I had my ileostomy 33 years ago and my rectum was left intact, I now am having major problems with mucus leaking from the stump, this has been happening for the past year and is really troublesome. My doctor said that you can not stop mucus forming and there is nothing that can be done.
Has anyone else had this problem and found a solution short of having the rectum sewn up which I gather is not a nice alternative.
Hi Paul. I'm very surprised you didn't get a bunch of replies. What you describe seems to be "normal" for those of us who still have rectums without internal plumbing connected. I don't know why you didn't have a mucus situation for 32 years, but now you do, and you need to deal with it in the simplest way possible. Some folks use zinc oxide cream or ointment on the anus and a cotton ball or 2" by 2" cotton pad. I guess there are lots of questions like how much, how often, what color, is there odor, etc. Maybe if you add more details to your post, you'll get help.
Waiting for more info,
Mike
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Hi Paul. I have had these mucus discharges ever since my ileostomy 5 years ago. The bowel wall secretes mucus which, after surgery, no longer serves any useful purpose. For me, the real problem I had with the leakage was that it showed on the back seat of my pants. Mike's suggestions are great. I take a tissue, roll it up tightly into the shape of a cigarette, fold it in half and then insert it gracefully where the sun doesn't shine. A dab of vasoline helps immensely. The leakage is controlled but I won't leave this "plug" in for more than 4 or 5 hours without changing. Here's a useful brochure on the problem:
http://www.stoma.fr/2530_Rectal_Discharge.pdf
The last thing you want to do is have your rectum sewn up. My GI told me that this operation was complicated and not without nasty side effects. On another note, I wonder why you escaped this problem for 33 years and what you might have done recently to bring it about. Perhaps a change in diet? Anyway, good luck!
PB
