I'm Ready for the -ostomy bag!

In my last blog, I said I didn't want to go in to the details of it. "It" is the rectal-vaginal fistula. Well, I'm ready to talk about it now. It's a private, embarrassing, and uncomfortable topic; definitely not dinner conversation. But, the issue is front and center, and it’s significantly affecting the quality of my life.

Why now? Let's break this down. Do you know what a fistula is? It's basically an "abnormal tube-like passage that connects two body parts that are not normally connected".  In my situation, I have a rectal-vaginal fistula.  While there are many causes, in my situation it's a byproduct of the chemo and radiation treatments I've had in the past.  Unfortunately, my tissue is not strong enough for a patch type of repair. This means some type of external -ostomy bag is needed.

With the current chemo regime, diarrhea is a daily nuisance. With the fistula getting weaker, and the diarrhea, I'm starting to produce waste from all 3 possible areas in my lady parts. Poop is coming out, uncontrollably, through areas it should not be coming out. I'm hitting the bathroom 15+ times a day, and at least 4+ times a night to keep the "area" clean. Think about how painful poop is when it touches your skin. Now think of how painful that is on your private parts.

I've been trying to control the diarrhea with the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). Admittedly, the focus is on the bananas and toast, but when I combine that with the Imodium, lomotil (prescription to help control the diarrhea), and Metamucil, it seems to be helping.

My surgeon is currently on vacation, so I'm going to wait the 3 weeks until he gets back. During this time, if you're at a Walgreens or CVS and there are no adult diapers available, you'll know I've been there.