen.  But like other things, it's become the "norm" for me, and so I just cope with it.  



If anyone has any questions, feel free to write.  



Best of luck to all.