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Bowel movements post surgery!?

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Posted 9/7/2014 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hey!

Thanks for reading first of all and appreciate any help you guys can give - have picked up a lot of great info from these forums :)

After a long period of increased BMs every day and constant blood in stool, I was diagnosed with suspected UC 3 weeks ago after a sigmoidoscopy. Since then I have been kept in hospital. Firstly on a dose of steroids (didn't work) then ciclosporin (again nothing) before being rushed to surgery 2 weeks ago for an emergency total colectomy (rectal stump left in).

The operation has gone well according to the surgeons, I have picked up a few complications whilst being in, including an abcess, phlebitis from an IV drip, NG tube for a week and a UTI from the urinary catheter. All of which have slowed my recovery given my body was weak enough to begin with and had lost 20kg!

I had felt a lot better up until yesterday however have had to sit on the toilet twice today to pass what looks like a mix of blood, liquid stool and mucus (foul smelling and a little painful to pass). Obviously was not expecting this and pretty worried that the surgery has somehow not gone as expected. Has anyone had experience with this and if so could you let me know the outcome? Blood in the stool particularly worrying as is the fact it's been 2 weeks since my surgery after which I had a rectal catheter which was drained regularly so didn't expect anything else to be left.

Any help much appreciated! Let me know if you need more info...

Post Edited (Donutz) : 9/7/2014 11:45:35 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/7/2014 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
If I'm understanding correctly, you have an illeostomy now and have yet to be reconnected, right?

Passing mucous and blood from the rectum even after a colectomy is completely normal. The stool part is normal as well, as there may have been residual stool left prior to surgery that is just now evacuating as your body and system continues to wake up.

As long as the rectal stump is left (and I'm assuming they've also left a few centimeters of colon at this point as well), you will more than likely continue passing mucous. It may be urgent and hard to control at first, but over time that should become easier. The frequency and amount will also fluctuate.

As for the blood, again, totally normal. It could be excess blood from the surgery or surgical sites and incisions. More than likely though, since part of the rectum is left there is still active UC there and this is where the blood is coming from. This, along with the mucous, won't be resolved until you either have the rest of the rectum removed, or move on with some sort of jpouch or other reconnect surgery.

Sorry to hear about everything you've gone through and all of the other post op issues. Hopefully now you'll be able to finally start getting some rest and be feeling better soon!
Posted 9/7/2014 11:18 PM (GMT 0)
Exactly how much liquid are you passing? Passing mucous and blood after ileosotomy surgery is quite normal. I had my surgery about a year and a half ago, and I pass mucous many times a day....sometimes it's uncomfortable, sometimes it's urgent and even uncontrollable. It can be yellowish, bloody or brown. I've been told some people just have this problem.

Since you still have some of your rectum, it is possible that you still have some active disease in that area, which would increase the chances of having discharge. You could call your GI or surgeon and tell them about it just to see if the think it is worth checking out and possible medicating.

And, having all of your rectum removed is no guarantee that the discharge will stop. I have no rectum. All I have is a small anal stump. I have discharge each and every day. The only way for me to stop that would be to get the surgery to be sewn up back there. I couldn't do it at the time of my ileostomy surgery because I was too sick...and now I'm not sure if it's worth going through another surgery.

Good luck with everything! Sounds like you had a quick and brutal ride with your UC and surgery. Let us know we can help with any questions you may have.
Posted 9/7/2014 11:59 PM (GMT 0)
This is normal and I don't understand why surgeons don't tell patients to expect this. You have a temp ostomy; it's cut like a hose but not all the way trough; part of it sticks out your abdomen (stoma), the other part hangs down and connects to your rectal stump. As you digest food, most goes out the ostomy but some is diverted (hence the name diversion ostomy) to you former rectum. Seeing blood is normal, it's all a sign of healthy tissue.

Sue
Posted 9/8/2014 3:19 AM (GMT 0)
UCwhat - I didn't realize the rectum could be removed without everything being sewn up. Thanks for correcting me on that.

Sue bear - I completely agree, surgeons should warn the patients about it. I never had any actual accidents with UC and then 2 days post op from my colectomy I passed a bunch of mucous in my sleep. Already stressed enough, I flipped out on my surgical team, especially since I thought I was supposed to be rid of any type of running to the bathroom concerns!
Posted 9/8/2014 4:32 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the replies and well wishes. Agreed that it has all moved quickly relative to most stories I've read here so in a way I am grateful that the decisions were taken out my hands and that I didn't have time to build up anxiety about surgery etc. However it's still sinking in!

Yes - I've just had the colectomy and ileostomy and they left part of the rectum in hopeful anticipation of being able to replumb me later down the line.

The amount is prob no more than 75ml but feels like more and also feels like a full BM is coming when it happens. Totally agree - docs said there might be some leakage at the start but have never said that I might still be going to the toilet at least once a day to pass mucus.Very reassuring to hear that it's relatively common, have let the docs know in any case!
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