I was talking to the pouch nurse today about how to know whether my pouch had emptied completely.
I told her that sometimes it feels like there's more in there but I don't know if there is or how to get it out.
She suggested standing and then sitting down again and leaning back while on the loo as position can affect how well the pouch empties.
She said if after a few weeks it still felt like it wasn't totally emptying then you can have a 'defacating pouchagram'. The puzzled look on my face meant that I needed this explaining to me although I immediately wished she hadn't.
In a normal pouchagram they put a catheter into your pouch (via your bum), insert a liquid and then take X-rays. The liquid shows up on the X-ray and can highlight any leaks in the pouch etc.
A defacating pouchagram is where they insert a paste instead of a liquid then ask you to go behind a screen and take X-rays while you do a poo!! The idea is to see how much comes out and how much stays in.
Can you imagine actually having to do this? Now I've had a lot of tests, operations and examinations involving my bottom end (plus I've had 2 babies) so I tend not to be too shy about such matters but the thought of this even shocked me.
They would have to just put a sign on the door as you went in...
Fingers crossed I won't require this particular test, although knowing my luck there will probably be a blog post telling you all about it in a few weeks 😉
NB x
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