Is Discharge from a Rectal Stump Normal

Some people may have their rectum and large intestine removed in the event of IBD. That means, they’re getting everything removed and the output goes through the stool rather than the rectum. 

Occasionally though, there is discharge from where your bottom is, even though have a stoma.  You may wonder if there is a concern for this, but here, we’ll discuss what a rectum output and leak is and whether to treat this or not. 

Why it Might discharge 

The rectum is tissue that’s living and will create mucus even when it’s not hooked up, and stool isn’t passing through this. Mucus is part of stool normally, but not usually present enough for it to be visible in some cases.

 

Without stool, you may see mucus in the rectum, and it becomes apparent. Usually, this is a watery consistency, and you may wonder if you should worry. Gauze or a napkin usually helps with this, and you can even just sit on the toilet to push the mucus out of there. Usually though, it isn’t very common. 

When Should I be Worried 

Usually, you shouldn’t be too worried. For most people, after they get the ostomy surgery, they just see an output from the stoma itself, and that needs to be changed so that it doesn’t fill up too much. 

But in some cases, the mucus may be too much, and it might be bothersome, or has a bad odor. In some cases, it also may be a green or a yellowish color, which in that case, it may be another problem, and it may also lead to infection in the area. If that’s the case, you will want to make sure that you talk to your doctor, to ensure that if you have any symptoms or pain along with this, they are treated. 

If there is blood, that’s when you definitely should talk to them.  It may not be serious, but in other cases, it might be a serious problem for many people. If that’s the case, you should talk to your doctor or healthcare provider if you need someone to make sure that it’s nothing to be worried about. Sometimes, this discharge also make you feel like you have to sit on your toilet, even with a stoma. This can be a very confusing thing but remember that it isn’t just stool that comes out of there, but also mucus too, and that’s actually quite normal. 

The tissues within your rectum do still make substances and bacteria, since it is still a living area. Normally, these leave in the form of your stool, but since you have the ostomy that diverts it, they just leave the body on their own. The one downside to this is that it’s hard for these fluids to be contained since they are not mixed within the stool. 

Having leaks also doesn’t mean that the ostomy is reversed either.  In some cases, there may be some excess stool and mucus and fluids may still be in there, even after surgery. 

The only time you might want to talk to your doctor about this, is fi it starts to be a foul smell, causes pain, or if it’s a strange color. If you notice blood in there too, you also might want to talk to your health care provider as that could be a sign of a serious concern, and it’s something that a lot of people do struggle with as well when they are trying to cope with life after an ostomy surgery, and the problems with it.