Got Loop Colostomy Last Week, Bowel Motion Today, Scared

Hi,

This is my first post here, really glad I found this place!

I was operated last Monday and got a loop colostomy because I kept getting intensely painful anal fissures that wouldn't heal no matter what I did and what other surgeries I got.

After the surgery, I have had several episodes where I felt that I needed to use the toilet. Today I got a really powerful urge again and I got the feeling that there was something in there this time. After a warm water enema, several pieces (3-4 at the size of something like flat grapes) of really firm stool came out. It was clearly stool and not mucus, although I could see some mucus mixed in there.

This freaked me out, especially since the reason for my surgery was to avoid having stools to heal the fissures. I knew there could be some “overflow” with a loop colostomy, but this was way more than I imagined.

What experiences have other people here with a loop colostomy have? Do you have a lot of stools passing by the stoma?

My output so far is rather like a liquid mush, like loose porridge or something. Is it possible that this is why there was so much stool in the bowel motion today and that it'll get less as the output gets more solid when I heal more after the surgery?

Can some of it have been leftover stool from before the surgery? I took laxatives before the operation, but it's possible I guess that there was some stool left in there (but it's unlikely that it was so much perhaps).

Would really appreciate hearing about your experiences here, I'm kind of freaked out now.

Hello! I have an end colostomy, so a little different... I was told I could have some normal stool shortly after surgery - in the hospital they said they call it the ghost turd, LOL. I get mucus every few days and I feel like I have to poop normally - sometimes it's just liquid, sometimes little putty-colored beads, always scares me... they told me it's normal. I had my colostomy on May 28, 2023, and now I get anything ranging from soft mush to small normal-looking poos in my bag. Sorry I am not of much help, but this has been my experience. Try not to freak out (I know easier said than done) - call your doc with questions! I've had weird things come up and I find out they're normal, so don't worry too much.

Thanks for answering! I have heard about this too that there might be some leftovers in the colon that need to get out from the back, but I suspect this perhaps was too much for that, but then again, what do I know :)

Do you have to flush the mucus out or does it just come on its own when you sit down on the toilet?

No, I don't have to flush it out. Sometimes I get the urge and I just go sit on the toilet - other times I think I'm just going #1, but then I see mucus in the toilet afterwards and didn't even feel it come out. I did worry a month ago when I noticed a pink tinge in the mucus at times, so I called my surgeon's office - they told me it is probably nothing to worry about and just deal with it until I get my reversal. I started using a barrier cream (like Vaseline or A & D Ointment) and that has helped.

Good that you don't have to flush it out or anything!

Thanks for the tip about the barrier cream!

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

I have an end colostomy too. My experience is the same as DexieB. I'm still laughing... ghost turd! Better call Ghost Busters.

I have a loop colostomy, too. I'm 8 weeks post-surgery. I had the same experience while I was still in the hospital and it does freak you out a bit. I had a bowel blockage and had been using laxatives, but there was still poop left in my colon. The consistency of my output has finally settled down and is not so runny. It takes the colon and your body time to recover from the surgery. I was told a 6-8 weeks recovery time. I still had to watch my diet for the first few weeks. Since then, I have discovered what does or does not agree with me. Bananas, marshmallows, and jelly beans will help thicken your output. This site has been great for validation of what you are experiencing is normal. If it's not, people will advise you to call your doctor. I don't have a WOC nurse, so I have to figure out everything on my own. It does get easier.

Really nice to hear from you and reassuring that you experienced similar things too! How long would you say it took before you were done with those leftover stools?

Good to hear that it's not so runny anymore. When did that start to settle down approximately?

With a loop you'll always have some overflow which you mentioned. I really don't understand how some big pieces of food (pad Thai was really interesting) come out the one hole and manage to squeeze into the other instead of hanging out in the bag, but it does. What kind of clear out prep did they have you do before surgery?

It's really strange, I don't understand how it works its way all the way down there :)

I took something called Citrafleet, it was awful, took ages before the emptying stopped so I thought everything was fairly clean down there, but it never got to clean liquid so it's possible that there was some stuff left in there still.

I was done eliminating excess stool within the first week, but everyone is different. My output took longer to settle down, probably 6 weeks or so. However, I did travel, which kind of threw everything off.

I had to stop eating 3 days before my colectomy, and I'm trying to remember how I did the bowel prep because I had to be at the hospital for a bunch of tests the day before… I might've negotiated something. Mine was a loop ileostomy (because no more colon) and there was still ‘stuff'. I tried to convince them it wasn't normal; they said it was 😁

It's kind of good for me to hear that it took six weeks before the output to settle down for you, that makes me stress less with mine being so thin after 10 days. I'll try to think that it'll take some time still!

I had an emergency transverse colostomy in May 2021, but it kept prolapsing until at midnight at the end of November, it totally prolapsed and my intestines fell out, dragging part of my bowel with it. A friend drove me to the hospital with me cradling my intestines on my lap. I have photos, but they are very graphic and probably not permitted here. Of course, these things always happen in the middle of the night or at the weekend, and that was no different. To cut a long story short, I was admitted but my surgeon was away until 3 days later when he revised my colostomy to an ileostomy. Apart from early problems with constant leaks, finding the right pouch and an excellent stoma nurse made Bertha manageable [Bertha is my stoma's name, not mine]. My surgeon told me he had made the end of my large intestine into a J shape - he did not say J-Pouch. I often get the urge to poop out my butt, and it feels like it is 'crowning' [sorry, I don't know how else to describe it] but nothing comes out - ever, no matter how hard I try. And then it seems to disappear again. Could this be a phantom sensation or if not, is it normal that if there is mucus there, it just slinks back again?

The other question I have is if any other ostomates have had bladder problems since their surgery. I never had a problem before mine, but now I need to urinate every two hours at night, it's like clockwork, not piddly small amounts either. I just about break my neck getting to the bathroom in time. During the day, it's a lot more frequent, but then obviously I drink more fluids than I do at night. There was no change in frequency or amounts when I didn't drink anything after late afternoon, just an extremely parched mouth, so I abandoned that plan. My understanding was that I'd wee less with an ileostomy, as I'd lose a lot of fluid with my output but so far, I don't have a problem with my output being overly liquid, although it is less thick with my ileostomy than it was with my colostomy, depending on what I eat of course.

I'd be grateful for your replies. Thank you in advance.

A colostomy seems a bit drastic for treatment of an anal fissure. The American College of Colon and Rectal Surgeons has a reference: https://fascrs.org/patients/diseases-and-conditions/a-z/anal-fissure

 

 

Following. I was just in Ed and have had back and abdominal pain but no blockage but a ton of gas and my CTs show moderate stool burden in colon but I have loop Ileostomy last 3 years. I'm starting to think I'm backed up in colon but unable to really pass the stool because I have pelvic floor dysfunction. I'm glad I'm not the only one wondering the same thing. Hope it gets better.

I'm aware of that and I've gone through tons of other treatments and operations for several years before this. Not only didn't that heal the ones I had, I kept getting new ones while in active treatment and no one could figure out why or how to stop that from happening. 

So I couldn't go on like that with pain that made life unbearable and me constantly suicidal any longer and I honestly think few people could (or would want to)

I'm so sorry that you have to deal with all that. I hope someone who knows more than me sees this and will be able to reply!

Thanks, I hope it gets better for you too!

Thank you. I posted it under a new thread and received some great replies.

Oh, that's good, really glad to hear that!