My theory for emptying bowels better with a stoma

Ok I have come up with a theory based on my own experience and knowledge of the digestive system. Feel free to refute me or validate me because I have no clue but wanted to share my thoughts.

I am thinking that even with a stoma that if you sit down on the toilet to empty and pretend you are having a bowel movement through your butt by moving your kegel muscles that you are helping to empty better and get the stool that's close to coming out to go. From everything I have heard and the fact that we have mucus production through our butt is because the body doesn't know that we aren't using our anus. So if you have kegel muscles why not exercise them when emptying? Also, if you are a candidate for reversal it can help strengthen the area for when you are using the area again.

Thoughts?

I have a story to tell about this very thing, and I was going to make my own post about it, but I'll take over yours instead! lol

Ever since I've had my stoma (over 4 years now) every time I have to have a bowel movement, I get the same feeling out back that I used to get when my plumbing was all connected. I don't rush to the bathroom any more since nothing's going to come out back there, but it's really weird. And if I "push" like I used to, the stool comes out faster and the feeling out back is relieved. It's really weird. Seems to be getting worse lately for some reason. I'm not sure if it would be the same if I had my stump removed though. I've heard that some people still get "phantom" pangs back there even when it's all sewn up.

Interesting topic!

Wow.

After getting my ileostomy, the only pressure or urgency I felt down there was to pass mucus, but since getting my rectum removed, I haven't had any feelings down there - although I've read others without their rectum say they've had phantom urgency.

I have read about phantom urges to and some people are annoyed running to the bathroom unnecessarily because your body doesn't know the difference. I has a few of these but mostly when I need to run to sit its to pass mucus too. I'm finding though that like rubbing around my stoma sitting and pretending to poop normally seems to help. It's interesting.

I've not had any phantom urges; I love how since the surgery I've never had the slightest discomfort in that area, and after years of having frequent, unpredictable and incredibly uncomfortable - sometimes painful - sensations of needing to have a bowel movement, I really appreciate the complete lack of any discomfort. I had mucus pass rectally for a few days after surgery, but none since then; I get a bit of mucus through one of the stoma openings. I still have a rectum, or at least I think I do, I'm still a bit hazy on the details of my surgery and my surgeon's communication skills are not his strong suit.

But something interesting (and kind of gross of course ) : I have a lot of problems with my bladder, so every time I have to pee (which is an awful number of times a day), I have to strain to get the pee out. When I'm sat on the loo straining to pee, it apparently causes the stoma to start working. My stoma only works in the evenings, so if I pee in the morning when the stoma isn't active, nothing comes out. But in the evening when the stoma is active and there's stuff there ready to come out, when I strain to pee it causes a squirt from my stoma too (into the bag of course).

My poor colon has phantom urges to empty in the exact place where my stoma was. (Pancake was his name.) It was reversed over 2 years ago, but everything stops right there when I am not on prednisone, unless I stay on liquids, or take a lot of Miralax or Milk of Mag. (which is not a very good idea.) Any suggestions?

I have phantom urges occasionally. I hate it. It is a terrible reminder of how things used to be.

Nyx, i have exactly same thing as you do!!! Everytime i have BM it feels just a same than it did when i had my bumhole in use. Now i just can sit back and relax and not rush in to the bathroom. Do you have sigmoidstoma? I was thinking if the feeling is still there because we have almost all of our bowel still in use. It's kind of funny tho.

If I bear down as if having a BM the traditional way, I can fart through my stoma.

I am easily entertained.

2thFairy said:

If I bear down as if having a BM the traditional way, I can fart through my stoma.

I am easily entertained.

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Lol me too - not always when I intend to though, sometimes some normal movement such as standing up can induce it. At least there's no embarrassing smells that there would be with normal farts. Just the noise.

Exactly!! :lol2:

Jimena said:

Nyx, i have exactly same thing as you do!!! Everytime i have BM it feels just a same than it did when i had my bumhole in use. Now i just can sit back and relax and not rush in to the bathroom. Do you have sigmoidstoma? I was thinking if the feeling is still there because we have almost all of our bowel still in use. It's kind of funny tho.

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Yep...I only had less than a third of my colon removed...so it's mostly all there. It's weird though! Still makes me want to rush to the bathroom even though I know I'm not going to poop my pants..lol