Posted somewhere else and advised to repost here ...
Hello - newbie here. Supporting a friend on his second cancer merry go round. Bladder cancer 5 years ago and lived with wee bag confidently. Now a new primary bowel cancer, stage 3. Has had first operation to create a colostomy as was at risk of obstruction. Now a week into chemotherapy. Then the main surgery to remove the cancer after that.
Anyway, this is hoping for any tips on the colostomy management which isn't going so very well. Several episodes of the bag just coming unstuck and poo everywhere which is deeply demoralising. Some combination of the adhesive hold not strong enough to hold the force, volume and consistency of the poo, and maybe the stoma itself on the small side (21mm). Trying to keep him well fed because he's not maintaining his weight. I'm guessing we need to reduce the fibre to de-bulk the stool, and increase protein and fats for nutrition. Not sure if this is a good place to post, but glad of any moral support and advice.
Hi Mulberry
I have a permanent colostomy, but sorry I can’t help with managing it during chemo as I don’t have that experience. It sounds like this has been a fairly recent surgery, and things do take a bit of time to settle.
However, I wanted to ask if your friend has spoken to his stoma nurse for advice? It may be an issue with the type of bag being used, and there are lots of different types he can try which might be more suitable.
Things to check are that the bag is cut correctly to the right stoma size, and whether the use of additional products might help-for example flange extenders to go round the bag to help it stay on, and extra adhesion before applying the bag in the form of something like Independence Fusion Applicator sticks which are wiped on the skin prior to applying the bag.
Colostomy output would normally be thicker than for example an ileostomy, and he could try some things to help thicken it if it’s very loose. Recent suggestions in the group are having a couple of dry crackers, porridge, marshmallows and jelly babies. For me, changing diet doesn’t particularly help in terms of output but others might have a different story to tell!
I hope others will come along with some good advice for you.
Sarah xx
It really doesn’t make much difference to my output which can also be very forceful at times, causing the bag to pop off if I’m not quick! But I only use the flange extenders and applicators along with the Fusion sticks on my urostomy, both to conserve my supplies of these items and because my colostomy can be unpredictable at times so I wouldn’t need these items all the time. I do need them all the time for my urostomy.
I can’t really increase fats in my diet as I’ve just had my gallbladder removed, so I tend just to eat a normal diet and deal with occasional outbursts from the colostomy as and when. It might be helpful to try drainable bags while undergoing chemo? I used them when I first had my colostomy, and changed once it had settled down
Sarah xx
