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Posted 8/2/2013 7:07 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everybody,
I was hoping someone could please help with some advice.
I am 3 weeks into life with a stoma, yes it takes a bit of getting used too!

I have a few questions which I will ask but the one at the moment is how do you guys sleep at night!?.. I get up every 3-4 hours to empty the bag/pouch whatever you call it... It's usually full and puffed with air too, I don't know how I'm wakening to empty but I have, until last night were the bag became loose and I had a leek in bed, 4am, full change etc ..NOT something I would like to repeat.

Im using dunsac 1 piece bags.do I need to use bigger bags?
I was using the dunsac as I feel they are a bit easy to hide while going to work.

Thanks for reading people, sorry for Questions questions!!
Posted 8/2/2013 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
I think this is just something that some of us have to deal with. I wake up once to empty most every night, once in a blue moon I'll have to get up twice. I also just "sense" that the bag needs emptying and wake up on my own, though I did have a leak one night early on, it was NO fun!

Some people choose to stop eating 6 hours or so before going to bed, to give their system a chance to empty out. I think I would starve if I tried doing this, and don't think it would really work for me anyway. But, if you know what your transit time generally is and are willing to give it a shot, just try not eating that long before bed an see if it works for you.

Come back with any other questions!
Posted 8/2/2013 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
No eating for 6hours!.. Lol I have no hope of that, I seem to be hungry ALL the time..
No weight gain..
I understand what you mean though, thanks for the advice.
Posted 8/2/2013 8:19 PM (GMT 0)
I could never do the no eating thing either!! Hopefully somebody else comes along with better advice...I'd love to sleep a night without getting up to empty also! That said, I'm still WAY better off than when I had UC and would get up ever 30 minutes at night...UGH!
Posted 8/2/2013 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
I was getting to the same stage with UC.. Although Controlled with the dreadful pred, allowed me to sleep all night.
Posted 8/2/2013 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
Since your stoma is so new, it is expected to have a lot of gas. I found that over time things calm down. I got a "new" stoma a couple months ago. I've just recently started to sleep through the night. Maybe try taking Immodium at bedtime?
Posted 8/2/2013 9:10 PM (GMT 0)
Bostwis~ Do you eat close to bedtime? For me it's been the opposite, right after surgery I wasn't having to get up at night at all. Now I'm having to get up to empty a fairly full bag after being asleep for about 4 hours, and then when I get up for good a couple hours later, the bag is full of gas. It's not a huge deal since I function well on little sleep and am able to fall asleep again easily after emptying....just wondering if what I experience is way different than what's "normal".
Posted 8/2/2013 10:54 PM (GMT 0)
What, I had the same experience with my end. I always attributed it to varying my diet over time -- lots of veggies were what gave me nighttime gas and I didn't add them to my diet until after a while. In general my output thinned and increased in volume over time. The surgeons said it was unusual but lucky that my output was so thick to begin with, with virtually no gas.
Posted 8/3/2013 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
Do you sleep with your mouth open? I did early on and was always getting up during the night. I taught myself how to be more conscious about breathing through my nose, not my mouth, to limit gas. I can tell a difference, for example when I have a cold, and know I'm breathing through my mouth at night...I will have to get up.

Are you keeping a food log? That might help you pinpoint if its certain foods that make it worse. Also, you may be able to cut back fluids before bed to help (instead of limiting food).

Hang in there it's still early in your recovery and things will settle down soon.
Posted 8/3/2013 2:52 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Liz! I guess it's good to know that having a lot of output overnight is not completely abnormal....though it would be nice to think a full night's sleep might be in my future....oh well!! I do eat quite a bit of veggies....a good sized salad most every day at lunch and a couple servings of cooked veggies with my dinner. I prefer to eat healthily, so I don't think I'll be changing those habits anytime soon. Now I want to ask my surgeon about this too, and maybe measure my output for a couple days, as I think mine has also increased and thinned some since surgery.

Equestrian~ How did you figure out if you sleep with your mouth open? I can't imagine figuring that out or how to control it once I am sleeping. I eat pretty much the same thing every day, except on the weekends, but output seems to be about the same no matter what....maybe a little less on the days I have less fiber and veggies. I would be willing to try cutting down on liquids a couple hours before bed to see if that helps. My surgery was over 4 months ago, and this pattern didn't start until about 3 months ago, so this might just be the way my system works.

To the OP, if you find a good way to control this issue, please let me know your secret!! :)
Posted 8/3/2013 3:55 PM (GMT 0)
As another reply posted, don't sweat this so soon after surgery. At that point it was true for me too. Nowadays, 3 months post surgery, I can even load up on heavy late night snacks and still rarely have to empty at night. I tend to pee at least once in the night so sometimes I'll empty for a twofer but only if I feel like it- many times I dont bother. Gas will also be vastly less for you in a few more weeks, most likely.

I'll ad that at your stage I once slept thru the night without emptying due to sleeping aid meds and the bag had inflated like a huge balloon but was still as secure as ever- it really has amazing expansion capability it seems. Luckily I dont sleep on my stomach- I coukd see that early on post surgery, stomach sleeping could be hazardous with a "ballooned" pouch.

Post Edited (Probiotic) : 8/3/2013 9:59:29 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/4/2013 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
Now I'm starting to get jealous of all of you who don't have to empty and night and wondering what is wrong with me! HA!!
Posted 8/4/2013 7:41 PM (GMT 0)
I tend to empty my bag anything from once to 4 times a night, depending what I eat and when. I decided to go with the attitude of I'm not changing my attitude towards food and if I have to get up more often then so be it...I just accept being tired during the days now (although I have a 7 month old son so I tend to empty my bag whilst the wife see's the little man). I use the Pelican one piece bag and I find it is brilliant compared to others I've tried. I can be really lazy and often wake at 4 to a bag so full of air that its like a balloon but go back to sleep until I get up for work at half 6 and be confident that it still won't leak. It is very rare that it leaks and I find it tends to leak if I sleep on the bag and keep rubbing it against the bed.
Try not to let the amount of times you empty it play on your mind as that can be more of a problem, relax and go with the flow.
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