I need help guys....why are none of you responding?

You say you are new to a colostomy. If it is real new, your body just needs time to adjust to the changes.
If it has been a while it could be diet related. You may need to go on a low residue diet again and slowly add the different foods back.
Did you doctor send you to a dietian? Spend some time surfing the net on the subject of low reside diet.

As far as the views are concerend. Many of them are just from google searches for key words.
And we are on the end of a long weekend.

Wishing you well
AL

Hi vette Guy,

 

Thanks for your imput, I need lots of it.  I had tried to post a few days ago, b/c I am also having a lot of self-esteem issues and you seeem like the type of guy I can ask.  I lost 2 husband due to my disease and how gross I was.  Now that Ihave the colostomy and a huge scar down my abdomen, I hate even seeing myself.  How doI meet a nice man that would not be digusted by me?  How does that ever get brought up?  I hate to be alone and have been for a few years...and at 37, I still have a lot of years..good years to have, especially if this works.  I need lots of advice in all aspects of this entire thing.  I am o.k. with the appliance.  I am having trouble fitting it so it sticks well under the stoma.  I see the ostomy nurse Wed., and I see my surgeon Wed. as well.  They said they would get that all fixed up for me ASAP.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Krissie

 

 

Hi Sue,

 

Thank you for responding to my posting......I know in my head that I have to get my self-confidence back before getting into a relationship.....I have always had a low self-esteem, which got worse when I originally got sick 10-12 years ago and my ex started cheating and such.  I started to feel better about me when I met my second ex.......he said all the right things and then when I got sicker he too hit the road.  I know that I do not need a man or anyone else to validate me, but I am having a hard time.  I do go to therapy every month sometimes twice.  I am on meds for depression as well as anxiety .  I am also on meds for my illness and pain meds.

 

I need all the help I can get......Hope to talk with you again.

 

 

All right Krissie I knew if we kept the faith these people would help you and I think they have given you some great advise. Girl it's time to get over some of those bad feeling you have been packing around. Try to start being greatful for some of the thing you have going for you and these people are pointing them out to you. You are tough and will make it. You have got people from one end of this web site to the other supporting you. So lets get started and you fall in love with life again, never mind a man. If you paid attention I said "LETS" get going, that means you are not alone and we all will be here for you.

Now in this short time you already have some great suggestions to correct two of the thing that you told me that were really bothering you. You have been told when to expect the man you have been waiting for and secondly, you are no longer alone, myself and all these other good people are here for you. Pretty good start don't you think.

Tell Lyn I said hello and I'll be in touch. GO GET'EM GIRL!

KEEP THE FAITH
ERIC

Hi Shaz,

 

I don't know your name....I didn't see it when on your post.  Thanks for the talk.  I realize I have to get used to this and it is new, but it is really hard.  I am 37 and still feel like 24.....I lool like it also; at least that is what I have been told...Soooooo, seeing myself like this and embarrassed that I smell...I am meticulous about cleaning and everything.

 

Hey, wondering if maybe u had any idea about this.  I am 5 weeks p.o. and Wed., coming hoe from the surgeons..my post-op visit, I took a huge spill and landed hard !!!! My right side is very colorful, but a few hours after my fall, I got up and my ride side and middle section of my belly hurt like hell.  then a few hours later, it hurt to even talk.....they think that I just pulled a muscle...but tonight I have had liguid stool..tan to light brown coming from my butt.  I called the doc on call and he was sure it was mucous..I know it isn't.....I know what mucous is....what do u think it could be?  should I go to the er?  I have had more tummy pain since the fall and no bleeding, but do u think after 5 weeks I cold have opened something small and it is leaking slowly???????  Hope you have a thought to share.

 

 

 thanks so much  !!!!!

 

 

Krissie, my name is Sharon but everyone calls me Shaz :)

It sounds like you have pulled a muscle but keep an eye on it just in case. I'm betting that what you're passing is mucous too - it shows that everything is still working as it should be back there. "Bowel intact" people pass mucous all the time - they just don't examine their poop that closely and so don't notice it - it's what helps everything slide along nicely. Mucous from your rectum after surgery often looks a brownish colour - it could be that there's some old blood from your surgery mixed in there. If it's bright red, that means fresh blood and that's when you start to worry :)

You'll probably still pass the brownish mucous from time to time - as I said, it just shows that's what is left is still doing it's job properly (unfortunately, it's something the doctors often forget to warn you about and sends some people into a panic because they feel that nothing should be coming via the rectum after surgery). It's usually (but not always) accompanied by the dreaded Phantom Rectal Pain. This just means that you still feel the need to go to the loo in the 'old' way even though you know you can't - your body has to get used to it's new plumbing. It's like when someone has a limb amputated but can still 'feel' it when the missing hand or foot is itchy.

I'm 40 years old and have had my ileo since I was 10 years old so I know how you're feeling on the 'guy' front. Believe me, the majority of guys will have no problem with your ostomy when you're ready to start dating again. Nowhere in any personal ads have I ever seen "must be tidy, have a sense of humour, and poop via your rectum and anus". How you poop is simply not an issue for most people.

With any ostomy surgery, I've always said it's 30% physical and 70% mental. The body image part is the hardest part of the surgery to get over. With time and a lot of support, you'll soon realise that you're the same person you always were. Just like some people wear glasses to correct an eyesight problem, some people wear bags to correct a bowel problem - and our advantage is that no one knows we have a bag unless we tell them :)

I'm betting you don't smell - you're just more conscious of it now you have an ostomy esp since your nose is right over the top of your bag when you empty whereas before when it was coming from behind, the smell had further to travel to get to your nose. I've found the easiest (and cheapest) way to eliminate odour when you empty is to put a few drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide into my bag when I empty (no stronger than the 3% which is used for cuts and scrapes) and next time I empty there is no odour at all!

If you're experiencing odour other than when emptying, it's a good indication that you're developing a leak somewhere and it's time to change. With today's appliances, there really is no need for you to 'smell' in normal everyday activities.

Hope this helps - I've added you to Yahoo Messenger so, hopefully, we can chat next time we're both online together.

Glad to see these great ppl giving their input and support
Take care hun am calling you tonight ( mon) or first thing in am ( tues ) k
Love ya lots
Sis