1. < Digestive Health

Is it normal to have bowel leakage after a colonoscopy?

Posted by schambs1 @schambs1, Aug 4, 2023

I know an older woman in her 80’s that has had a colonoscopy several years ago, so she has a bag that she carries on her tummy. She says that she has had terrible urine leakage throughout the day and that life is pretty unbearable (won’t fly on a plane, travel long distances or anything because of the constant tooting, smells and leakage). Can anything be done to correct this and is this typical after getting a colonoscopy?

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Valerie | @lacy2 | Aug 4, 2023

Hello ... your message caught my eye as spouse jsut had colonoscopy where the surgeon inserts camera and tube into colon etec., so am wondering if the lady you know with the bag on her tummy had a Colostomy?

I have wondered about this too and just looked up on Internet, so hope ok if I just post what I jsut read:

"Colostomies and ileostomies are most often done for conditions related to the digestive tract. As a living tissue, the rectum continues to produce mucus even though it is not "hooked up" to anything, so some discharge is more than normal......"

I do not have a colostomy bag but after C.Diff 5 yrs ago now have fecal incontinence and I to will not travel long distances or fly because of same things... passing gas, odour and leakage... but mine is every hour or so. If for instance I start a journey as passenger in car , say 4 hour drive, and feces comes through into my clothing, where will I go to change my clothing and wash my body and what do I do with soiled clothing etc.? Even at a hairdresser, optometrist appointment, shopping, it is horrible... Adult diapers will soak up urine etc., and the odor is not that bad unless left a long time, but from bowels it is different... messy, smelly etc. Not sure about bowel "leakage."

Yes, it can make life unbearable..... but perhaps your friend could double-check with her family doctor or ? to make sure the contents of the leakage is "normal" .. and maybe someone else here with an attached "bag" can be of some help/suggestions - hope so , and nice of you to be concerned for her. J.

REPLY
2 replies
heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Aug 5, 2023
In reply to @lacy2 "Hello ... your message caught my eye as spouse jsut had colonoscopy where the surgeon inserts..." + (show)
@lacy2

Hello ... your message caught my eye as spouse jsut had colonoscopy where the surgeon inserts camera and tube into colon etec., so am wondering if the lady you know with the bag on her tummy had a Colostomy?

I have wondered about this too and just looked up on Internet, so hope ok if I just post what I jsut read:

"Colostomies and ileostomies are most often done for conditions related to the digestive tract. As a living tissue, the rectum continues to produce mucus even though it is not "hooked up" to anything, so some discharge is more than normal......"

I do not have a colostomy bag but after C.Diff 5 yrs ago now have fecal incontinence and I to will not travel long distances or fly because of same things... passing gas, odour and leakage... but mine is every hour or so. If for instance I start a journey as passenger in car , say 4 hour drive, and feces comes through into my clothing, where will I go to change my clothing and wash my body and what do I do with soiled clothing etc.? Even at a hairdresser, optometrist appointment, shopping, it is horrible... Adult diapers will soak up urine etc., and the odor is not that bad unless left a long time, but from bowels it is different... messy, smelly etc. Not sure about bowel "leakage."

Yes, it can make life unbearable..... but perhaps your friend could double-check with her family doctor or ? to make sure the contents of the leakage is "normal" .. and maybe someone else here with an attached "bag" can be of some help/suggestions - hope so , and nice of you to be concerned for her. J.

Jump to this post

I'm sorry for what both of you are going through. When I was 54 I had sciatica and one of the side effects was bowel incontinence. Not pretty. I wore adult diapers and fortunately the sciatica resolved itself in a month. Bowel incontinence with sciatica can be very serious for men (and probably women) and needs to be addressed immediately by a GI Dr.

I do wish you both better days.

REPLY
maxine50 | @maxine50 | Aug 6, 2023
In reply to @lacy2 "Hello ... your message caught my eye as spouse jsut had colonoscopy where the surgeon inserts..." + (show)
@lacy2

Hello ... your message caught my eye as spouse jsut had colonoscopy where the surgeon inserts camera and tube into colon etec., so am wondering if the lady you know with the bag on her tummy had a Colostomy?

I have wondered about this too and just looked up on Internet, so hope ok if I just post what I jsut read:

"Colostomies and ileostomies are most often done for conditions related to the digestive tract. As a living tissue, the rectum continues to produce mucus even though it is not "hooked up" to anything, so some discharge is more than normal......"

I do not have a colostomy bag but after C.Diff 5 yrs ago now have fecal incontinence and I to will not travel long distances or fly because of same things... passing gas, odour and leakage... but mine is every hour or so. If for instance I start a journey as passenger in car , say 4 hour drive, and feces comes through into my clothing, where will I go to change my clothing and wash my body and what do I do with soiled clothing etc.? Even at a hairdresser, optometrist appointment, shopping, it is horrible... Adult diapers will soak up urine etc., and the odor is not that bad unless left a long time, but from bowels it is different... messy, smelly etc. Not sure about bowel "leakage."

Yes, it can make life unbearable..... but perhaps your friend could double-check with her family doctor or ? to make sure the contents of the leakage is "normal" .. and maybe someone else here with an attached "bag" can be of some help/suggestions - hope so , and nice of you to be concerned for her. J.

Jump to this post

I went to a gastrologist for the fetal incontinence and he says, you have to live with it for life. OMG I never know when it's happening so I don't go out as much as I used to, only when I have to. It's awful.

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Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor | @astaingegerdm | Aug 7, 2023

@maxine50
Your gastroenterologist was wrong to say that you have to live with it.
There seems to be various treatments available that can make life easier.
Physical therapy to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, surgery to repair anus sphincter muscle, implantation of magnetic beads in the muscle and several other methods to bulk up the anal sphincter.
I have received advertisement from my gastroenterologist of a new method that involves sacral nerve stimulation- https://www.medtronic.com/uk-en/patients/treatments-therapies/neurostimulator-bowel-incontinence/when-to-consider-bowel-control-therapy.html
Colorectal surgeons are probably more knowledgeable about available treatments.

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jenatsky | @jenatsky | Aug 14, 2023

Actually it might be easier to contact an “ET” enterostomal nurse who specializes in colostomy and urostomy care.

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