really? accidents after 14 months

[Peloton]

jjlist -

Have you tried a daily enema? There have been threads on it and some people have had remarkable success. My surgeon also recommended it and I spoke with a few other people I know who had a LAR/straight connect.

For me, things have been "manageable" for being nearly 9 months post reversal. But it does take some effort and planning. And even then, I would still have bad days. Over the past few weeks, I have been experimenting with the daily enema. It's too early to tell if I'll stick with it, but so far, the results are favorable. Now that I am comfortable and efficient at administering the enema, the whole process takes about 30 minutes (and less than two minutes actually using the enema). I get all cleaned out and don't have any issues for the rest of the day.

I'm still somewhat apprehensive about it, although I'm not sure why. Thankfully, that is changing. I guess the idea of starting my day with an enema takes some getting use to.

My surgeon said that, in essence, daily enemas are no different than people with ostomies irrigating. You're simply cleaning out the colon (or distal parts of the colon) to create more storage space, which prevents leaks and accidents. What I like about it so far is that it allows me to decide when I want to empty my bowels. I also feel like I had a complete evacuation afterwards, something I don't feel when I don't use an enema.

Best of luck.

[Bill5107]

...
I also think about a permanent colostomy quite often.

Ann

I and a number of other rectal CA patients have colostomies. With a colostomy one can irrigate the colon and have pretty much complete control over the bowel. In addition, one does not require the use of a bag but rather a bandaid to cover the stoma. Having an ostomy is not all upside because one can develop a hernia around it if one does not maintain good muscle tone. In addition one must spend about an hr either everyday or every other day for the irrigation process. The benefit of the ostomy is that you are in control of your bowel not the other way around.

Mark

Mark, (and NWGirl and company) I'm glad to hear balanced replies along this line and wanted to add my 2 cents too:

I sincerely hope these other bowel training programs or other management techniques can help you regain yoru quality of life.

As a very happy colostomate, I'm always quick to point out that it's really not a bad option. . . but as Mark points out, it does have it's own down sides and does need very careful consideration as NWGirl points out. If the idea of it or the fear of the unknown is interfering with a sensible decision, reach out to us and we'll share our experiences or even refer you to another group focused on ostomies and dealing with related issues. You really can life fully with an ostomy. It doesn't stop me from running, biking, rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, skating, swimming, backpacking with 50 lb packs or indeed really anything I did before my colostomy (and some I didn't do until after!) Fear of not being able to do these things should of course be discussed with your Dr.. Mine all always were insistent that they would get me back into any and all activities. I really amused them trying to find the one thing I might not be able to do, and I never succeeded. (I don't play contact sports, those can require some special considerations, not terribly relevant I suspect to your case)

I hope you can regain control and quality of life. We're here if we're any use to you in any event.

Best wishes

[jjlist]

if i have a problem with constipation now, how would haveing a colostmy have any effect on constipaition?
If my specualtion is correct about the end of my colon not wanting to move anything, why would it move it into a bag?
and how would the the end point stoma be determined? buy that i mean how high up my plumbing would the stoma be?
best as i can see it would just be an educated guess,,,,,,

[Mastan]

if i have a problem with constipation now, how would haveing a colostmy have any effect on constipaition?
If my specualtion is correct about the end of my colon not wanting to move anything, why would it move it into a bag?
and how would the the end point stoma be determined? buy that i mean how high up my plumbing would the stoma be?
best as i can see it would just be an educated guess,,,,,,

Jjlist,

Whether or not the ostomy is a solution for your constipation depends upon the root cause. If the cause is improper function of the sphincter muscles and/or nerves as a result of surgical trauma then a ostomy would be a solution. If your constipation is due to low motility then the ostomy wont help but PEG might help that problem.

Bill,

Thank you for emumerating the possibilities with an ostomy. As you point out only contact sports should be avoided. I believe that I skied more frequently this year with my ostomy than i had ever done previously without the ostomy. The skiing was big mountain skiing in the Rockies.

Regards,

Mark

[Badass]

What is PEG?

Thank you

[Mastan]

Hi,

PEG is polyethylene glycol.

Mark

[wombat]

For what it's worth, to follow-up on Mark's comments ...

If anyone who is having bowel problems after a resection, and is considering a permanent colostomy, it's not all that bad. Okay, yes,, it's a permanent colostomy, which sucks royally no matter how you view it, but if you have the option to irrigate (which should be an option for anyone who is eligible for colostomy (vs. an ileostomy)), it's something to consider.

My rectal CA left me with a permanent colostomy, which I've been living for 22 months now. I lived with the bag for about 10 months, freaking hated it, but irrigation has proven to be a complete game changer. Every morning I spend about 30 minutes on the can irrigating and that's it. When I'm done, I slap on a stoma cap (a glorified band-aid to collect the little bit of mucus that seeps out during the day), and I don't think about the rest of the day. I wear a BeBand every day over the stoma cap so it keeps a low profile and to suppress gas noises. I have very sensitive skin, and the stoma cap does irritate it (as did the bag), so most days I just take off the stoma cap in the afternoon, after I know there's going to be no "late returns" and because I know that after irrigating I'm good for at least 24 hours (I've never been burned). I can get 36-48 hours out of an irrigation if need be (mileage varies). I now have total control over when I "go", I never have to worry about walking around with a full/filling up bag, I don't have to swap bags 2-4x/day, and there's no appliance failures to deal with. Plus it's done wonders for my self-image.

So, something to consider.

Doug

[Phuong]

I have rectal cancer and my surgeon basically brought down a segment of my colon to create a "new rectum". I was told that it would take 6-8 months for me to start seeing an improvement in my bowel habits, but realistically it was closer to 12-14 months before that happened. I continued to progress over the next year before I got "comfortable." I think i was Eric who had a good explanation somewhere in the forum on what soluable vs. insoluable fiber does, so you may want to check it out. Also, smooth moove tea REALLY got me going and is gentle, so maybe that will help with the clustering? I had something close to your emergency happen while I was at a client presentation (of course I was wearing a white suit), but fortunately I was able to clean up enough to excuse myself from the rest of the meeting. I'm so sorry that you had to go through the embarassment. I swear I was close to buying stock in Depends just to recoup some cost! Sucks that they don't make a product that works well with slacks though. Skirts worked well with it, but not when it's freezing cold outside!