For bowel cancer, you will have to go through colostomy or ileostomy. Life after this would be different. Thus, you will have to learn new tactics to spend an easy and life. Well, there will be no change in your routine and daily activities. However, a few alterations and new things in your hygiene routine and body. Thus, you will have to adopt a few habits that will allow you to live happily with a stoma.
How to Spend your Days with Stoma?
The new opening or hole in your belly is the stoma. Now, it will be temporary or permanent, it depends on your disease and kind of surgery. However, you will have to live a few months or the entire life with the stoma. Therefore, an ostomate will have to learn the new life rules. When the small bowel or ileum is brought to the tummy, it is an ileostomy. And when it incision and opening with large bowel or colon, it is a colostomy.
When there is a temporary ostomy, a patient has to go through two surgeries. One has done for the creation of stoma and the second for the closing of the opening. Also, it brings back the original paths of ileum or colon.
Dealing with a stoma is not as tough as an ostomate is assuming. It might take a little time to get used to the new lifestyle. However, you do not have to change the routine, work, daily activities, hobbies, and everything else you used to do. Moreover, it will require some accessories that are necessary for the cleanliness of the stoma. Thus, learn the usage of these components. First, you will take a guide and help from the ostomy nurse. He/she knows what you need and how to use them. Thus, do not believe in any online stuff or a guide who does not know your exact case.
Emotional Help and Support
Once you have ostomy surgery, your emotions, way of life, and thinking will get disturbed at first. Therefore, you will require emotional help to get the stand and live a normal life. As I said earlier, the primary support will be in the clinic from doctors and nurses. Moreover, family comes on the second point. This will be your support and as a family member, you need to understand the ups and downs of the patient. Therefore, realize that this is not something that will bother you or stop you from living a normal life. Emotional support is something paramount important in case of any kind of surgery.
Care of Stoma Opening
Being an ostomy person, there will be only one change in your life and that is cleanliness and care of a stoma. Thus, learn how to change the stoma bag and other accessories. Some people get issues due to the leakage of the opening, the reason is they do not know how to fix the stoma pouch. Thus, change the appliances after every two hours in case of Urostomy. And you should change it once or twice a day in case of Ileostomy and Colostomy.
Hobbies and Other Activities
Ostomates assume that their new life will be tough and they cannot spend their usual days. However, this is just the thinking of their patients. Once they have ostomy surgery and their hole gets healed. They will know that they can live their previous activities. No one is stopping them from playing sports, having exercise, follow their passion, spending time on their hobbies, and official work. Travelling is possible for ostomates. However, when you are on your work, you should have an ostomy kit to change your appliances and take care of yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment