Phantom Sensations After Ostomy Reversal

Hello everyone! Hope all are doing well. I've been busy with the twins! Life is good. :) I thought I would share the recent odd experience. See if anyone else has felt the same sensation.  For those who have an ostomy or ostomy reversal, you know what it feels like to empty into your bag. Most of the time I used to have the physical sensation of poop coming out of my stoma. Recently I've had that same sensation where my stoma used to be, which is just a scar now. I will even subconsciously reach down to hold my bag. Then I realize what I'm doing. Just odd. 

Doesnt bother her me just find it strange to have phantom poops with my ghostly bag. Lol. 

Hello Fable3.

The mind is a wonderful thing but it is also a creature of habit. anything that you have been doing for a while and then suddenly stop will probably have this 'phantom' effect. It is most noticable when if a person loses a limb or a close friend but the same sort of thing makes it difficult for people to give up habits such a smoking, drinking etc. The sensation usually fades into the background as the mind becomes habituated onto something else and thus the void is filled.

Best wishes  Bill

You probably have at least some scar tissue and adhesions where you were re-connected which would narrow and/or slow the peristalsis there and gives you sensationyou would never have felt w/o the surgeries.  I had a lot of that when my first colostomy was taken down (2004-2009).  Not so much since this permanent colostomy (2009).

Hi Fable3.  My "sensations" are infrequent and nothing more than a minor annoyance so I didn't dig around much.  When I finally broached the topic with my surgeon, he told me it was "phantom limb" which is more prevalent with people who've actually lost a limb but still get feelings long after the trauma.  In the case of ostomates, the remaining nerves are sending "false signals".  I'm not sure if you're picking-up on the similarity which I saw in your post but, if you remain interested in the topic, you can research my diagnosis.

I love your nic, Patin.. Very cool! 

Yes, that is what I am referring to when I say phantom poop. It's as though I lost a limb but can still feel the digits. It happens infrequently and is not painful. When granted the colostomy, that sensation was an alert for me to attempt to muffle the noise if I were amongst coworkers or just knowing that I would ended to empty the bag soon.  

Now, I get the sensation ... The pressure ... Movement... It's very hard to explain. I don't need to use the restroom afterward. So it's just odd. I tend to lean toward the adhesion explanation. The "site" developed stenosis after the anastomoses surgery, which required a second surgery days later. So I'm sure there is quite a bit of scar tissue. 

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