Unknown White Balls in Ostomy Pouch - Need Help!

Hello, I've had my ostomy for 8 months and lately I've been finding little white balls in my pouch. My whole colon was removed due to Crohn's disease. These balls do not hurt in any way, in fact the only way I know that they are there is when I look. They are hard to the touch but when I squeeze them they feel gummy and just go flat. If anyone has an idea of what this could be, can you please let me know. I pass 4 a day, 2 at a time each time like clockwork...P.S I've asked my GI and colon rectal dr and neither knows what they are. Thank you in advance...Signed stumped white ball recipient..

Hi Michelle... The first question is, "What medication are you on and what time do you take it?" Slow-release medication will often pass through into our pouches without breaking down or being absorbed. I discovered that Tramadol 'slow release' was passing through my digestive system at high speed and into my pouch with only the coating removed. Fortunately, the fast-release capsule version of the drug is completely absorbed on the occasions when I need to take them, and the other 14 tablets I have to take on a daily basis all break down quickly and completely.

Best wishes... Diana

Hello Michelle.  If these balls are worrying you then why not take one or two and have them analysed. Then at least you will have a definitive answer that you can share with us all and perhaps alleviate some else having the same worries. 

Best wishes

Bill

I just started having trouble with one medication not dissolving -- I have learned that the slightest change in the coating can make a huge difference on the solubility -- now I break the pill in half and it solves everything. I bet it is a medication -- definitely get it analyzed if not just so you know. Good luck

Hi,

This is the best place to ask these kinds of questions. I've had the same situation with some kinds of medications... especially those coated slow-release kinds. My system doesn't break them down, but I've been told not to break them, as medication could be released too quickly. But I also take potassium citrate, and it comes out (about 4-6 hours after taking it) in pill form, but disintegrates when I try to crush it. I'm told by the doctor and the pharmacist that some ingredients in pills are not soluble and so won't dissolve or be digested. It would be hidden in "poop", if we were not short-circuited. My kidney function is stable, so I guess I'm absorbing the medication & have to believe them (?) you might want to keep track of the foods you're eating. For me, corn kernels come out the way they went in, whole if I don't chew them well. Sometimes parts of beans (if not chewed well) also come out "whole". Mushrooms are always "firm", unless they were pureed when I ate them. I can eat some nuts (softer ones) but not others. If you can't identify what it is, then taking a sample and asking to have it analyzed (doctor's office?) would be the best solution. I take 8 pills daily plus 5 other over-the-counter products (antihistamine, baby aspirin, Vitamin D, multivitamin, melatonin) and found that overall, it's best to take them with food... I don't notice as much, and it reduces the anxiety I feel when I do find a medication undigested. There's just so much anxiety I can tolerate...

Best regards,

Marsha

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Breaking a pill in half does absolutely no harm -- in fact, some doctors tell you to break or grind them and place them in applesauce to get them to work.

Taking apart a capsule is different.

If a pill that has been working and suddenly does not dissolve is an indicator of the coating, and you want the least coating you can get for your meds. I have very little stomach, no colon, and some small intestine, so I am well aware of this -- You should also have all your blood nutrient levels tested to be sure you are getting enough nourishment from your food and only supplement where needed. I have to do this every 6 months, and it is very helpful. Some people cannot take an iron pill but can tolerate the iron in a vitamin complex and get the needed amounts that way. It is often that peas, corn, baked beans return the skins, but if the nutrients are getting to you, then it is not a problem. I eat a lot of grapes as well, and there is no problem.

Michelle, I used to have the same thing happen and it would freak me out. They were the length of my pinkie and about as round, but didn't hurt or anything. It turned out that it was because of the medication I was on. I was taking Metformin which is the pill for diabetes and it would mainly happen if I binged on carbs (shame on me)