Rectal Stump Mucus causes extreme pressure and discomfort (no pain)

Posted by piki @piki, Feb 11 8:58am

(Loop Colostomy, Dec 2023) Every day, often a few times a day, I feel much pressure and discomfort in my rectal stump because of rectal mucus. No pain. But the effect is horrendous, like sitting on a golf ball or marble, and has sent me to Valium or alcohol on more than one occasion. (Not good solutions, I know.) I use a water enema to flush out the mucus which can be tiny solid bits, or thready pieces which look like egg white. And yes I've tried glycerine suppositories, and also zinc ointment. My surgeon did a Flex Sig (Flexible Sigmoidoscope) in hospital in late January and two weeks later a brief sigmoidoscope in his office and still found nothing. He scripted me Proctodan-HC (Pramoxine Hydrochloride, Hydrocortisone Acetate & Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate) suppositories. No help really. He's sending me for a second opinion to another doctor. He does not want to do a stump removal...they can end up being worse than the problem. I've read all I can find so far on the subject, talked to ostomy nurses and others. No one has any additional advice.

Any one else have this problem? Any solutions out there? Please.

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piki | @piki | Feb 22 7:03pm

Tomorrow is day 7 of Fleet enemas. Who ever dreamed of life with daily enemas to flush out rectal stump mucus? What a treat. And I've had my husband buy distilled water for me because our well water, which is pure as can be, is so treated with who knows what water softeners so that husband can enjoy his showers. I hate soft water. I feel as if I'm never clean in it. But the influx of treated water cannot be good for my poor little butt colon.

Day #5 produced next to nothing but I was in discomfort the entire day and night following it.

Day #6 produced nothing at all. And I've had a fairly comfortable day anyway. Who knows? Life is a mystery. I hope for a decent night (not counting the hip pain which wakes me up every two hours anyway.) Can't recall the last good night's sleep I've had in years now. Signed off, crabby Piki (used to be my nickname)

piki | @piki | Feb 21 10:32am

Five days of Fleet enemas now, and the last two have produced pretty much nothing. But then what happens within an hour or so is that I get extremely uncomfortable in the stump and wonder what is going on. I've flushed out my system with water each time and was surprised at the amount of mucus which came out. Why isn't it coming out with the Fleet enema? Is it just hanging around and waiting for an additional water flush? I'm not really happy using well water which has a softener salt in it to flush out my system and am going to have my husband buy some litres (I'm Canadian) of distilled water to use for this purpose. This whole process is less than a joy, as you can imagine. Thanks for listening.

piki | @piki | Feb 19 2:34pm

In reply to @marco789 "Keep at it! 👍" + (show)

Three mornings and three Fleet enemas. And now at different times during the day, I feel very uncomfortable in the extreme and so have flushed out my system using water only and was stunned each time to find pieces of not very formed...but more than egg white threads....emerging. I think the process is perhaps loosening things up somewhat. We live in hope. Thanks for being there for me, Marco

1973 | @1973 | Feb 18 7:22am

It is really weird! There is a small opening next to where my spincter mudcle used to be located. Doc could only go so far before the area became too small to continue any further. He said only way to reach that area was to cut me open, again. No, no no!! And yes the yellow pea sized ball is in my stool in ostomy pouch!

piki | @piki | Feb 18 6:46am

In reply to @1973 "I have an ileostomy I also have drainage from rectal stump. I have the ileostomy since..." + (show)

It's not that I have to know, but I certainly cannot figure out what kind of 'canal' you could have next to your rectal stump.

The yellow ball appears in your stool from your stoma?

I wish you all the best. Piki

1973 | @1973 | Feb 18 1:02am

In reply to @piki "Has anyone ever used a Fleet sodium phosphate enema for rectal stump mucus? With what results?..." + (show)

I have an ileostomy I also have drainage from rectal stump. I have the ileostomy since 1974. After my surgery I used gauze to catch drainage. For the last couple of years drainage has begun again. A colo-rectal surgeon attempted to find out why the drainage had started again. I have a canal next the opening to my rectal stump but was unable to go up the canal to find anything. I also have a pea sized perfectly round yellow ball in my stool on occasion. So strange!! Not "corn"!! They have seen on different, CT scans 2 different sizes of what appears to be a small growth in my abdomen. No explanation help?

piki | @piki | Feb 17 2:32pm

Has anyone ever used a Fleet sodium phosphate enema for rectal stump mucus? With what results? The new ostomy nurse has suggested that I use one a day for seven days to clear the discomfort which is plaguing my life right now. I tried one this morning and it did remove some darkened mucus ...the mucus is usually just like egg white threads.
Has anyone ever tried a Fleet mineral oil enema? Somehow it just doesn't appeal to me. It's 100% mineral oil and nothing else.

Marco | @marco789 | Feb 17 12:19pm

In reply to @piki "The new ostomy nurse talked to me on the phone and told me to use Fleet..." + (show)

Keep at it! 👍

piki | @piki | Feb 17 11:06am

In reply to @piki "The new ostomy nurse talked to me on the phone and told me to use Fleet..." + (show)

Oh the new ostomy nurse is not going to come to my clinic very often...she is overstretched already...and I won't see her until the end of February. Our regular ostomy nurse is off on Mat Leave for a year.

piki | @piki | Feb 17 11:05am

In reply to @marco789 "Hello, @piki It sounds to me as though you have some type of perianal disease? Mine..." + (show)

The new ostomy nurse talked to me on the phone and told me to use Fleet enemas, probably for an entire week, to try to break up the mucus plug. I tried one this morning, #1, and it did take out some formed mucus and some output also. First sign of output in my rectal stump so far. But it's still not all gone and that's for sure.