Stoma bag like a volcano this morning

Hi Peacock,

Just when you think things were starting to go ok...boom, Blob has to put their neb in! You are still early days with your stoma, so please don't think that this is how it's going to be all the time. You need to get used to your stoma, and when things truly settle down, it will all be so much better, trust me. You've had major surgery, and no doubt on some serious medication, and all this will have some effect on your output in the short term. 

In my early days I was worried about going out and about and wondered how I would cope and my stoma nurses suggested taking loperamide before going out. I wasn't keen on that, but it did help. I also tried lots of different advice like eating jelly or marshmallows to firm up the poo. 

I could never predict how my output was going to be, and sometimes it did get me down. But after all that I'd been through I was determined that it wasn't going to get the better of me. 

So take heart, it's early days for you, but things will settle down and you will get out and about and with enough confidence to change Gucci if you need to!

Linda :-) 

Aww thankyou   yes your right I'm on 3 types of painkillers at the moment and also antibiotics for the urine infection so I'm sure this must have affected me. I've got jelly and marshmallows but might try the loperamide before going out . I havnt got much of an appetite at the moment so it makes me wonder where it all comes from !! I've got an appointment next week for my hair dye it gets done by students so takes double the time to a normal salon  and the toilets are very small .also I'm worried about the noises will be really embarrassed especially with all the young girls and guys how does everyone cope with this too 

Thanks once again 

Love Peacock62 xxx

Hi Peacock,

If you can, give your stoma nurses a call on Monday morning and ask if it would be ok for you to take any more medication - i.e loperamide - you don't want anything interfering with any other medication. Since being an ostomate it never fails to amaze the amount of poo we have inside of us at any given time! Did you check with the surgeon's team about getting your hair colour done? I wasn't able to have that done whilst I was still on chemo, so had to wait. So check first as you don't want any disasters!

My Mum always says to me that if there are any noises, folks are just going to think you've got a rumbly tummy because, after all, the noises are coming from the abdomen area! I never thought of it like that before, and she's right. I chose who I wanted to tell that I had a stoma - close family, a couple of work colleagues, a few friends, and my hairdressers. I took the view that not everyone needs to know, but some people did need to know, if only to help me. Not long after I had returned to work, the guys that I worked with knew about my stoma and any time there were any strange noises, boys being boys helped me to laugh it off!! You'll have to learn to look at someone close by when Gucci makes a noise... and instantly other folks will think it's them!!!!! Oh, the things we do when we have a stoma...!!

Linda :-) 

Thanks I will ask the stoma nurse as I have an appointment on Wednesday I was given a box of loparamide when I left the hospital last week ! I had my last lot of chemo on June so I now have to wait to see the surgeon as to wether I need more chemotherapy in which case Gucci will stay with me a while longer if not I will be having it reversed. So I thought I would get my hair done before

well this morning I went to change the bag and realised the nurse who changed my wound dressings yesterday ( I had to go to a different surgery being Saturday) she taped it up all over the stoma going to leave it till tommorrow now as I'm seeing the regular nurse

Good tips about the noises I think hubby will be in for a lot of looksI'm sure once I am used to it I will find it less embarrassing but at the moment it's a bit hard going to have have a word with the Blob before I go out !!!

Thanks again for the tips

Peacock62 xxx

Hi Peacock,

You're doing just fine. I'm sure that we all have good days and bad days, and there were more bad days than good days in the weeks and few months after surgery. But things do settle, and you do get used to it. Hopefully you'll get your reversal and you'll wonder what it was all about!  

Let us know how you get on at your appointment on Wednesday. Fingers crossed you can get your colour done - nothing lifts the spirits like a new hairdo!! 

Linda x