Rectal stump mucus

RECTAL STUMP MUCUS.



If there’s one thing’ gives me the hump.

It’s mucus from my rectal stump.

They did not tell me this would be.

A side–effect of ostomy.



With no faeces coming through.

No way did I expect this goo.

It is so inconvenient.

That I am still incontinent.



I thought that this would be all cured.

Once my ostomy matured.

However, it's not gone away.

And I fear it’s here to stay.



Sometimes brown and sometime white.

But mixed with blood is never right.

Then there’s yellow and there’s cream.

Which will flood out like a stream.



Sometimes it’s soft and sometimes hard.

Sometimes it’s slippery just like lard.

Occasionally I’ll get a chunk.

But mostly it will look like gunk.



At first I used to irrigate.

When it used to irritate.

But now that doesn’t work so well.

Although it minimises smell.



When I reflect I must admit.

I sometimes get fed up with it.

For I was not expecting this.

Every time I have a piss.



With the plugs and inco’ pads.

You’d think it would not feel so bad.

But I still moan and I will grump.

About the mucus from my stump.



B. Withers

Graphic, but very funny poem!

Especially when I thought I'd dump

Hello people.Thanks for your comments. It is good to have any kind of feedback. I also love it when people join in the conversation with their own rhyming stuff!Best wishesBill

What non-osteomates don't ever really 'get'. Nice.

How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Is this mucus from your ostomy or rectum? Sometimes in surgery, they leave the rectum or sometimes some sigmoid colon (above rectum). Reasons? Well, if you want to later convert to what is known as a J pouch...sometimes more than one surgery is involved, so they remove this later. Two, because of some complications, again removed later...usually. Also, some people have the rectum or part intact because they don't want to damage sphincter muscles. So in doing so, you can still have some leftover problems in there. In that case, it may need to be monitored over time via scope. If that's the case, this can be quite normal. If it is a problem, there are some medications to help with that. Good luck. Dcrazy - Aka Rick Bitty.

Hello Rabbit,I think you are right - but more importantly you have suggested a great subject for another poem! Thanks.AND hello dcrasy: I got a bit of a crick in my neck trying to view your profile photo - but that 'aside', the mucus to which I refer is from the rectal stump which was 'left' after the surgery. The reason I was given was that the ostomy was relatively minor surgery and the removal of the stump was 'major'surgery. Personally, I wasn't over-keen on any surgery at all and having been seriously incontinent for many years and managed it, I thought that this would also be manageable. My writing of rhyming verses simply helps me to express feelings that might otherwise get bottled up inside and cause even bigger problems. As it is I don't really have huge problems that cannot be overcome or lived with. What I like about blogging on this site is that there are people who might read the poetry in an interested, mature and understanding way. I really appreciate the comments received and I also appreciate the fact that I can see how many people actually read the stuff even if they don't comment.Best wishesBill

Thank you for your wonderful poem!!! You so nicely stated my biggest problem. Going to visit where there is no handheld showerhead and am wondering if I can handle that and still get clean. A stupid thing to worry about!!

I'm taking the handheld shower head with me anywhere I go for several days' visits. For me, the stump problem was a complete surprise and the docs were no help!! Bill, your post and the following ones at least let me know nothing is wrong with me and I won't go have it scoped. That hurts so badly!

@ Bill, glad your poetry gives you a sense of therapy. I know when I write some of mine, mostly late at night my time, it can help others and yourself. - P.S. You might want to get that crick in your neck fixed, j/k. Have a good one. - dcrazy.

Hello Margy,Thanks for your posts. It's not a stupid thing to worry about. Sometimes a 'flusher' is just what you need.I am trying to design a water bag that won't take up much room and can be both filled and pressurised to make a hand held shower and/or irrigator.I already have a permanent, non-portable one in my bathroom that works fine for both purposes.And hello dcrazy!Great to know you write poems as well - how about sharing some! Best wishesBill

Bill, good reflection. Rectal mucus is a dreadful nuisance sometimes, but I guess it's one of nature's many ways to keep our systems healthy. My doctor said that removal of the stump was a very complex procedure and there would be no sense trading in one problem only to create others. It's my job now to manage the problem, and that means I have to learn more about it through careful observation and a little experimentation. I have some dry days, some light days, and some heavy days when the flow is constant. Most of my efforts thus far have been in damage control: I plug the butt with tissues rolled into cigarette shapes and line my briefs with a sheet or two of Bounty and then change as often as necessary. At this time, I plan to pay a little more attention to how my rectal discharge system works. I know if I get dehydrated or if I sit too long, my flow will increase. I am going to experiment with enemas to see if they can reduce the flow. I will also pay attention to conditions which surround high flow periods, e.g., time of day, diet, activities, stress, etc. I have read that our brains are all wired differently, well, maybe some other parts too. My former GI doctor wrote a book 20 years ago about listening to your gut. I will try to listen better in hopes of getting a little better control over this annoying issue. PB

Hello Primeboy.Thank you so much for your thoughtful and informative post. Your doctor seems to have said more or less what mine did - 'after' I went back to explain to him what I think he should have explained to me prior to the op. I do like your approach of observation and experimentation and let us know if you find anything out that might also be useful for us. Personally, I shied away from stuffing toilet paper up and opted for the tampons instead. At least they have a bit of string by which they can be extracted when necessary. Also they have been tried and tested by women 'guinea-pigs' before being sold on the open market.It has occured to me more than once, that in practice and substance women's periods are not too dissimilar in outcomes to the problems we face with the anal stump mucus (and in my case blood) They don't seem to make a great fuss about the management of it on a regular basis so I figure that the same should apply to me. The incontinence pads are useful but they don't seem to soak it up as well as toilet paper. However, on more than one occasion the toilet paper has come adrift and ended up on the floor. Fortunately it is only me that recognises it for what it is and it can be quickly and discreetly picked up and disposed of without anyone noticing.Perhaps Bounty is a better option in that regard.Keep up the good work observing, exploring and experimenting. Best wishes Bill

Bill, you are such a godsend!! I love your poem! Every time that slimy problem arises, I think of it and laugh and am at peace with the interruptions, especially after learning the complications of removal surgery. Sort of a normal abnormal to add to my ever-growing list lol!

Hello Margy.Thank you for your post. It is so good to have feedback about the poems. This is especially so when someone says they gain something from it and can smile at the concepts. In some ways it is a form of subtle 'just for laughs'. Best wishes Bill

I also have a bloody discharge which the Dr. told me after my surgery, I would have. I just use panty liners and change as needed. I've had an ileostomy since 1995 and I think it has gotten worse as I've gotten older.

Hello shebug,Getting older doesn't seem to have many advantages. However, Many of the things that now go wrong with my physical frame and my mind, I can put down to the 'natural' process of ageing. Whereas before, I used to be much more concerned that there might be something 'wrong'. Best wishes Bill

I've had my colostomy since April 2012. My surgeon said I might have a mucus leak to begin with but would end... haha. I have to wear a pantiliner for protection. I feel bad for guys that have this problem. I didn't know it was common though.

Hello dixied10. Thanks for your post. Don't feel too bad for us guys. Those of us that have this type of problem can now empathise with women who have similar problems with periods most of their lives. One problem that really irritates is that the biggest anal stump leaks happen when I am standing up and peeing. Once I have started a pee it is very difficult to stop - so the mucus has to do it's own thing. Perhaps I should take a leaf out of the ladies book and sit to pee but it's such an ingrained habit to stand that I'm doing it before I think about it. Best wishes

Bill, thanks for your poem. I just joined the group and this is my first time posting. I'm not even sure if time-hopping blog posts work here. I have had the same issue from 2000-2010 following the removal of my rectum due to stage III rectal cancer. In the beginning, it was an open wound that would bleed profusely. Always feminine pads would do the trick during my day-to-day activities. To prevent infections, I used daily packing with a 0.25" Nu Gauze sterile strip packed with a wooden tip applicator. For unknown reasons, it stopped draining blood until recently - 2016.

Funny side story, at first I didn't know the polite/civil way to throw away a used maxi-pad until I had thrown away a used one in my in-laws' bathroom trash can wrapped in the new wrapper. My mother-in-law scolded my wife for not wrapping it up in tissue in the trash can. And for many years, buying these at the grocery stores (in my 20s), I would get sympathetic "awwws" from the cashier since they assumed I was buying them for my girlfriend/wife.

Hello Oscar. Thanks for your post. Obviously the system of notification works on this site otherwise I would never have known that anyone was still reading these old posts. It feels so long ago, I had forgotten what I had written about the subject so it was a good chance for me to re read it and remind myself. I still have the problem but I suppose I've got used to managing it so I don't let it take over my thinking like it used to when I wrote the verses.
I loved your humorous story. It helps a lot if you can find something to smile about amongst all the sh-t.
The problems I have at the anal end seem to have spasms of getting a bit better and then getting worse again so hopefully your problems will clear up naturally -given time.
Best wishes
Bill

Thank you, Bill!

All my best,

Oscar23

You are welcome! Although it should be me thanking you for bringing a smile to my mind and reminding me not to make assumptions.
Best wishes
Bill

Fantastic poem. I don't usually like poems. It is so true.

Hello gentlejohn.
Goodness me! you must have done some digging in the archives to find this one. Thank you, first for reading it, and second for letting us know how you felt about it, especially as your impression was positive. Rhyming verse is not everyone's choice of literary work and it can put some people right off whatever the author is trying to say. However, what I have found over many years of writing rhymes for people who are emotionally embroiled in those aspects of life over which they have little or no control, is that they are quite appreciative of the medium of rhyme to express the feelings and stories that often would not get told in any other format.
The vagaries of stomas are a rich source of material for describing in-verse because they are not deemed as necessarily suitable for 'normal' conversation.
Best wishes
Bill

We are in the UK. Where are you? We are in the Midlands. My hubby is due to have a colostomy very soon and he is extremely apprehensive. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Hello Freestyle.
Thanks for replying to this post even though it's ageing a bit like me!
I live in Hertfordshire.

It is perfectly understandable that your husband is apprehensive. This is all part of the journey and I'm sorry but I cannot / do not give advice to anyone about anything!
Every person is an individual and will approach these things in different ways. It's only when it's over that we can really understand what we have been through. 
what I can say is that my journey reflects many others on this site, in that it began with a great deal of apprehension, then the event (which in my case went well), then the adjustment to a new body image and daily routine. As with so many things in life, adversity is sometimes adjusted to more quickly and efficiently if one has, and retains, a positive attitude.
I tend to try to avoid terms like 'don't worry' because there is little point in telling someone this unless one is well versed in the details and circumstances, and such a remark is indeed relevant to their circumstances. What I have found in the past is that many people worry according to how much they have worried about things in their past. It's a bit like they practice this skill until they become proficient at it. Other people practice the alternative skill of not worrying too much about anything and this seems to work for them just as well. 
Sometimes, discussions with the surgeon or the stoma nurses is a great help in understanding what's in store and obtaining reassurances where these are deemed necessary.
 I do hope you husband's operation is successful and that he adjusts quickly in the aftermath. 
I tend to put my feelings and experiences into rhyming verse, which helps me to clarify my thinking as well as enabling me to move on from one emotional state to another.
If you or your husband is interested in my journey (in rhyme) then most of my rhymes have been posted on here and can be found  in the 'COLLECTIONS' section at the top of the home page.

Best wishes

Bill