Many people are unaware of the word stoma until it suddenly becomes relevant to them or to someone close. Often it is after bowel cancer surgery or as a result of a long standing condition such as Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis, or even as a result of an injury. The initial shock of being told you will need a stoma can take a while to come to terms with but after that come all the initial questions relating to the stoma itself and how you will adapt to your new life.
At first, no one tells you about the really important stuff: how you are going to wear your new stomach, what you can eat, how you travel, go to the gym, go to the swimming pool, how you go to a meeting that lasts for hours, how you have sex. None of that is covered by the NHS in any great detail before you go into hospital. And what they do cover, they cover badly.
Understanding the Basics First
As well as explaining the differences between the three types of stoma (colostomy, ileostomy, urostomy), it’s worth knowing that a stoma does not hurt as it has no nerve endings. The stoma is a hole in the tummy that waste leaves the body through instead of it leaving the body in the normal way.
The system that goes over the stoma, a stoma pouch, can be of a thin design and be very quiet and not as bulky as those used in the past for patients with stomas. There are stoma bags of a one-piece design that include a flange and a pouch. There are also stoma systems of a two-piece design where the pouch can be changed without removing the baseplate from the stomach area. It is worth noting that there are many different types of stoma systems for a stoma and a stoma nurse will be able to show and let you try out different samples to see which are the best for you.
The sheer number of different stoma pouch systems can be mind-boggling for new ostomates and often most are unaware of the vast array of different ones that are available until their stoma nurse provides them with samples to try. Some will work fantastically well for others with similar stoma positions and skin but not for you. It really is a case of trial and error and can take some time to find the ones that are right for you.
Getting to Grips With Daily Life
So what can you eat after stoma surgery? Well in the first few weeks after stoma surgery most people are advised to eat a low-fibre diet until they have fully recovered from their surgery. After this, it is best to reintroduce foods of high fibre content slowly and to find out which of them affect the output of your stoma. Some people report an increase in wind after eating onions, beans and some fizzy drinks but these foods do not affect everyone in the same way.
What to wear: Some people prefer high-waisted pants where the stool can fall straight into the pouch and others prefer the waistband to be below the stoma. As for swimwear, there is a variety of ostomy swimming costumes available to buy online, however many ostomates use normal swimwear with a cover patch to wear in the pool or to the beach. Life doesn’t have to stop because you have had a stoma operation and many people go back to the gym to keep fit. You will need to work out what your new ‘normal’ is but that will come with time.
The Emotional Side Gets Overlooked
Yes, having a stoma can change how you see yourself. Yes, it can affect your relationships and how you feel about going out in public. But, yes, it is possible to deal with all the concerns and still live life to the full. Just hearing how others have done it can help. Hence the sections below about support groups and also about information provided by organizations for people with stomas.
Your stoma nurse is there for more than just the first few weeks post-surgery. If something is not quite right with your stoma, if you are getting sore skin, or if your pouch is leaking then go back to them for help. Many people assume that they will only be able to go back to their stoma nurse for help if something serious has gone wrong with their stoma. This is not the case.
Life with a stoma can be different from how you lived before but it will be better than how you were before. Most people get there, it may take time, lots of patience and determination but for most people it is worth it.
