...some interesting things one can learn, when maintaining a colostomy bag! For example, I have learnt that if you dont drink sufficient water, the contents of your small intestine look like brown sludge (YUCK!). I have also learnt that the digestive system seems to go into 'sleep' mode, just barely ticking over, after 10pm, and wakes up again at around 7am or a bit earlier. So, imagine eating at 9pm, and then your digestive system goes to sleep around 10pm, all that undigested food is sitting in your stomach, stewing, till the next morning. DOUBLE YUCK!
Of course, the fact that the system hibernates at 10pm makes that the BEST time to change the colostomy bag! Because if you try and change the bag anytime between 7am and 10pm, you remove the bag that is there, and start cleaning the stoma, and it is a NEVER-ENDING clean!! Because the digestive system is constantly pushing stuff along, and it comes constantly spurting out, necessitating constant wiping down with damp paper towels every couple of seconds to get the stoma clean, and then it is a rush to get the colostomy bag back in place in between one spurt and the next!! The end result - a stoma which has been traumatised by constant wiping down with damp kitchen towels every couple of seconds for several minutes! Whereas, if you change the bag at 10pm, when the system is quiet, the stoma is cleaned quickly, the new bag is in place fast. PHEW!!
I hope that was fascinating to you all too!
Other than that, went and got a "ripple" mattress for Husband to sleep on. Think of a PVC sheet the size of a single mattress, which has rows of air cells attached to it. The rows of air cells alternately inflate and deflate, which results in constantly changing pressure along the whole body, so there are no pressure points for further bed sores to develop, and it gives a chance for the existing bed sore to heal because there is less pressure on that part of the body. Luckily it is portable, so it is going to come back to KL with us too!
Husband is slowly recovering strength. Eating pretty much normal food, though we are avoiding oily stuff, hot stuff, foods with too much fibre, etc. He is supposed to eat lots of protein, but avoid the red meat for now.
This Friday afternoon we drive to Melaka (3 hour journey), spend the night with my brother and sis-in-law, then continue to KL on Saturday (2 hour journey).
So, that's it for now. Keep us in your prayers - Husband especially!!
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