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Hello everyone

I came home last wednesday after 8 days in hospital so it has been two weeks today since surgery.  Had i not had complications then i would have said i recovered fast from this surgery.  However just a few days after i started getting leaks and then i noticed a suture had come away right underneath my stoma - which is rather flat by the way - and the hole just kept filling up with poo.  unfortunately this all occured on a friday afternoon and all the stoma nurses had gone home for the weekend so i had no real help to deal.

I was having a meltdown in hospital as a couple of doctors who saw me at that weekend were saying all sorts of things like i may have to go under general anaesthetic to have a newly fashioned stoma etc. Anyhow i saw my own surgeon eventually on the monday, and he said it will heal on its own and nothing needs to be done. I didnt get any respite from the leaking until the tuesday after when my 'usual' stoma nurse saw me and straight away put me on a convex bag with eakin paste.  the skin breakdown was awful - i had about an inch of it under the stoma and it was bleeding bad. anyhow it all seemed to be sorted and i came home last wednesday.

However i am still getting breakdown of skin about 10mm under my stoma and nothing is helping and i am wondering if it has been all worth it as i feel so discouraged.  i am feeling somewhat isolated in my hell of this stoma and cant believe it is happening. did not see it coming at all.

i have local stoma nurse coming tomorrow at last.  it seems no one wants to help me this time round and i feel alone and isolated. i am scared nothing is gonna help.  will this improve? (btw val i did not get your email) x

Oh Karen, My heart goes out to you. YIKES!! JEEZZE!

Good luck with this. My new stoma I had to get due to the stenosis that was let go for 3 months by the hospital where I got the stoma, has a really weird shape. Due to that I have skin break down right under where the poop comes out. Today I went to a stoma nurse and she put me in the hollister convex also. It has been 8 weeks since my stoma revision. She said that was far enough out not to cause mucocutaneous separation (separating skin from stoma) but I am worried that it might be so I plan to change tomorrow morning.

She at first was going to try the coloplast convexity as you mention above and said it is the only brand that makes light convexity. I would rather have had that one but it irritated my skin like crazy the last time I tried it. That is why we went with the Hollister.

I asked her why she thought my stoma caved in on the left side and she said they can do all sorts of things. Under my esoR name in blue is my email address. email me if you want and I will email you a picture of my weird stoma. It is like a chimney except the bottom of the chimney has grown horizonally across my skin then the rest of it kind of leans to the left.

THEn yesterday I had a cheese sandwich and tomato soup. It got to the stoma in 3 hours but it was soooooo thick that I had to melt it down with grape juice. It came out thank god with grape juice and a walk and there was no pain involved. BUT that is what my first stoma started doing when it started to stenose. It no longer could just pump out thick poo, instead I had to start all this melting down and so on.

Good luck with all of this. My first stoma had been good for so long like 4 and a half years is a VERY long time then all of a sudden it slammed shut on me. I am terrified this one may too. Today I tried some purreed summer squash even that made thick poo. WHat the heck I drank it for heavens sake.

Let us know how you are progressing. Doesn't it just figure your reversal would not work and now your new stoma is funky. BUT I know some one who had to have a new stoma and at first it was recessed, but now it is like the perfect stoma and she can eat anything, So sometimes things change for the best.

Rosemary

That is nice to know. thank you. yep i am an emotional wreck since this op - i have been told it is because it is a reoperative procedure that explains the problems. my last stoma i had no problems at all but did eventually go onto a convex. i have a small tummy and not much fat in that area so i just hope it goes down around the stoma bit more. i have been wondering if it is all worth it, but it is nice not having to go the toilet and drink the prune juice and all the horrible feelings that entailed. gosh i hope i get through this time as it is hard.

the seal on the hollister kept until teatime when i felt the familiar stinging again. so i changed again this morning and tried a different bag a welland and a little paste around the seal. i used to use welland, but a soft convex one. i have no idea if this will work. if not i will call my nurse or something. she said the less around the seal the better as it needs to get right underneath the low spout and push it upwards. also got a belt which is annoying. its hard to clean the tail of the hollister. rosemary i also have very thick output when eating starchy foods; its better for the skin also. can understand your worry. i am paranoid constantly holding my side. i am sure things will be fine for you rosemary and you have such fantastic consultants didnt you. i feel people in USA get better treatment than over here i dont knw why. they seem to miss things here.
xx

hello Alcie

well with myself stinging is when there is contact with sore skin - be it poo or anything else. or if you dont have sore red skin breakdown then it is probably an intolerence to a product? sometimes you have to try different brands. i also find it hard to move around which is frustrating. but this hollister bag is more comfy. the new stoma is a challenge compared to before. so you had an ileo op six weeks ago?