How Can A Colostomy Treat Bowel Incontinence?

A colostomy is a surgical procedure aimed at bringing a part of the colon out through the belly to create a stoma. The healthy part of the bowel is diverted away from the diseased section during this procedure. The opening in the belly created as a result of this diversion surgery is known as a stoma. To manage stool passing out of the stoma, you are going to have to wear an ostomy bag that collects waste content.

There can be many reasons you may need a colostomy. One of those reasons is bowel incontinence.

Colostomy to treat bowel incontinence

Bowel incontinence refers to the loss of control over when to pass out stools. The severity of this condition varies from small leakage to the total loss of control over stool evacuations. The colostomy in this scenario diverts the passage of waste materials away from the dysfunctional anal sphincters. Although your colostomy will not give you control over stool evacuations either, there are a lot of things that you can do to manage your colostomy. Managing stools that pass out through dysfunctional anal sphincters is next to impossibility.

Sometimes, bowel incontinence occurs as a backdrop of other conditions that cause infection in the colon. If a part of your colon is infected, the surgeon will want to separate it from the rest of the GI tract. In such a scenario, you will retain a part of your colon. If your entire colon has been infected, the surgeon will pull out the end of the small intestine to create an ileostomy. The stool passing out of a stoma will not be as firm and formed as that passing out of the anus. The consistency of the stomal output will also depend on the length of the colon you retain.

Living with an ostomy

You may wonder what the difference is between living with a stoma and living with the bowel incontinence, as both refer to the loss of control over stool evacuations. The benefit of having a colostomy as a treatment of bowel incontinence is that there are a lot of options that you can consider to manage stool evacuations through an opening in the belly. The abdominal skin provides enough ground for an ostomy pouch to fit snugly over the stoma. By emptying and replacing your ostomy pouch regularly, you will be able to take back the control of your life.

After colostomy surgery, you may have to follow a strict diet plan to avoid any complications in your GI tract. Diet restrictions remain in place until the bowel fully recovers from surgery. It may take 6-8 months. You may also need to avoid heavy lifting for a while to avoid any stress on abdominal muscles. This stress can result in stoma complications that can interfere in your ostomy care regimen. Be sure to discuss your fitness routine with the doctor.

Having an ostomy will necessitate you to take care of the skin around the stoma. This part of the skin holds significant importance in ostomy care as it allows your ostomy bag to remain in place. You can talk to an ostomy care nurse if you face any skin problems that cause problems to the ostomy care.

Beaching with an Ostomy

If it's hot then I feel like it's time to hit the beach.  Or at least a lake and find someplace that has some sand.  I personally love being out in the sun and enjoying the awesome waves that are brought by the ocean or even a lake.  So what if you have an ostomy?  Does that mean that you shouldnt be around the beach, sand, and sun?  I would say absolutely no.  You are totally able to be out in the sun, sand, and fun with an ostomy and in my personal opinion should be. Unless your healthcare provider tells you something different.  So are there some really important things that you should take care of your ostomy on the beach.

Personally I like to make sure that I have extra ostomy supplies that are kept in a water proof container or bag.  It doesn't have to look gross either. I am a fan of keeping all my gear in high fashion.  So don’t worry about bringing about a bag of unmentionables. That is just a silly idea and go out and get yourself a nice waterproof set up. I like osprey packs or getting some Yeti gear.  I have to admit those Yeti bags are amazingly durable and waterproof so I am a big fan of that brand.  Granted they are a we bit expensive but no one has ever guessed that ostomy supplies were being held in the a yeti bag before.  So to me that was absolutely worth it. 

Now getting in the water is all about timing.  Most of us know our daily routine and understand what will happen when it needs to happen.  I think we all know what I am getting at.  So if you know your personal schedule then it makes being in the water without a full size bag much better. I prefer to rock a stoma cap when I am on the beach and it fits me perfectly.  

You can also get some bags with a 1oz reservoir or so just to give yourself a little leeway. Either way you go there are lots of options and also lots of swim trunks and suites that have the ability to put a bag in a pocket in them.  This can be the right solution for some people and I highly recommend using whatever fits your needs and style the best.  As always check with our healthcare provider and get the best advice you can before you hit the beach.

How to Control Flatulence (intestinal gas) when you have an ostomy?

Having control over your farts and gas is not easy. However, an average person can control the flatulence because of the rectal sphincter. But, the situation is worst in ostomy patients. They cannot control the release of intestinal gas because the stoma does not have sphincter. Therefore, an ostomy person can release flatulence at any spare moment. Well, this situation can give birth to fear, anxiety, embarrassment, isolation, and sadness.

Almost every ostomy patient complaint about abdominal gas. Well, releasing flatulence is standard for nearly every digestive system. However, in the ostomates, the gas could have many reasons. However, here is an unfortunate point, due to modern technology and treatments, it hard to identify the cause of the intestinal gas. The flatulence can occur because of the functional gastrointestinal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, psychological disorders, or aerophagia. Some modern antibiotics and medicines can treat flatulence.

In a natural digestive process, the intestines buildup the flatulence, and it has a light pressure on a person’s stomach. Therefore, he can release or suppress gas. He can handle the situation. However, an ostomate cannot control or move; thus, he/she has to face the consequences.

Some Common Causes of Flatulence in Ostomate Patients

The following are a few traditional practitioners’ causes of flatulence:

When the temperature of the gastrointestinal tract is cold or abnormal, it weakens the function and performance of digestion; thus, it produces the flatulence.

Another paramount point is the amount of food a person intake. If a person eats more than the usually than the maldigestion can occur and release the harmful gas, the overeating can weaken the gastrointestinal system.

Apart from the amount of food, the quality of the food matters too. What you eat depends on the production of the abdominal gas. The wet food can cause bloating like squash and cucumber. If you overeat cucumber or squash, your stomach will release the flatulence because of the high content of the water.

Some foods are gastric—for example, lentils, beans, and cabbage. If you eat such foods, your abdomen will produce flatulence.

One another vital cause of the gas is swallowing air while chewing the food. The result will be evident if you eat or drink a meal, which tends to cause bloating. Every human being takes the air while eating. Therefore, ostomy patients should avoid candies, bubble gums, and carbonated drinks. Thus, food can increase the production of gas—especially the carbohydrates and meals which are undigestible by the enzymes of the intestine.

Gas Producing Foods

The following are some foods which are high in producing flatulence:

• Vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, potato, and cauliflower.
•  Pulses, lentils, beans, and peas.
• It carbonated drinks and beers.
• Onion.
• Some foods are partially responsible for producing gas.
• Some of these foods are celery, mushrooms, apple peels, dry fruits.
•  Some foods cause higher stools liquid and cause flatulence. Some of these are sugary meals, juices, foods with high-fat content, and spicy foods.

Well, everybody responds differently to every food. It depends on one’s stomach what it can digest and what not. However, there are some rules for ostomates to avoid indigestion and flatulence.

Some of these are:

•  Chew your food properly.
•  Do not overeat.
• When you feel hungry, then eat food.
•   Do not eat if you are not hungry.
•  Chew slowly and calmly.
•  Drinking soda or carbonated juices should be avoided.
•  Do not eat salads and yogurt with your first course of the meal.

Avoid vegetables and pulses that cause gas like cabbage, mushrooms, beans, turnip, onion, garlic, raw beet, potato, peaches, plums, cucumber, squashes, dairy products, and tangerines.

Suppress Flatulence with the Help of Stifler

You should use stifler (polyurethane foam), to suppress the noise come from the stoma. You can attach it to the stoma cup. It is cup-shaped, and you can change it anywhere. You do not need a restroom to change it.

An Ultimate Guide About Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy is a medical examination that physicians recommend for detecting anomalies in the large intestine. It uses an instrument called a colonoscope. The colonoscope is a large flexible (one centimeter in diameter) tube, equipped with a small video camera device.

When you have problems in your lower digestive tract, doctors recommend coloscopy. Colonoscopy is the only nonsurgical medical procedure.  Through the colonoscopy, a doctor can detect the problem in your lower digestive tract in its very early stages. And the most important thing is, the disease is easily treatable when a doctor diagnosis it in the early stages.

Doctors do a colonoscopy to detect the polyps or signs of cancer. Through the colonoscopy, doctors examine the entire colon and rectum. Polyps are small growths in the rectum that can cause cancer. Doctors do coloscopy to remove the small polyps and take tissue samples if needed. Professionals remove small increases through a particular instrument attached to the colonoscope. The colonoscope tube sends pictures and images to TV screens. Colonoscopy is the highly preferred method to examine colorectal cancer in the USA.

Why Does a Doctor Recommend a Coloscopy?

A doctor recommends a colonoscopy when a patient has symptoms like abdominal pain, blood in the stool, blood in urine, or anemia. Therefore, professionals do a colonoscopy to identify the disease and reason for the symptoms mentioned above. Usually, doctors recommend colonoscopy every ten years for the people who are above the age of fifty. This helps to identify the disease in its early stages. The people who have digestive problems or stoma may have colon cancer. Therefore, if the doctor examines you and picks the disease, then it is curable.

High Risk of Colon Cancer

If:

• You are 50 or above.
•  You have had polyps before.
• You have a family history of polyps.

High Risk of Colon Polyps

You have a high risk of colon polyps if:

• You smoke
• You eat a lot of carbohydrates and fatty foods.
• You drink alcohol
• You do not workout
•  You are too bulky

Preparation for the Test

Before a colonoscopy, a doctor needs to know the patient’s general health. As a patient, you should share your entire medical history with the doctor. If you have diabetes or taking any other medical treatment, inform your doctor. If you have any allergy, tell your doctor immediately. You should share your all chronic and regular health issues with the doctor. Before the colonoscopy, a pregnancy test is essential for women.

Before the colposcopy, your doctor suggests you clear up the colon. Your colon should not have any solid material in it. For at least three days before the colonoscopy, the doctor may put you on fluids: soup, water, energizing liquids, fruit juices like apple juice, herbal tea, and lemonade. You should avoid orange juice and prune.

What is Bowel Prep?

As I mentioned in the above para that doctors want your colon clear (without any solid matter) before the colonoscopy. For this, they do a bowel prep. Through the bowel prep, the clear up the solid material so they can see inside the intestine and get images. The bowel prep includes eating a special diet (doctor’s recommended) drink up to a gallon liquid. It also contains some medicines and enemas.

For a doctor, it is necessary to get clear images of the lower bowel. Two days before the colonoscopy, you will be on a low fiber diet. You have to increase your fluid intake before the exam.

One day before the exam, you will not allow taking any solid food. You will be only on the soups and juices.

Procedure

The patient will have to lie down on the left side. After sedation doctor will pass the colonoscope tube through the rectum. He will examine your entire intestinal performance, polyps, and all diseases. Finally, he will tell you the results and medicines.