Foreign objects

Before I left the hospital, I was told I would experience some slight anal discharge since the intestine used to form the j-pouch is alive and will do what live intestinal tissue does - produce mucus.  Since I've been at home, I've noticed a little discharge maybe every few times I sit down on the toilet to pee.  It's important to note that this only happens when I'm on the toilet; I have no discharge at any other time.  I was even told by my WOCN that a small amount of stool may pass as well.  

So, I shouldn't be concerned unless I see something alarming.

Well, after gently wiping one day, this is what I saw on the toilet paper...

Alarming, right?  It's a metal staple.  There was no blood accompanying it, but it was still disconcerting when a staple literally falls out of your body like that after a major surgery.  It's very small and I didn't feel it come out or anything.  I still called my surgeons nurse practitioner and she assured me it is common to see mucus, small amounts of blood, small amounts of stool, and staples when the stapling gun may have over-fired, essentially, if there was overlap on the stapling job and the top staple wasn't securely fastened into the bodily tissue.

Lesson learned:  there's nothing wrong with shitting a staple or two.