More research on bowel IC

Hi again,

Thanks again to those who answered questions for me before. I hope I'm not being too intrusive; if I am, just tell me and I'll stop.

What I'm currently wondering has to do mostly with people who are bowel incontinent and without the use of their legs (thus using a wheelchair full time), and preferably not DL.

Why would someone in this situation choose to use diapers, which will probably need to be changed from messy accidents 1-3 times a day, as opposed to a colostomy? Is there any reason to avoid a colostomy?

My character is female and around 40. Thanks again for the help.

Kerry

I'm not IC and no expert, but I think there might be different attitudes in different countries. It seems that diapers are more likely to be considered a long-term solution in the US than in the UK.

I remember looking at an NHS information page on incontinence that listed various treatments. At the end, it mentioned adult nappies/pads, and described them as being used whilst waiting for surgery or for medicine to take effect. It seems that, over here, people are much more likely to get surgery than live with diapers. Maybe that's because healthcare is unaffordable/unavailable in the US, or maybe there are different attitudes to incontinence...?

I'm not too far bowel incontinent myself, but am slightly reduced in being able to hold it back at times. As such I've heard great input from many others that are.

From what I've been told, colostomy bags have a habit of getting in the way, being too obtrusive/obvious, getting kinked, and their adhesive is often problematic (especially with hair), which can lead to too many smells or sometimes even massive messes all over the place. Of course, diapers can be all of that as well, so neither choice is going to better than the other. For some people I guess it just comes down to preference and whether or not they implement bowel prep programs or not. Doing this can often reduce, or somewhat prevent, bowel accidents all together and therefore eliminate the need of a colostomy bag when only a "backup" diaper is needed.

My history includes being a diapered bedwetter (along with 2 other siblings/3 out of 6 kids )into my early teens which I'm sure was the reason for my developing an interest. I won't go into the details here but you can always check out my profile for a more involved explanation. Long story short - I am completely ambulatory. I have no other physical limitations. I had 2 prolonged hospitalizations from serious diverticulitis flares. I was warned that a third time could lead to perferation and possible sepsis with an emergency colostomy and a 2nd surgery to hook me back up after healing (if the sepsis didn't kill me). Needless to say, I had a bowel resection electively. They removed only about a foot of my lower colon. Rehab was a bitch and I developed severe bowel urgency that was extremely difficult to deal with. I actually considered a colostomy but after talking with a few people that had them and doing my own research, I decided to manage it without the surgery. It is a major inconvenience but I still find pleasure in it from time to time. I think when faced with bowel accidents one most definitely has to be prepared. After 20 years I think I have it down. Funny story and true. My brother-in-law was a cop. To be honest, he really wasn't right for the job. (too authoratative, gun nut, etc) Anyway, he pulls over this old guy who gives him attitude. He ends up pulling the guy out of his car to arrest him. Old guy resists and they end up wrestling around on the ground. Suddenly there is an awful smell and my b-in-law sees he is covered in shit. The old guys colosomy bag came loose and covered them both. I still get a laugh about it. By the way, he's no longer a cop.

I use diapers for mine. I am starting to get some control again. So hoping I'll get bladder control back too.

Well, having an accident while seated means an extensive clean up, which also means that if you are in a wheelchair it might be hard to clean up or even get cleaned up.

I honestly think that the biggest issue with wearing diapers for bowel ic is skin care.I have a sister who is an RN, also a sister-in-law, a brother who is a physician and 2 nephews in med school. My mom was also an RN. Lots of proffesional advice along with a few ostomy patients. Pro's - with contant care an Ostomy sounded like a good choice. But lot's of horror stories of bags becomming detached (usually at the worst moments), skin infections at the site of the ostomy, bowel odor and Gas. Diapers - the main concern of health care proffesionals- skin break down and bedsores for unabmbulatory patients. If you have the use of legs and hands, I would say diapers are probably a better management tool. Of course, it's a matter of opinion.