The title could be sung to the tune of I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face, but then...
My surgeries have left me pretty much devoid of the sensations a normal person experiences when having a BM. I do not get the full feeling deep in the abdomen. I may get a bloated feeling or some cramps but they can also just go away. I do not usually get much of a sense that I have to go, but when I get the sensation I get I'd better get to a bathroom because I'm going to have some kind of action pretty soon.
When my system gets really upset I can have explosive results that just happen unexpectedly. I can be standing two feet from the commode and can't make it in time.
I have learned to wear pads. It has been a hard transition. At first I kept thinking about how feminine it was. I was embarrassed, even though only my wife knew. However, time and experience has tempered that and I now wear a pad when I leave the house. Even when I work around the house I'll wear a pad if I'm having one of those days where I have episodes. I've been out by the shop and couldn't make the commode in time.
I have a greater sense of when things are OK and when they are not. I've learned to not take a chance.
It does restrict my activities. I eat a meal and I'll wait a half hour or so to see how my system is going to react. Even then if I am going to leave the house for a period of time I put on a pad and carry a spar.
I use Imodium to slow down the bowel activity and it seems to generally work, but even then I cannot trust it completely. However, when the bowel activity is slowed if I have an accident it usually is not very serious and requires a change of pad and a little cleaning. I keep a package of flushable wipes with me, but when you are "out and about" that is awkward. So, I try to really be aware of my system if I am going "O & A."
My condition requires an adjustment to my life style, but seeing I really am a home body and most comfortable around the house it is not big deal. If I have to travel I get a little preoccupied with what might happen, but some thought and my knew found confidence in wearing pads can help a lot.
In the meantime I cannot say enough about my wife. She has never made fun of me. I have some diapers at home when I have this explosive experience so I can sleep in bed at night. Recently my wife came down with a stomach bug and was experiencing that explosive problem and without any concern she got up and put on a pair of diapers. She just takes care of things without much personal stress. It taught me to take care of the problem, don't just feel embarrassed. When I've really gotten sick which seems to happen when I prep for a colonoscopy she cleans up after me without complaint. She is willing to do just about any task to help my situation. She is a blessing.
Support, love, and respect help enormously in dealing with the kind of issues I face.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Don't read unless you have bowel issues
I have undergone two bowel resections for colon cancer. I literally don't have a rectum anymore. I don't have a colostomy and if possible I do not want one. However I do encounter what are called cluster movements. Because my rectum is all but gone I do not have the same sensations a person with a rectum has. The rectum is a collection pouch for fecal matter. As it fills we get that "full feeling" sensation that signals we may have a bowel movement. When you have a bowel movement you feel relief, the rectum is emptied and the process starts all over and takes sometimes a predictable amount of time so we are what you refer to as "regular."
I am not regular. I may have a BM between 15 and 25 times a day. Once and a while I hit a stretch where I am almost normal, but usually no more than a day or two. Other times I encounter an episode where for several hours to a day I may have to go 3 to 4 times an hour.
I have tried to monitor my food intake. Sometimes when I have certain foods, often quite greasy or fatty I may have an episode. Other times I may have too much chocolate or snack foods that are made rich in fat and that'll trigger a series of movements. There are other times that the consistency of my stool is like axle grease and cleaning is an issue. Other times if I really get out of whack it is thin and runny and then I have to wear diapers.
I were a pad much of the time. For sure when I go out and about. The reason is because I cannot feel a movement until it is almost upon me, or I can even encounter periods of bowel incontinence. I have no idea that something happened, an "accident," until I can feel the sensation of a stained pad. This can happen anyplace at anytime.
When I drive to work I have about an hour on the road. I usually begin my day with breakfast and then stick around home for a half and hour to an hour. That is so I can gauge the reaction of my system. Many times I encounter an accident while on the road and have to clean myself at work. Therefore I carry a back pack with a pocket stuffed with necessaries. I have extra pads, a packet of flushable personal wipes, and another bag with a change of clothes just in case I really have a problem. That has not happened for a long time.
I have been in meetings where I simply cannot escape in time sitting there knowing that when the meeting is over I have to find a rest room and take care of myself. There are times that I have not had my supply bag with me and end up wetting paper towels and using toilet paper stuffed in my drawers to handle any emergencies until I can get to a replacement pad.
It is frustrating. There have been times around the house I can't get some projects done because I'm going to the bathroom every 15 minutes or so. So life sounds difficult and in some ways it is.
However, I feel great. I have a good attitude and I think that a lot of my difficulties are my own doing. There are times I eat too much, especially when my wife makes a particularly good favorite meal. It is hard to stop. Or I might get a day where I say to hell with it and gorge myself on some sweet delectable that I crave. I pay for it.
I have started taking one Imodium after every meal and that does seem to help. It slows down the movement of the fecal matter so I don't go so often and the consistency of the stool is firm enough to make cleaning less of an effort. When things are going well they are great. When things are going badly I concentrate on the moment and just take care of what I have to. I weather the storm because I do not have a choice and I basically do feel well. As time goes along I am getting a better understanding of what effects what and am trying to adjust my eating habits and food to improve my results.
It isn't bad, it's just life.
I am not regular. I may have a BM between 15 and 25 times a day. Once and a while I hit a stretch where I am almost normal, but usually no more than a day or two. Other times I encounter an episode where for several hours to a day I may have to go 3 to 4 times an hour.
I have tried to monitor my food intake. Sometimes when I have certain foods, often quite greasy or fatty I may have an episode. Other times I may have too much chocolate or snack foods that are made rich in fat and that'll trigger a series of movements. There are other times that the consistency of my stool is like axle grease and cleaning is an issue. Other times if I really get out of whack it is thin and runny and then I have to wear diapers.
I were a pad much of the time. For sure when I go out and about. The reason is because I cannot feel a movement until it is almost upon me, or I can even encounter periods of bowel incontinence. I have no idea that something happened, an "accident," until I can feel the sensation of a stained pad. This can happen anyplace at anytime.
When I drive to work I have about an hour on the road. I usually begin my day with breakfast and then stick around home for a half and hour to an hour. That is so I can gauge the reaction of my system. Many times I encounter an accident while on the road and have to clean myself at work. Therefore I carry a back pack with a pocket stuffed with necessaries. I have extra pads, a packet of flushable personal wipes, and another bag with a change of clothes just in case I really have a problem. That has not happened for a long time.
I have been in meetings where I simply cannot escape in time sitting there knowing that when the meeting is over I have to find a rest room and take care of myself. There are times that I have not had my supply bag with me and end up wetting paper towels and using toilet paper stuffed in my drawers to handle any emergencies until I can get to a replacement pad.
It is frustrating. There have been times around the house I can't get some projects done because I'm going to the bathroom every 15 minutes or so. So life sounds difficult and in some ways it is.
However, I feel great. I have a good attitude and I think that a lot of my difficulties are my own doing. There are times I eat too much, especially when my wife makes a particularly good favorite meal. It is hard to stop. Or I might get a day where I say to hell with it and gorge myself on some sweet delectable that I crave. I pay for it.
I have started taking one Imodium after every meal and that does seem to help. It slows down the movement of the fecal matter so I don't go so often and the consistency of the stool is firm enough to make cleaning less of an effort. When things are going well they are great. When things are going badly I concentrate on the moment and just take care of what I have to. I weather the storm because I do not have a choice and I basically do feel well. As time goes along I am getting a better understanding of what effects what and am trying to adjust my eating habits and food to improve my results.
It isn't bad, it's just life.
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