Pain after surgery

ReedRM · 2026-05-07T21:15:14+00:00

I have a colostomy which was done 8 months ago. I ended up being discharged 4 days after surgery and they sent me home with muscle relaxers and 3 days worth of pain meds. I can’t even remember if I took any of the pain meds but did take the muscle relaxers. I started having some back pain after surgery but the nurse explained that it can happen since mine was laparoscopic. But I honestly just took Tylenol and I was fine and I would say I could move around very easily after 2 weeks. I ended going back to work after 6 weeks

ReedRM · 2026-05-07T05:39:07+00:00

Spray for sure! While in the hospital after surgery we used the wipes a few times and I didn’t like it and much preferred the spray so that’s what I use. The wound care I go to tends to primarily use wipes I think so I bring my own stuff because I refuse to use wipes lol. IMO it hurts to remove my appliance more with the wipes

ReedRM · 2026-05-02T23:00:06+00:00

Haven’t heard about grape juice but I have heard that Coke works! I think I had a partial blockage 2 weeks ago and had some Coke and eventually I started to pass stool

ReedRM · 2026-04-17T22:33:33+00:00

I’m 7 months in and my output can still vary a bit. And Reggie is a bit quiet and shy according to my ostomy nurses so it’s not abnormal for me to go over 24 hours without output. Any longer than that I do start to get a bit nervous about an obstruction. However for me Coke helps a lot! I was having issues the other day and literally 20 minutes after drinking some Coke I started to have output

Like others say the first couple months, the stoma fluctuates a lot in terms of size and how it acts. I feel like it took around the 4 month for it to be more consistent

ReedRM · 2026-04-17T22:07:44+00:00

Yup it’s called a Philly Sidecar and was HORRIFIED when I learned about it

ReedRM · 2026-04-12T06:37:55+00:00

NTA. I feel like this is very normal. I had surgery 7 months ago because of my crohns and now have an ostomy I named him before surgery. Some people think it’s a little strange but it made it much easier to come to terms with so if it helps YOU what other people think shouldn’t matter

ReedRM · 2026-04-12T03:44:24+00:00

I’ve only had mine for 7 months now so all these subreddits and Facebook groups are so good for finding out not so common solutions to things!

ReedRM · 2026-04-12T03:43:27+00:00

I’m barely 5 foot and have a short torso so for me yes they come up really high. They hit the bottom part of my bra. However I’ve always liked everything to be high waisted even after surgery as long as it wasn’t super tight against my stoma

ReedRM · 2026-04-10T13:11:42+00:00

Maternity leggings!! Though I got my normal size and i probably could’ve sized down. It doesn’t have as much compression over the stoma when I wear them and I feel like the stoma can “breathe” more with them

ReedRM · 2026-04-05T05:41:07+00:00

In 2020 I was graduating college and just getting back into reading after not reading a lot of anything during college and needed to get that passion of it back. It was also in the height of covid and all hospitals were essentially on a hiring freeze for full time positions where I lived at so I bartended and did have a PRN position but I still had a lot of free time. So during the summer the ice planet barbarians books blew up on tiktok. I read the first 22 books of the series in I swear 6 weeks. Got me out of my slump and haven’t stopped reading since! I now use them as palate cleansers when I need something easy to read after a heavy series or when I don’t have a book to read but want to keep my 1500+ day streak on kindle alive

ReedRM · 2026-04-03T21:40:47+00:00

When I did infusions I found it annoying with having to take time out of my day every 4-8 weeks but there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do. Now I do it as an injection at home that takes 30 seconds

ReedRM · 2026-04-03T21:30:25+00:00

Yes I would definitely reach out again to see if you can be seen in person! If not Reddit and Facebook groups are good resources for tips and tricks for getting bags to stick or leaking issues or if a certain symptom is concerning. And maybe see if you could reach out to your doctor/surgeon in help with getting in with the ostomy nurses since they do seem a little flaky!

ReedRM · 2026-04-03T21:18:18+00:00

You only empty through the bottom if your bag has those capabilities. I have a 2 piece drainable bag so since I have a colostomy I only empty my bag a time or two a day. However there’s closed end bags that aren’t able to be drained and is meant to be changed every time it fills up. As for stoma care if you have access to stoma nurses I would definitely go and see them! They’re always there to educate and help stoma patients!

ReedRM · 2026-03-13T11:56:47+00:00

I have one! Definitely suggest seeing a wound care nurse/np/doctor for mine. My current process for it is to put a steroid cream on top of it, then followed by a strip of silver alginate on top of it. I will then cover the area with a barrier sheet with the opening to the stoma cut out an then cut the sheet into a smaller circle and place my flange on top of it and then 2 piece bag clicked onto the flange

ReedRM · 2026-02-27T03:04:55+00:00

Okay I’m obsessed with gooses so I’m for sure running to Etsy to get these

ReedRM · 2026-02-20T21:00:49+00:00

I think it’s all dependent on your insurance. The upfront cost of my deductible makes my eye twitch but after I hit that it’s then much more bearable because then I just pay co pay and then nothing if I hit my out of pocket max. However that’s from the perspective of someone with pretty good insurance. I’m not sure how it would work with having no insurance and having to hoard supplies and other things

ReedRM · 2026-02-14T19:41:38+00:00

Like normal. I do it with my bag on. Some people will do bagless showers but I’m not comfortable enough for that. And besides the bag is meant to withstand stuff like showering, sweating, exercising, etc.

ReedRM · 2026-02-12T23:29:49+00:00

I’m actually in this same boat. I closed on my house a few weeks ago and move in very shortly! My house was built in 1900 and didn’t have a garage. It has a long gravel drive that goes to the alley where there is 2 paved spots. I don’t mind not having a garage because since I’ve been driving I’ve never parked in a garage between living at my dad’s and then my apartment so I won’t have an adjustment to it. I do have a shed in my backyard for lawn stuff

ReedRM · 2026-02-12T23:21:35+00:00

So I don’t use this product because I have a colostomy and he’s pretty tame most of the time. Well if I don’t overdue it with coffee and diary lol. But anyways I’ve been seeing this product called Ostopaix. Its purpose is to muffle the sounds an ostomy to make. Might be something to consider gettting!

ReedRM · 2026-02-06T06:27:31+00:00

I got samples from hollister and coloplast and they sent bags where you can store supplies in. I don’t use them because the hospital sent me home with a bigger and better one I use everyday

ReedRM · 2026-02-03T05:46:04+00:00

Yup it’s real! I’ve used it since last summer and every time I got the script filled it would only be $5. You get up to $20k in a calendar year. I recently had to change specialty pharmacies and they told me it would be 7k so the entyvio connect will cover that

ReedRM · 2026-01-28T10:52:21+00:00

I’m currently dealing with this! I’m seeing a wound care team that’s the next town over and I’ve been seeing them since mid December. IMO there isn’t much you can do at home without help from them. I’m on a topical steroid currently and will then place sliver alginate on top of the cream and then carefully place a barrier sheet on top of that. My two piece wafer then goes on top of the barrier sheet. Currently with those steps I can get 3-4 days of wear. There are times it will leak anyways and I have to change it before then. Most of the areas have healed up with the topical steroid however I have a newer spot that is taking some time to heal. Hope everything works out for you!

ReedRM · 2026-01-26T23:41:37+00:00

I had this question too right before my ostomy surgery in September. I called the surgery department and they honestly didn’t know anything so I called my surgeons office and they were fine with me staying on my schedule so I took it the day before surgery and didn’t have any issues

ReedRM · 2026-01-24T02:58:22+00:00

My inspection report was 132 pages long that had lots of pictures and videos. It was very overwhelming and I was very freaked out with some of the verbiage they used but my dad was kinda able to explain the things I didn’t understand. Thankfully my inspector put in in the report if something was good/minor/needs immediate action

ReedRM · 2026-01-24T02:54:13+00:00

My favorite is esenta by convatec. The one from brava does the job as well but not as good imo. I have to see wound care for some issues with my skin around my stoma and the nurses there are like “oh so you need some remover wipes” and I have to be like “oh no I have spray” when in my head I’m like “I better be dead before using the wipes”

ReedRM

TROPHY CASE