Ostomy Functioning Normally Despite Blockage?

Has anyone had a partial or full blockage, but their ostomy works as normal? I know it's a very odd question, and it doesn't happen this way. But it has happened to me twice now. Full working ostomy, my normal output, no cramps or anything, but yet a partial blockage. I am literally only just curious and wondering if anyone else has had this happen.

G-Day Beth,

If your stoma was working as normal and there was no discomfort, how did you know you had a blockage?

I have only ever had one blockage, and it was very painful, but I got it working without having to go to the ER.

Regards, IGGIE

I knew I would get this reply, lol. One, I keep an eye on my stoma; I know every single move it makes. Mine will get really fat and big when something is stuck, and when the price finally does come out, it's hard and it's old built-up stuff that got stuck, but I have completely normal output the entire time. Then, weeks later, the hard buildup stuff tries to come out, but for weeks, completely normal. I am not a normal ostomate by any means, and then when it reaches the point of trying to fully get out, it will go fat, then completely normal, have normal output, but won't push out what's stuck, only normal output, then fat again, trying to push out what is stuck, then normal output.

Good one, Beth. That's why it pays to study our stoma closer. If we don't know what's happening, who would?

Keep safe and well.

Regards, IGGIE

Hello Beth22.
Thank you for sharing this subject with us as it doesn't often come up in this form.
I suppose it depends on how the term 'blockages' is defined. They can have several different causes and the stoma is just the 'end of the line' with regard to stool motility.
As most of us on here are not medical experts we tend to talk about our own experiences of these matters and sometimes it is better to have the relevant medical tests to ascertain more precisely what is going on.
For my part, I had always had 'blockages', long before I had a stoma and, it could be postulated that this was a partial reason why I had to have the stoma.
Different people have called this by different names such as constipation, slow motility, a lazy gut etc., but it seems to me to be much the same thing in that it causes a 'blockage'. This is sometimes temporary and eventually remedies itself. However, sometimes it becomes more serious and needs medical attention. 
In my case, I also had a parastomal hernia which caused blockages closer to the stoma. My stoma nurse poked around with her finger and told me this! She also said that it was okay for me to feel inside so that I knew what was going on (at the entrance).
Once I felt it for myself, it became obvious that the peristalsis was not doing what it should (pushing the output out). but it was actually 'blocking' the output just behind the stoma. There was a tight restriction of the muscle-ring which could be felt if I left my finger in the stoma. This was very strong, but only lasted a few minutes before it relaxed. On the assumption that muscles can be 'trained', I used a stoma plug to act as a dilator, which eventually would be pushed out along with whatever output was being blocked behind it. 
Eventually, this muscular obstruction was moved to the outside of the stoma when it prolapsed. This was aesthetically gross, but functional in the way that it no longer caused blockages behind the stoma.   
After some consideration, I  just felt grateful that the 'problem' of parastomal blockages were then a thing of the past. 
I feel that the best way to confront these sorts of questions is to find out more precisely what we are dealing with and then we can weigh up our options for dealing with them effectively.

I do hope that you can resolve your issues soon.

Best wishes

Bill 

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Bill,

You write with clarity and detail. For some of us, the Crohn's disease element of our 'condition' remains even where there is no 'active' Crohn's disease manifesting... thus we may indeed have constrictions within our bowels without the rest of the more symptomatic output signs. However, these constrictions can cause 'hold-ups' [my term] sorry no caps intended. In my case, I do get hold-ups, which act as an internal buildup whereby the abdomen becomes bloated and hard, and pain ensues... but they can resolve spontaneously whilst there is some output as per normal.

Beth, your own conditions and diagnoses will doubtless have bearing upon your question - to which we are not privy to the understanding of managing 'your version' of you. Clearly, you personally will know all the finer points by experience... But I guess there is an element of specific thinking that is causal/contributory to your asking the question.

In my case, there are not only several loops of bowel that have passed through the abdominal wall, but there has been the surgical site where, because the TIES device was excised to remove it [I had grown into it], which meant there was nothing to sew to in the conventional sense of making a normal stoma - hence the abdominal repair and the extensive scar tissue, etc., coupled with the aftermath of deep ulceration fissures, etc. [not fistulas through, thankfully!].

Conclusion being - from my perspective and limited understanding on a broader basis of Crohn's disease diagnosis - a 'hold-up' or 'buildup' for lack of a better word is not an isolated event with folks. Management of it includes working up the liquid - not just sipping, but drinking glasses at a time to try and promote the 'flush through - in my case the ileostomy [rather than just flushing the kidneys - which, again, can often be affected if one is a long-term ileostomist/malabsorption syndromes within the alimentary tract - because of course [salts] uric acid [if too concentrated] and infected material [struvite] build up to form stones, etc., within the kidneys.

All these elements conspire to reduce clear passage of [even well-chewed] foodstuffs through our system.

I may be on the wrong tack so far as you are concerned, Beth - but my comments were intended as a more general reply - any specific - please ask.

[No read-through - so apologies for spelling/keying] - need to be 'elsewhere' now... 'Bye

Best wishes to all

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ waves ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jayne

Bill, I don't ask for advice on this website. And I never have. If I have a medical question, I go to my doctor; I don't bring it to the forum. As I had said in my post, I LITERALLY AM JUST CURIOUS AND WONDERING. Meaning I'm just curious and wondering. I was literally just curious if anyone else has had this happen since it's weird.

Jayne, I was literally just curious if anyone else had experienced a weird scenario like this; that is all. I don't seek or ask for medical advice on here for multiple reasons. We are all different, and our stomas work differently, so asking a question about what to do with a stoma is moot, and what helps someone else doesn't mean it is going to help whoever is asking. This brings me to another point of why I do not make posts on this website, even when I make it abundantly clear that I am literally just curious and wondering. And I'm not saying this towards you, but in general... my post clearly states I was literally just wondering, meaning I was just curious and wondering since it's weird. It wasn't a post asking for advice or what to do.

Hello Beth22.

I am so sorry if I gave the wrong impression in my reply and I hope the second part of my post focusses more on the point and explains how I also have this sort of thing happen.

Best wishes

Bill

Lol Bill, why not just say that outright? That you have weird things like this happen?

The only blockage I ever had, my ostomy put out clear liquid water. Not normal output. I didn't have a lot of pain, but I was very weak from throwing up and being dehydrated. So sorry, I can't help you out here.

Be nice, Beth. When folks are giving you their experiences, it is rude to throw it back at them like you couldn't care less about their feedback and that you only want certain responses. We are not mind readers.

I think I get what you're asking. I've noticed a few times where my stomach would be bloated and had some output, not as much as usual, and then hours later it hits like a volcano. Usually, it's when it's more solid than liquid. It never hurt or cramped up, and everything looked as if it had been chewed up small enough. But like you, when this happens, I keep an eye on my output to see if I didn't chew things up or if it's something that isn't breaking down the way I think it should, especially if I'm trying something I haven't before.

Sounds normal from my own experience. I get a buildup of hard feces every now and then. I wouldn't compare it to a blockage myself, and the stoma often looks fat, just how stomas are, as far as I'm aware. I only change the bag twice a week; that's the only time I can see and notice what my stoma looks like.

Hey Ben.. well, my stomach isn't normally fat. When I say fat, I mean it's super fat and prolapses, and my stoma will get stuck that way until it pushes whatever is blocked out. And when it comes out, it's hard and a lot of backed-up stuff that didn't come out with my regular output. It's kind of hard to fully explain because it actually doesn't make sense, and it's really weird.

Hey Rose Bud, not quite. I have completely regular output and movements, then a couple of weeks later, the same normal output is fully blown. She gets fat and literally stuck, and I can tell something is stuck, but then has normal output, then stuck again. I know something is stuck and blocking it. I go on liquids to push it out, which for me doesn't work; everything goes around it until finally a lot of hard built-up gunk comes out. I don't eat any foods that are hard to digest and can't eat meat either, so it's not stuck and blocked in the sense that it's food that wasn't chewed right. It's built-up stuff that my output apparently goes around until it wants to try and come out. It's hard to explain, and my stoma doesn't make sense anyway. I was just wondering if anyone else had weird stuff like this happen, just out of curiosity.

Nothing like that... Sorry this is happening... Kinda surprised you're not getting pain from this... Doesn't sound too good... Hope it's nothing serious!!! 🫂

Hi Beth,

You make your point wisely - for it is never my intention to 'give advice' - for I am no medic - and have often underlined this point - so yes, your point is well taken - and as you say we are all individuals and our personal medical management is just that - personal.

Upon this forum, I do express observations which I humbly share in the belief that if such thoughts cause even one person to consider further possibilities within the lateral consideration whilst doing their research, this may have some potential benefit.

I NEVER PROFFER ADVICE for I am no medic and never give the impression 'I know' ............. for each and every one of us has much to learn - this is a good reason to promote sharing for in turn we think - which can be no bad thing ..... especially when considering possibilities - So, as per Bill - no advice intended - merely responding to the curiosity angle - for we never quite KNOW how something that happens to ourselves - actually happens to others - hence the enquiries.

I too am curious - as Edward de Bono would advocate "Consider all possibilities."

BW

Jayne

Hey Jayne, I am actually the type that considers everything and then some way beyond. I am the type, if there's a problem, I find a solution and figure it out. And I am also a blunt person, so the curiosity isn't why it's happening or what's causing it; it really was exactly what I wrote and just as simple as it sounded.

KK

I get it

BW

Jayne

I have the same thing from time to time, and I believe in my case it's because of a narrowing, not quite a blockage. You are very knowledgeable about your stoma; I would really advise you to check with your stoma nurse, as always, just to be safe. If it is a narrowing, they may be able to do a stent. It is always better to ask because the last thing you need is a true blockage. Best of luck.

Hey Daystar,

Thanks for replying, it actually does become a blockage. It's so weird and odd and a lot of detail that it's hard to fully explain it all. I know it's not a narrowing though; there are zero signs or symptoms of a narrowing when it's trying to get the blocked part out, nor when it's pushing out thick, nor when she is moving and rolling full-blown. I know a lot on here use stoma nurses. But in all reality, and in my opinion and experience, when I am teaching them things, they don't know anything. We know more than they do, and they leave you worse off, especially when they have no clue what they are doing. I would ask my doctor if that's what needed to be done. But it was again just a curiosity thing is all.

I had a partial blockage last year, and my stoma was HUGE. Like Beth, I know my stoma well and am very sensitive to any change. I'm glad you didn't have pain, Beth. I usually have pain and am pretty miserable with a blockage. We have to do what works for each of us; that's what makes us unique.