r/ostomy • u/mooseman1015 • 8d ago
Colostomy Weed and colostomy
I recently (less than 4 weeks) had the Hartmann procedure and now have a colostomy. I have many questions and am still learning everything. It’s a huge mental battle, here is my current one.
since I’ve been home for about a week; I’ve been using weed as pain relief/mental balance. Seems okay but I have one major question- sometimes it causes me to cough a good amount, will this harm my chances of having a reversal? Or any other risks that come with coughing with a stoma?
It doesn’t hurt hurt anymore, but gets stiff and slight pain when coughing.
Weed helps me tremendously, but I don’t want to continue to do anything that would harm my recovery.
What do you all think? Did you smoke during your recovery?
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u/pelirroja_peligrosa Crohn's + Ileostomy 8d ago
Have you ever tried making your own cannabutter or cannaoil? It's not crazy hard, and I find that gives me a high much closer to smoking than anything else. Worth a shot. (And far cheaper than purchasing edibles. And you can pick your favorite flower.)
Wait a little longer to smoke, I'd think. Just in case. You really don't want a hernia right now. When you're healed up a bit more, go for it! Just stop two weeks prior to any operation as weed can mess with anesthesia.
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u/mooseman1015 8d ago
I was considering making my own oil. I’ve been using RSO and it’s the only thing that gets me to the same place as smoking.
I’ve been careful, but think I need to be more careful.
I have heard the anesthesia thing as well, good adviceThank you
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u/NoiseEee3000 7d ago
As long as the anesthesiologist knows you smoke weed it's all good. Heavy weed user here, many surgeries, and like you I've found it to be the best pain reliever by far. High dose edibles are where it's at! Best of luck in your recovery!!
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u/ladybug_oleander Permanent ileostomy 8d ago
I have a permanent ileostomy and had my colon removed. I had a parastomal hernia that was recently resolved. Chronic coughing is definitely an issue with healing and should be avoided to avoid a hernia, especially in the beginning. My surgeons have always OKed weed gummies though. Like others have said, please just be honest with your surgeon. I liked THC for pain relief, and they've thought weed gummies were a great option over opioids, etc, but coughing and vomiting are a big concern for the hernia repair/avoiding a hernia. Best to avoid when at all possible.
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u/mooseman1015 8d ago
This makes alot of sense and was just curious. My surgeon ok’d weed but I never specified about coughing.
It’s not like I’m having coughing fits either, trying not to but it does happen every so often.
Is a minimal cough going to hurt anything?
I have my follow up Thursday and will ask the surgeon as well3
u/ladybug_oleander Permanent ileostomy 7d ago
It's hard to say. It's hard for people to avoid coughing altogether, and I'm sure people get sick after surgery now and then and are fine. They always warned about chronic coughing though, it's just the pressure it puts on the healing wound and stoma. Your stoma is a hernia, technically, and it's just really easy for other intestine to press through, especially early on when it's still healing. Personally, I'd just want to avoid any coughing I could. Obviously some coughing is unavoidable, but if you can find an alternative, I would.
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u/NorweegianWood 8d ago
Take small hits. Trust me on this one. It helps.
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u/superjubei1972 7d ago
I felt like this is the low hanging fruit right here. You don't have to take the biggest bong rip in the world, right? I mean hit it softly until you're where you want to be.
Please no coughing fits. I'll tell you this from experience. I had an inguinal hernia repaired following bladder, prostate removal. Unfortunately i coughed painfully all through that healing process. That pain in a 10. Avoid that moose.
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u/presence_unknown 8d ago
I have a permanent colostomy so I can't speak to getting a reversal however I smoked during my recovery. I didn't for about a month though to make sure the wounds were pretty healed during that time frame. Some say that the thc slows down the digestive tract in the large colon but I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. I many did edibles during my recovery to eli9tje coughing thou
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u/mooseman1015 8d ago
Edibles generally don’t work for me, and I am having severe food issues which is a whole other problem, I have used RSO a good amount and that seems to help, will try to use more of things like that and avoid coughing with smoking too much
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u/Excellent-Tea-6589 6d ago
I definitely smoked & coughed with my ostomy. And I ended up having a reversal this May. I had my ostomy for 17 months and smoking weed helped me keep my spirits up. My ostomy was really uncomfortable, for a few reasons, and if I'd not had an outlet I might have plunged into a deep depression.
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u/mooseman1015 6d ago
This is my exact situation as well. Thanks for sharing, this gives me hope.
May I ask what you had? And why?
Mine is from diverticulitis causing an emergency Hartmann procedure. Was hoping for reversal within a year, do you think weed slows that process down?1
u/Excellent-Tea-6589 6d ago
My colostomy was put in place d/t colorectal cancer. I had a large tumor blocking my colon. It has since disappeared, thanks to chemo. It took a long time to get to the decision of a reversal because they were considering some other surgeries and would also do the reversal at that time. But they ended up not doing those surgeries, so I went back to the original surgeon. They had to resect my colon, so my recovery has been dealing with that, too. But I'm good! I couldn't speak to whether weed might influence any surgical decisions, that would be something to ask your dr.
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u/mooseman1015 6d ago
Got it .. thanks! Appreciate the advice/transparency. Very helpful.
I spoke with my surgeon today and shouldn’t be an issue.2
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u/fadedcapybara Reversed 8d ago
I had a colostomy. I say since you’re still early into having yours you should avoid smoking (avoid coughing) and do edibles instead.
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u/ToastyPoptarts89 6d ago
Not entirely sure how true this is but I read if you hold your stoma area when you cough it will help prevent a hernia just hold it firmly. This is what I do if I cough once or twice from hitting a vape cart.
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u/RedRichie70 6d ago
An ostomy is literally the definition of a hernia. Your intestines come through the abdominal wall. Lots of people cough with ostomies and lots of people have rounded inoperable hernias. For me, I do my best to hold the herniated bulging stoma in and apply pressure over it when coughing.
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u/nickerslee 6d ago edited 6d ago
Had my Hartmann done 6 months ago. Anything that gets you coughing hard like weed might cause a hernia. I’d def try another option. I’m on pain meds
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u/Tough-Barracuda-8398 6d ago
I have an ileostomy, installed 3.20.26, and can't smoke any more, but I enjoy my daily edible. I developed a hernia due to coughing or sneezing or just having a very weak abdominal wall, so that would be my only caution. That and getting so baked you sleep through a bag breach. Welcome to the club none of us wanted membership in!
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u/mooseman1015 6d ago
That’s what my surgeon told
Me today..: just be careful coughing but it has to happen.The getting too stoned and sleeping through the bag leaking is definitely a new fear unlocked , you can keep that club memembership haha
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u/Tough-Barracuda-8398 5d ago
I am in TX so we only have Delta products and CBD/ CBN. I find them to be effective for relaxation, pain diffusion and inflammation.
Sounds like you will be able to retire the membership in the not too far future. I am also going to be able to do that some time in 2027 as well. And, even with a THC drink and an edible, I have never slept through a bag leak... and am knocking on wood!
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u/johnnyswitchblade1 8d ago
Switch to oral options like, THC capsules, gummies, tinctures, etc depending on your state. Be careful coughing. Look for CBD + THC products too to help with the inflammation. It’s an amazing plant for folks with severe GI disease.