I have lived with an end coclostomy since Nov 2013.
I am curious if anyone has any suggestions for regulating stool consistency in order to make emptying and cleaning more efficient. I have had such an erratic result...sometimes a perfect solid stool and other times much looser. I have only had my rectum removed so still have the majority of my large colon intact.
I would appreciate any feedback that anyone can offer. Thank you! KLH
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Dear KLH,
You should read on the forums here about IRRIGATION, for the colostomate. It will change yoru life for the better and stool consistency will become nothing but a memory. Use the forums here to educate oneself, there are volumes of posts which directly pertain to alot of our questions, Good Luck, BEYONDPAR ( Michael)
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I read about irrigation, and just couldn't deal with it - the ewww factor was just too much. While my ostomy is new (only about a month or so) I have found that 2 factors have a large and relatively immediate effect on the stool consistency. One is the amount of fluids you drink, and the other is the diet. These sound obvious, but it takes a while to balance things out. It is easy to go through a busy day, and not realize you just aren't drinking enough - suddely not only hard stool, but gas which won't pass either. Talk about uncomfortable! As far as diet, I have found that salads help a lot to "keep things flowing". Too much pasta and everything solidifies. And it's a lot easier and quicker to cook white rice than brown, which leads to the same problem. It is hard to get the right amount of fiber in your diet to regulate the stool consistency without going overboard, but worth the effort.
I am one of the irrigators Beyondpar referred to and he is right on - it is a great way to live with an end, descending or sigmoid colostomy! (Not for anyone with Chrohn's though, sorry). Long ago however I had a temporary transverse colostomy and to regulate stool I was advised by my surgeon to take ONE Immodium every morning and it did help regulate both the stool consistency and timing. Since you have almost all your colon you should be able to eat a pretty normal diet, meaning the same amount of fiber as you did previously, except AVOID stringy things like fresh pineapple, celery, and even some Chinese veggies like bamboo shoots. White flour pasta can be a killer; you might be able to eat whole wheat pasta and not get plugged up. I can no longer eat anything whole wheat as I have lost over a third of my colon. Good luck! :)
