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Drink a lot of water, but also eat something that will help slow it down going through. For example my nurse told me to eat some crackers when I am drinking water.

As far as the discharge goes it is probably mucus from the rectum. Even though your intestines arent hooked up the rectum still makes mucus.

Ask away. That's what we are here for.

Hi Penny

I'll try to answer some of your questions:

It's early days and you're on a steep learning curve. It sounds like you're doing great though.

You're right about hydration. You need to replace electrolytes though, not just water, so try the oral rehydration solution that is meant for when you have a sickness bug (in the UK it's called Dioralyte). Some people do one or two sachets a day on top of normal fluid. Sports drink is fine, but as you say loaded with sugar which can speed up your output even more. Some people just make sure they have salty foods and water and for them that's enough. But if you have a loop ileo or one which is high up on your bowel (some people on here have short bowel syndrome and a very high ileo output) you'll have a greater need for electrolytes. The dizziness you talk about could be low potassium levels, so get that checked.

Mucous is totally normal and doesn't mean you have a flare. You may find you get some for a few days then it stops for a while and can then come back. Sometimes it can be painful and you'll get spasms in your rectum.. again very normal. The rectum and colon produce mucous normally, but it's usually passed out with stool and you wouldn't notice it. Now you're just passing the mucous but not the stool. Don't worry unless you get any fresh bleeding.

Regards the walking.. I'm 5 weeks post surgery and I'm walking about 4 miles every day and am back running a bit. I still get very tired easily and have to be careful. But I think you just have to listen to your body and everyone is different. Walking is the best form of rehab, so do as much as you can. Just rest up when you get tired, and get plenty of electrolytes in.

You will get back to normal just give it time it's early days.

p.s. why did you need to spend a month in the hospital? did you have complications?

Penny471~you can also get fluids from foods. Do you eat yogurt? Ice Cream? Pudding? Things like that can help (but remember sugar has the opposite effect).

If you pinch the skin on the back of your hand does it go back into place immediately or does it stay pinched?

It sounds like you are dehydrated and cannot catch up at the moment. I agree with Brian about eating something when you drink...anything salty will help retain fluid. Ironmum is right about electrolytes, too.

If your output is mostly liquid you should try to bulk it up...here in the states we have Metamucil. Do you have something similar in Asia? That should be able to help your body absorb more fluids. But note that ostomates do not need to take the regular dose...we should start with a very small amount and work up to a bigger dose as we know how it will work with our body.

I hope you start to feel better soon!!

COCONUT WATER!!!

Do a little research on it, and you'll find out why. It is one of the most hydrating fluids out there and 100% natural. In fact, it's electrolyte balance is pretty much the same as our natural body fluids (blood), to the point that they have done straight transfusions of coconut water into bloodstreams in emergency situations. If you don't like the flavor of the plain stuff, you can get mango or pineapple flavored ones, and they taste GREAT.

Another option is PediaLyte; it's what they give kids when they have the flu to replace water/vitamins/minerals/electrolytes from vomiting and diarrhea.

Yes, it does sound like you are just dehydrated, so make sure you are taking whatever measures possible to get yourself hydrated until your body is able to adapt to not having a colon. (Your small intestine will learn to absorb more fluids over time.) Water has always worked for me, but for others it just goes right through unless it has something in/with it. If I feel I need extra hydration, I drink coconut water. And yes, the food thing seems to work as well: soups, shakes, yogurt, fruit cups, etc. But as someone else said, watch your sugar intake, because that can speed things through (almost a diarrhea effect), which would leave less time for absorption of fluids and minerals. Make sure you have some protein with every meal or snack - that will help with healing as well as slow down digestion a little.

As far as the mucous, that is totally normal. I started out with not much, but now I release a small amount pretty much every time I sit on the toilet. Even a tiny bit of blood mixed in is normal, as that part of your intestine can get a tiny bit aggravated from being unused for so long, but it does not mean the disease is back.

As far as walking, listen to your body. I would take it easy for sure until you get the hydration thing under control. It takes a long time for your body to recover from such an involved surgery, and you will have times where you just feel exhausted for no reason. Good excuse for a nap, I say! Also, if you are tapering off of steroids (prednisone), this will also make you feel exhausted for no apparent reason. Take it easy - walk as often as you are able, but stop when you get tired or dizzy. We are all different, and you are on no one's schedule but your own.

Ironmum is crazy! I am in total awe of her; I'm almost nine weeks out, and I'm still not that active, LOL. Well I suppose I might be if a) the drug withdrawals hadn't been so harsh on me this last month and b) my takedown wasn't in less than a week. If I had several months left to go, I would be working more on getting back into shape, but at this point I'm just waiting until I get on the other side of this next surgery before I get too ambitious. ;-)

Equestrian Mom:

Thanks for taking the time out to respond :) and yes, I have tried Metamucil before when I lived in the states when doctors misdiagnosed me as to having IBS, but it sure did help bulk up my stools. I've been trying to eat yogurt and drink more water than drink fruit juices and it's been helping a lot. As others have mentioned on here, I finally figured out that water is the best form of hydration and coconut water if I'm really dehydrated. Thanks for the encouragement :) Wish they had something similar to Metamucil here but I'm not sure they do. I think I will try grab some when I visit the states
next year.

Ironmum:

Thanks!! I didn't realize that you had a group of runners. No wonder you've been out there :) I read somewhere that you were having problems and I hope that you're doing better...? I hope so. And yes! With the help and advice of people on here, I've been doing much better and eating more protein so my output is not as watery anymore. I'm so happy :) Appreciative and thankful for all the advice. Thank you :)

ENIGMAWRAP:

Thanks :) Yes, I've been feeling much better ever since realizing that water and coconut water work best for me. I do love carbonated drinks and I actually had a Ginger ale last week and it just hit the spot for me!
Is there something about Ginger ale that works for dehydration? I'm just curious since you've recommended it to me before, too.

kkcoolk44:

Thanks! I've tried putting in squirts of fresh lemon in my water. I wonder how that differs from the oil. Where do they sell that stuff?

I had exactly the same breathing problems after my total colectomy.

The anaesthesia effects your lungs especially if you have asthma. Are you taking Advair, Singulair and Flovent? Those prescriptions combined with a lung strengthening device will clean out your lungs quickly. The device can look like a pickle or a strange children's toy. You blow into it as hard as you can for as long as you can and a ball measures the strength of your blowing. Most hospitals in the US have you use it every 15 minutes after surgery until your lungs are clear. Your asthma doctor can prescribe one. Over the counter expectorants such as Delsym can also help. It took me about a week with all the meds to get my lungs completely back to normal. I had the same problem reoccur after every open abdominal surgery.

In Beijing, I used psyllium husk instead of Metamucil. I bought it at a naturopathic style pharmacy near the largest hospital. I like it better than metamucil because it has no artificial ingredients.

Don't worry. Your stomach will gradually increase its capacity. Gaining weight takes a bit longer. I lost 35 lbs in the hospital after the total colectomy but had it all back in about six months. Try to eat more protein than sweets. Sugar can stimulate bacterial overgrowth in your small intestine. It is not a good way to gain weight. Fats, especially animal fats, can cause problems too so try and keep your consumption of cheese, chips and chocolate moderate.

Walk as much as you can. Walking after a meal helps your intestinal motility become more normal.

It sounds like you are doing great. Keep up the good work!