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I had a colostomy 2-18-18 and starting appx in jan of 19 i'm having alot of that bum mucus coming from my stoma,, its not replacing the stump mucus just now coming out 2 places, yucky crap..it seems so toxic that to wear a stoma cap i have to cut gauze and make a small patch cause if that gets on my skin it eats my skin..is mucus from stoma normal..
otherwise all still moving along ok, once i got used to taking care of this baby on my tummy which she is very demanding, lol
mucus coming out of stoma
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Re: mucus coming out of stoma
Sassie:
Although messy to deal with, mucus output from your stoma is normal.
A segment of disconnected intestine has no idea that it is no longer connected to the functioning digestive tract. The disconnected segment of intestine can react in one of two ways:
1. Atrophy and shrink. Continued disuse over time finds the segment of intestine going in to hibernation mode. Tissues atrophy, shrink, and dry. This can cause later issues with bacterial overgrowth, fungus, and periodic bleeding.
2. Over secretion of mucus and serous fluids. The intestine senses the lack of digested food material and begins to secrete an abundance of mucus and serous fluids as a compensatory mechanism. In essence, the disconnected segment of intestine is trying valiantly to continue to do what it has always done - contraction of its smooth muscle to move food material along. By secreting more mucus, it is trying to add moisture to “problem solve” aiding food material to move along (not knowing that there is no food to move along as it has been disconnected).
Your intestine is operating under the second option. It is producing excessive mucus to compensate for its disconnected status and trying to make things more slippery to aide the movement of food that it cannot understand is lacking.
A disconnected and defunctionalized segment of intestine is kind of a sad state of affairs, if you reflect and think about it. It’s anologous to the children’s story of The Little Engine. The little locomotive train engine that persevered to be like the larger locomotive trains. “I think I can, I think I can,” The little engine would say to himself.
In time, your disconnected intestine may quiet and move more toward a state of semi-atrophy and shrinkage.
You are handling the many unexpected experiences of living with a stoma with grace and maturity. There is no new owner’s guide to what to expect over the first few years with an ostomy/stoma.
Add in a retained rectal stump or longer segment of sigmoid/descending/transverse colon and there is new territory to be experienced (mucus poops, diversion colitis) that few surgeons adequately prepare individuals for.
Thank goodness we can discuss it all here and help each other along.
Karen
Although messy to deal with, mucus output from your stoma is normal.
A segment of disconnected intestine has no idea that it is no longer connected to the functioning digestive tract. The disconnected segment of intestine can react in one of two ways:
1. Atrophy and shrink. Continued disuse over time finds the segment of intestine going in to hibernation mode. Tissues atrophy, shrink, and dry. This can cause later issues with bacterial overgrowth, fungus, and periodic bleeding.
2. Over secretion of mucus and serous fluids. The intestine senses the lack of digested food material and begins to secrete an abundance of mucus and serous fluids as a compensatory mechanism. In essence, the disconnected segment of intestine is trying valiantly to continue to do what it has always done - contraction of its smooth muscle to move food material along. By secreting more mucus, it is trying to add moisture to “problem solve” aiding food material to move along (not knowing that there is no food to move along as it has been disconnected).
Your intestine is operating under the second option. It is producing excessive mucus to compensate for its disconnected status and trying to make things more slippery to aide the movement of food that it cannot understand is lacking.
A disconnected and defunctionalized segment of intestine is kind of a sad state of affairs, if you reflect and think about it. It’s anologous to the children’s story of The Little Engine. The little locomotive train engine that persevered to be like the larger locomotive trains. “I think I can, I think I can,” The little engine would say to himself.
In time, your disconnected intestine may quiet and move more toward a state of semi-atrophy and shrinkage.
You are handling the many unexpected experiences of living with a stoma with grace and maturity. There is no new owner’s guide to what to expect over the first few years with an ostomy/stoma.
Add in a retained rectal stump or longer segment of sigmoid/descending/transverse colon and there is new territory to be experienced (mucus poops, diversion colitis) that few surgeons adequately prepare individuals for.
Thank goodness we can discuss it all here and help each other along.
Karen
Intestine perforation, sepsis, ileostomy, 2012
Addison’s disease + endocrine failure
Palliative Care
Addison’s disease + endocrine failure
Palliative Care
Re: mucus coming out of stoma
Thank you karen, was hoping you would see this and reply...just another bump in the road.. sure hope i don't get diversion colitis, i need to read on that so i know what it is....thanks again
Last edited by sassie on 2019-03-23 21:30:20, edited 1 time in total.
Re: mucus coming out of stoma
Sassie,
Diversion colitis is the condition when -- if you retain your rectal stump and anus -- you start leaking mostly brownish, rather foul-smelling mucous from your "bum". It's normal because the stool has been diverted and the rectum is no longer receiving the healthy short-chain fatty acids (scfa's) which are found in stool. Several people here have found a way to wash out their rectal area with various non-stringent liquid solutions. I tried that and other means but when the leakage became quite bloody, I opted to have my rectum and anus removed. (I'd also experience cramping.) That's pretty drastic but I am enjoying the lack of leakage. However, I am still healing and developed a post-surgical wound there so it's no walk in the park. Healing takes a long time.
If you have much leakage from your rectum, see how others deal with it. You can also try fecal transplantation. Not fun but some have had much luck re-populating the rectal area with stool to get those scfa's back in there and be relatively free of the mucous.
Good luck!
Diane C.
Diversion colitis is the condition when -- if you retain your rectal stump and anus -- you start leaking mostly brownish, rather foul-smelling mucous from your "bum". It's normal because the stool has been diverted and the rectum is no longer receiving the healthy short-chain fatty acids (scfa's) which are found in stool. Several people here have found a way to wash out their rectal area with various non-stringent liquid solutions. I tried that and other means but when the leakage became quite bloody, I opted to have my rectum and anus removed. (I'd also experience cramping.) That's pretty drastic but I am enjoying the lack of leakage. However, I am still healing and developed a post-surgical wound there so it's no walk in the park. Healing takes a long time.
If you have much leakage from your rectum, see how others deal with it. You can also try fecal transplantation. Not fun but some have had much luck re-populating the rectal area with stool to get those scfa's back in there and be relatively free of the mucous.
Good luck!
Diane C.
Re: mucus coming out of stoma
thanks Diane, so far i can live with whats going on just got concerned when after almost a yr it started spitting mucus from my stoma and thought geesh now 2 places and wanted to be sure it was normal, wish it hadn't started but as long as its normal i will deal with it, thank you and hope you get much much better as well.. sassie
Re: mucus coming out of stoma
Sassie:
Excessive mucus occurs as a compensatory mechanism of a detached segment of intestine.
The intestine correctly identifies that its internal environment has changed - digested food material is no longer passing through and the interior of the intestine has become dry. The intestine is languishing in the absence of short-chain fatty acids that are a normal component of fecal matter and serve to nourish the intestinal lining. Absent these essential short chain fatty acids, the detached segment of intestine ramps up production of mucus as a means to relieve to its parched interior.
Bottom Line: The interior of your deactivated intestine is dry and increasingly unhappy from lack of the absence of fecal matter and its beneficial short-chain fatty acids. Your intestine is hungry for short-chain fatty acids.
If the production of mucus and other related symptoms (pelvic pressure; discharge that is overly foul in odor; discharge that becomes bloody or greenish/yellow in color or clotted in consistency; feelings of general malaise and flu-like) then a visit with a GI physician or your colon surgeon is the course to follow.
The MD can prescribe a 14 day course of squirt-bottle sized enemy washes that contain a compounded solution of Flagyl (antibiotic specific to bacterial flora in the colon) and a liquid suspension of short-chain fatty acids. This can be immensely beneficial.
Discussion of a long-term course of action is something that you will want to have with your medical team. What to do with a lengthy residual and detached intestine 6-7 years out? You’ve got plenty of time to mull over options as you see how your segment of intestine adjusts to prolonged hibernation.
Karen
Excessive mucus occurs as a compensatory mechanism of a detached segment of intestine.
The intestine correctly identifies that its internal environment has changed - digested food material is no longer passing through and the interior of the intestine has become dry. The intestine is languishing in the absence of short-chain fatty acids that are a normal component of fecal matter and serve to nourish the intestinal lining. Absent these essential short chain fatty acids, the detached segment of intestine ramps up production of mucus as a means to relieve to its parched interior.
Bottom Line: The interior of your deactivated intestine is dry and increasingly unhappy from lack of the absence of fecal matter and its beneficial short-chain fatty acids. Your intestine is hungry for short-chain fatty acids.
If the production of mucus and other related symptoms (pelvic pressure; discharge that is overly foul in odor; discharge that becomes bloody or greenish/yellow in color or clotted in consistency; feelings of general malaise and flu-like) then a visit with a GI physician or your colon surgeon is the course to follow.
The MD can prescribe a 14 day course of squirt-bottle sized enemy washes that contain a compounded solution of Flagyl (antibiotic specific to bacterial flora in the colon) and a liquid suspension of short-chain fatty acids. This can be immensely beneficial.
Discussion of a long-term course of action is something that you will want to have with your medical team. What to do with a lengthy residual and detached intestine 6-7 years out? You’ve got plenty of time to mull over options as you see how your segment of intestine adjusts to prolonged hibernation.
Karen
Intestine perforation, sepsis, ileostomy, 2012
Addison’s disease + endocrine failure
Palliative Care
Addison’s disease + endocrine failure
Palliative Care
Re: mucus coming out of stoma
Sassie,
I developed colitis after I had my colostomy. Also diversion colitis which is different. The colitis caused abdominal pain. My GI doctor and surgeons prescribed Rowasa enemas and Canasa suppositories for the diversion colitis to help with inflammation and pain. My GI doc suggested I insert the Rowasa enema directly into the stoma. It didn't help much but you might want to ask your doctor about doing this. Just another suggestion.
Good luck!
Diane C.
I developed colitis after I had my colostomy. Also diversion colitis which is different. The colitis caused abdominal pain. My GI doctor and surgeons prescribed Rowasa enemas and Canasa suppositories for the diversion colitis to help with inflammation and pain. My GI doc suggested I insert the Rowasa enema directly into the stoma. It didn't help much but you might want to ask your doctor about doing this. Just another suggestion.
Good luck!
Diane C.