Scared!!

So my ostomy is stilll new to me and im still trying to figure out what the good/bad foods are..apparently i cant drink milk or eat anything with milk in it bc yesterday i got maybe 4 hrs of sleep (just got back from the hospital a few days ago) and when i woke up i ate cocoa wheats with milk and sugar. For lunch I had a bite of turkey and lots of stuffing and then i snacked on chex mix and a few cookies later..didnt eat anything else and there was STILL almost nothing in my ostomy bag. And i felt like i needed to puke my mom and dad told me it was bc i wasnt drinking enough maybe and thats why bc it doesnt have any fluids to push the food down into the bag..but i read on here that this guy puked and thats how the doctors knew he had a blockage. So i was laying in bed in the most pain ive ever been in in my life! Ive never had a baby but it seriously felt like really bad contractions! So i layed down and started praying bc thats all i could do. nothing else worked..walking made the pain worse. So randomly i got up to pee and ended up puking everywhere! But as soon as i puked that made me flex my stomach which killed me bc i just had surgery but i was holding my stomach and i felt something push my hand and i looked down and as i was puking everytime i would flex my stomach poo would gush out into my bag and when i got done puking i felt sooo much better. I actually had to open the bottom of my bag while i was vomiting bc it was filling up soo fast. And today i got up around 7 and ate chex mix and its like everytime i get that contraction feeling..poo comes out. Like it forces it out but i kinda hurts..Is that normal?

And do you think i had a blockage? Well..obviously but my mom noticed there were like..chunks of curdled milk in my puke so we think the milk curdled on my stomach and blocked the ostomy hole.Do you think thats what it was?

Sorry if i grossed anyone out.

It does sound like you had a blockage, but I doubt it had anything to do with milk. Milk just looks that way coming out of an ostomy--it always did for me, and I never got obstructed. Drinking is key to staying hydrated, but the most common cause of obstructions is actually adhesive scar tissue from the surgery itself. Was your surgery open or laparoscopic?

Either way, tour surgery was so recent that there's probably still quite a bit of swelling, etc. inside your gut. Blockages can happen even way after surgery, but being so close to it doesn't help. When you get that kind of pain, stop eating right away and move around as much as you can. Chewing everything very, very thoroughly is also important.

Having pain as your ostomy empties is not normal--you shouldn't feel anything. So it's possible there's still some partial obstruction in there. Give your surgeon a call.

Katrina, I'm sorry that happened to you, especially so soon after surgery. That has happened to me twice, and my doctor called it a partial obstruction/blockage, since it cleared itself fairly quickly. 

She thinks mine was caused by a kink in my small intestine. That was several months ago, and it has not happened again. So, please don't be scared.

I agree that milk would not cause an obstruction, but Chex Mix and Shredded Wheat cereal might be a little too rough on your system right now. I think Rice Krispies would be a good example of a softer cereal, and you might want to switch to a softer salty snack like prezel sticks.

UC_@16, your doctor can also call something in for you to help with the cramps. Look into Nulev or Symax. I always keep this close by. I've had my ileostomy since July 2007 and still get spasms, cramps and hardness around the stoma area. I eat pretty much anything I want, but on occasion get a partial blockage.

I have had several partial blockages in the many years that I have had my ileostomy. And I too believe that the culprit of your blockage was the chex mix. Not something that I would recommend on an empty stomach. Coco wheats is not a bad choice, but include something to drink when eating them. (I love coco wheats - even at 47). Think about this - coco wheats absorb water --- that is how you cook them to be able to eat them. Just like oatmeal. So it stands to reason that they will absorb some liquid as they travel thru the digestive tract too. Add some additional liquid to that meal, like a cup of tea or juice, or extra milk on them. Milk is safe but some folks get gassy with it - not a blockage tho.

Here is a simple test... one to think about whenever you are unsure of whether your food might cause a blockage. This was passed on to me by a very knowledgeable surgeon many, many years ago. Sounds silly but it helped me think about "safe" foods to eat when I first had my surgery. If the food will dissolve in a glass of water or break down to a very soft food (except for meat - stomach acids will take care of it), then it is a safe food. Think of pretzels. They are hard out of their package, drop one in water, and they become "mush". But then, think about popcorn or any type of nuts - they retain their shape. Maybe this will help you pick your foods until you adjust a bit more. If you want to try your chex mix, I'd recommend doing so With another food, ie a turkey sandwich, and drinks lots of water with it.

Same thing has happened to me --- throwing up does "push" things thru when using your stomach muscles in that fashion. Doesn't feel very good, esp on a new incision. But, thankfully, you didn't have to have any other intervention to release the blockage.

Best of luck to you and keep in touch,
Regards

Awe im sorry to hear that flchurchlady! Im glad it cleared up though.

Thats REALLY good advice about how to pick "safe" foods. Yesterday i tried beef jerky and mild chicken wings and they came out with no problems so im was happy about that bc i havent had wings without them hurting me in a while..still waiting on when i can eat my fritos   Im going to wait 4 weeks..No blockages since that day. And im hoping i wont have any more. I do have some new questions though. Okay, when im emptying my bag it smells realllly bad and i know theres deodorants to put it in..Whats a good one? And my stoma is extremely loud after i eat when its working..(when is it not lol) Being a senior this year i really want to go back to school as soon as i can but with my stoma being so loud im not going back until after i get my last surgery which in about 6-12 weeks..Someone told me that itll quiet down eventually..How long after surgery until it does stop making farting noises?

Im already connected. When they took out my colon all they did was take it out and then pull out my small intestines to make my stoma so a little still passes through my stoma and comes out of my bum. With my next surgery all theyll have to do is suture up my stoma after they reconnect that so this surgery should be a lot easier than the first one right? I was out of it and dont remember anything from the first 4 days but when i came to..omg i was in pain!! Wish me luck and thank you all for all of your prayers. I really needed them   Im praying for all of you too

<3 Katrina

Thanks, ladies, I'm feeling a lot better. On Saturday, I ate toast with peanut butter and honey for breakfast, some saltines with provolone cheese for lunch, and leftovers from Thanksgiving for dinner - turkey, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes. I think I ate too many green beans, because I saw them when I threw up (sorry to be so graphic).

Katrina, the noises will definitely subside over time. If it ever happens when people are around, you can always casually lay your right forearm on top of your stoma to muffle the sound. I use a little bit of mouthwash as a deodorant, and it should be okay to eat a few Fritos. Enjoy!

 Cecilia

The noise is quieting down a little..went out with mom and my aunt shopping today. It felt soooo good to get out of the house lol Ive been stuck here occasionally going out with Dereck (my lovely boyfriend of almost 3 years now =) ) Hes really good about me having an ostomy. It doesnt bug him at all. haha We sat here last night and watched it..my intestines move side to side..its wierd but kind of cool to watch I cant say life is better just yet. Im not going back to school until after my reversal surgery so itll be a few months until I get to see my friends Ive been txting them a lot I really miss them!! And im still a little shy around my parents friends..we have people over almost everyday from the time dad gets off work until time to go to bed and they dont care whether I have it or not but just the fact of me walking around with it hanging out of pants ( i HATE putting it in my pants so ..i dont lol I just wear long shirts) bugs me. I have the bags that you can see through right now..havent ordered the beige ones yet.

I know lifes better now..I mean, i dont have UC now and i feel sooo much better. Im not sick everyday like I used to be when I woke up. I can eat more foods now. Theres so many positive things about getting the surgery and I know this ostomy is only temporary but its hard sometimes..The other day I called Dereck and cried and felt stupid afterwards but I had to get it out. Having an ostomy is a hassle sometimes..Always having to clean it and change it and empty it and then i always worry about hiding it and I cant wear my T-shirts bc they arent long enough..I cant wear hoodies bc they dont cover it so when i go out i have to wear the same 2 shirts over and over again until I get more longer shirts..Ugh. Im not depressed about this. I dont know..Its just....hard to deal with. Maybe its bc im so young or maybe im just a baby. My dad told me Im taking this worse than he thought I would. I just accepted the fact that I had UC and was getting used to what foods I could and couldnt eat and I kind of had a routine of when I went to the bathroom and i was used to getting up like 4 times during the night to potty and getting used to everything that comes with having UC and then I go and get surgery and everything changed..and apparently I dont take to change very well..Im glad i got this surgery bc i know in the long run ill be a LOT better off. And this pain and bag and frustration is only temporary. But having an ostomy is a pain in the butt! I adore and admire anyone and everyone who has a permanent one. Sorry for complaining so much..I feel bad now. Thanks for listening

I just dont really like the feeling of it being against my body so i usually just leave it out of my pants. When it gets like 1/3 full and i tuck it in my pants you can see it bc it bulges out and looks pretty funny! I guess hiding it in my underwear would keep the bulge down a little.

Thanks summerstorm I felt better after getting that out haha I have another question..I want to go back to work (I work at Kmart as a checkout person) but Im kinda scared and dont know what to take with me. When I empty my bag, I dump it in this container thing and then use a dishwashing liquid container and fill that with water and squirt it in my bag to rinse it out. And then I use a babywipe and clean the bottom off and then clip it back. So what do I need to take to work with me to empty it out? Just put the container and get a little empty bottle and baby wipes in a bag and put them in my purse? Im not going back to school until after my reversal so I dont have to worry about that.

Glad you are feeling better. Bratcat never liked tucking her bag in either. She was able to find some longer baby doll type shirts (it was during the summer). When she went back to school she wore them too. She has a few hoodies. Luckily they are a bit big and she just let her bag lay in the bunching at the bottom. When she did tuck it in, she generally tucked the tail in let the rest hang out a little.

Remember that you will feel better and better over the next few weeks. I know you don't want to go back to school until after your last surgery but don't let your ostomy keep you away from enjoying and living your life. Rather than being self-conscious of it, think of it as giving you your life back. I know I can't really understand what you are feeling and experiencing because I didn't have UC or have the surgery but I saw how others responded to Bratcat's attitude.

As for the smell, Bratcat lived by M9. She went through lots of big bottles of it!! Luckily it was covered by insurance. As for being prepared when you are out, I think Bratcat kept a wafer (precut) and a bag in her backpack. She carried a small bottle of M9 too. After the few early weeks, she stopped using the container (the doctor just wanted her to be sure she was outputting enough each day). She's working right now (so I can't ask her) but I think she bypassed using the water bottle to clean when she was out. She would clean it with several pieces of toilet paper. If it was different, I'll make sure she sets the record straight.

Stay well.

i dont think you need to go through emptying it into a container and all that. And as for cleaning it out with water i wouldnt worry about that either. The only time i do that is if i eat something that makes it really thick or sticky and it doesnt' come out well. i have the velcro ones too, that clip drove me crazy! I don't think i could stand having it hanging outside of my pants.
As for the smell out in public, if you are using a bathroom with a lot of stalls dont worry too much about it, noone will know the smell is coming from you! I went out with my friends a few weeks ago and we were in a place and my firend and i went in the bathroom at the same time, there were lots of stalls. When we came out she said, someone pooped in there and it smelled so bad! She didnt' think it was me of course cause i was only in there for a minute or two, lol
But if you want you can get those little things of spray breath freshner, and spray that BEFORE you empty the bag in the toilet, it helps with the smell alot!

ROFL ... the 'colonites'!! 

Hello Katrina,

Well, I just got caught up on reading your posts and other's answers.  You are doing so well considering the amount of time since your surgery.  Hang in there girl!  As you can see, each day gets a little better.  And you are asking great questions.

Re:  showering with or w/o the bag on ....   well, I prefer to leave it on.  I just towel dry the back cloth side and since my blow dryer is always right there in the bathroom, I turn it on, lay it on a towel on the counter and let it blow dry my pouch as I put lotion on, etc.  By the time I'm done with that, the pouch is pretty much dry.  Just a few little  swishes around the wafer and wah-lah, ready for dressing.   I don't like the feeling of the moistness of the pouch against my skin either.  I tuck it in when I get dressed.  Usually the towel absorbs most all of the moisture.  When I am away from home, I just towel dry and dress/go. 

I have the skin tone bags that you cannot see thru.  I just never could stand the clear ones.  You are right, they do make you feel "dirty" in my opinion.  Let me tell you --- if you can See it, it really isn't so bad.  Esp. once you get something to control the smell too.   Makes all the difference for me. 

And, as you have noticed, the noise does quiet down as time goes.  But, I do the same thing Cece suggested.. just lay your right forearm down across your stoma when you hear the noise to muffle it a bit.  And no one knows that it isn't your stomach grumbling --- hehehehe!  Just think of the times you've been, say, at the dentist and the hygenist or dentist's stomachs have growled!   Now, how do you know they don't have an ostomy vs. a noisy stomach?!!!

Be positive.  You are healthy and on your way to eating again and living life.  Hang in there and certainly vent anytime you want.  We do all understand you.