Rectal Pressure

My doctor said some mucus is normal.  Your body produces mucus, it is not food waste.  But you may wish to check with your doctor if you are concerned.  You did not say how often this occurs.  

I did not have a problem with odors when the appliance was properly sealed and not leaking around the flange.  Are you using the vented bag?  If so the venting can be a source of odor as that is escaping gas.  I preferred the non-vented type, then I would let gas out if needed in the bathroom.   Of course, what you eat affects the odor as well, fish was particularly difficult for me.  

Hi, Charlie. Ask the company that supplies your bag and appliance equipment for several samples of small deodorizer packets. You put one packet into a fresh bag before putting the bag on. It is a small sachet filled with some sort of odor and liquid absorbing crystal.

Similar in size to packets of sugar, maybe smaller. Do not open the packet; just drop the packet into your bag, whole. As it sits in your bag it will absorb any liquid and odour, and it will solidify so that your output, when it sits in your bag, will be a texture of cooked oatmeal. When I had my temporary bag, the deodorizer / absorbent turned my output into a dark, ash colour so don't be concerned about the colour. The dark colour is the colour of the crystals. Makes emptying very easy because it's not watery or splashy. I hope it helps you.

GIRLUNKY, mucus was normal and after releasing it I would feel better, but recently it feels like it is non stop mucus that needs to be released (probably every 2-3 hours).  Rectum feels swollen and I am not sure if it is due to the increase in mucus output, or inflammation.  Just seeing if this is normal in this recovery process or not! 

Sorry, I should clarify that I am not having issues with odor on the outside of my pouch, just when emptying it, the output smell is not what I was expecting.  WINTERBERRY I will try the packets, thank you! 

Now that your ostomies are reversed, does your jpouch output seem to have the same odor as your ostomy output? 

It depends on the food I've eaten. Some foods result in stronger odor -- certain fish, eggs, onion, garlic, spicy food, beans (yes, I can eat all these foods, but I waited a year before resuming a normal diet) and even high carb foods, etc.  I don't think the odor is any stronger than when I had a real colon.

Try not to worry about the mucus or odor you are producing. Maybe your system just produces more, and no one is the same. I wouldn't try to hold it. I would eliminate it as soon as you feel uncomfortable. I know many people here try to hold it so that their new J pouch can grow in capacity, and that works a lot of times, but I always felt that holding waste can create sore or inflamed tissues because of the acid, and our tissues have already been through so, so much:  major surgery, your small intestines being cut in half and moved around to suddenly become a J pouch and be expected to hold acidic stool in a new environment. No wonder those tissues are inflamed and trying to push out anything like mucus. If your nose was running, you'd get a tissue and blow because it's irritating to hold .  

Your J pouch will learn, slowly, with help from you, to become your new 'colon'. Right now you are very early days and everything is new, scary, unpredictable, you think this is the rest of your life. For me, I remember that everyday brought a new problem and it was exhausting. Around 10 months after takedown (reversal) I suddenly became stronger, healthy, my J pouch matured, and I was able to manage normally. But before that, it was a daily trial. My surgeon told me to be concerned with a lot of blood, fever, vomiting, or nausea, but otherwise focus on recovery and good nutrition. I hope you improve day by day. 

I recall expelling mucus from 0 to 6 times a day depending.  The quantity was never large,  maybe just an ounce or two?  You can always call your surgeons office - is there a coordinator or a nurse who helps?  They've see it all so many times & surely will not mind if you ask!  

I think the output from the J pouch seems less smelly than the ostomy, but that could simply be that it's a lot less up-close-and-personal.   Plus the distance to the JPouch is longer than the loop ileostomy, so it takes longer to get there.  My transit time is overall slower now  than with the ostomy or right after takedown.  

Winterberry - I've thought the same thing about the acid output causing irritation when held.   

Thank you both so much for your input!! I am in regular contact with my surgeon on alarming updates.  He said it is all pretty normal with recovery, but was not sure why the mucus has picked up instead of staying consistent/slowing down.  I have been trying your advice Jan on emptying as soon as I feel it and the pressure actually seems to have gone down.  However now I am finding myself in the bathroom every hour or so. 

Having this group as a resource has been instrumental in my recovery and knowing that so many things could happen in recovery and to take it one day at a time.  The sensation is just bringing me back to my UC days and being terrified the inflammation is back, I of course am panicking .  No one seems alarmed though so that has helped calm me down. 

I will continue to take it one day at a time and stay positive.  Thank you! xoxo 

Not sure where I got Jan from!! I meant to say Winterberry =)