Common Myths About An Ostomy

The natural excretory pathways must function the way they should. Any severe malfunctioning in those parts of the GI or urinary tract can be life-threatening. In such situations, your doctor may decide you give you an ostomy, which involves diversion of intestines or ureters to let the bodily waste evacuate through a surgically created opening in the abdominal wall. This opening is called a stoma.

Several reasons or medical conditions that may lead a person needing an ostomy may include birth defects, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, incontinence, diverticulitis, and many more.

Even though ostomy surgery is a treatment for life-threatening health conditions, many people think of it as a procedure that results in a long list of drawbacks that only add restrictions in a person’s life. Well, the matter of fact is that an ostomy helps a person to become healthy and active again. Believing in the ostomy myths can do more harm than good.

That said, we are now going to talk about some most common ostomy myths.

Your ostomy is a visible feature of you

One of the most concerning myths about an ostomy is that people you meet can tell about it the moment they see you. That is far from the truth. An ostomy bag lies flat with the abdomen in such a way that it doesn’t let anyone know about its existence. You will be walking around in the street and meeting your friends without worrying about having anyone know that you are wearing an ostomy bag.

Exercise will become difficult

If you were a fitness enthusiast before surgery, you would want to get back your previous fitness regimen as soon as you can after surgery. While it may not be possible to resume things with the same intensity after surgery, you can start slow and build workout intensity with time.

Ostomies smell bad

Most of the people worry about ostomies emitting an odor. This has been a problem in the past, but the modern-day ostomy appliances contain the smell in the best possible way. Unless there is a leakage occurring from under the skin barrier, you shouldn’t have any problem related to odor.

Traveling will be stressful

An ostomy doesn’t stop you from traveling. Whether you want to travel for work or want to go for a long drive, you can manage your ostomy well enough to prevent it from getting bothersome during your journey. If you are considering air travel, be sure to have enough of ostomy supplies to avoid any unforeseen circumstances related to ostomy management during the entire time you are away from home.

Things You May Want To Know About Colostomy Reversal

Colostomy reversal is a possibility in some cases. Doctors recommend colostomy surgery in case of severe intestinal disorders such as cancer or diverticulitis. This way, they can treat the condition and help improve the quality of the patient’s life. Some colostomies are permanent, while others can be reversed after the infected part of the colon heals.

The reversible colostomies are known as temporary colostomies. One of the types of temporary colostomy is the loop colostomy, which the surgeon creates by making an incision on a side of the colon and then connecting that incised portion to the stoma. A colostomy bag connects the stoma to collect the stool. The best thing about a loop colostomy is that it can be easily reversed after the lower part of the colon heals.

The reversibility of a colostomy depends on several factors. A colostomy and its reversal entail two major surgeries. So, the patient needs to be healthy enough to endure both of these surgical procedures. The patient shouldn’t have any major health condition that might prove to be a source of further complications after the colostomy reversal procedure. If a part of your colon was removed at the type of colostomy surgery, the reversal procedure will depend on how much of the colon is left. Moreover, your bowel and anal sphincter muscles should strong enough to handle bowel movements properly.

Generally, you will have to wait at least twelve months before the surgeon reverses your colostomy. If colostomy surgery was a part of the removal of cancer from your colon, you are going to have to wait until the cancer treatment completes.

Colostomy reversal process

With the use of flexible sigmoidoscopy, doctors examine the bowel to check whether the colon has healed enough to handle normal bowel movements. They may also use an enema to make sure there are no leaks.

Although this surgical process is not as intensive as the colostomy surgery, patients need to remain hospitalized for a few days after the surgery. They need to have just the liquid diet in the first few days.

At first, the passing of stool through the colon may result in pain or discomfort. That’s because the colon has been inactive for months. Eventually, patients gain control over their bowel functions with pelvic muscles regaining strength. These painful symptoms should subside within a few months.

Although the colon gets back to its function within a few days after the reversal surgery, patients should avoid the intake of large meals. They need to stick to the intake of low-fiber foods and more liquids.

Even if your reversal surgery has been successful and you are on the right track of getting back to your normal life, you need to be in regular contact with your ostomy care nurse to get proper guidance on how and when to bring changes to your lifestyle.

Adapting To The Post Ostomy Surgery Life

Adjusting to life after an ostomy surgery seems a difficult affair, mainly because this change tends to seem affecting the normal way of life. An ostomy indeed is not an easy adjustment, but it is crucial to understand that an ostomy surgery aims at saving a person’s life.

Now, feeling depressed and lonely after ostomy surgery is perfectly normal for new ostomates. And getting out of this situation may seem like an uphill task. As we said, an ostomy is not an easy adjustment. However, once you aim for a life full of charms and remain committed to it, nothing can stop you from achieving that goal.

That said, you are going to need to follow a few simple tips that may help to embrace life after ostomy surgery.

Give yourself some time

Your urge to be up and running just a few days after the surgery is understandable if you have been an active person throughout your previous life. But remember, it’s different this time. You need proper rest to accelerate the healing process. Perhaps, it is one of the rare occasions in your life when you get a recommendation not to get out of your comfort zone.

After a few weeks, you will realize that life goes on. You will be very concerned about the new change that mainly involves taking care of an ostomy bag just like a body organ. But what may come as good news is that this bag won’t prove to be a hurdle in your routine life, even if you engage in physical workouts. However, you need to be wary about engaging in contact sports.

Ostomy support groups

Finding people who know what an ostomate goes through can help you get the right suggestions when you share your thoughts. The best way is to find people who already have ostomies. You can talk to them about your concerns and listen to their concerns as well. For this purpose, you are going to have to find ostomy support groups. You can easily find such groups in your town or locality.

The best thing coming out of joining an ostomy support group is that you will be able to make new friends. You will be able to know different ways of taking care of your ostomy. Similarly, if you know something better about ostomy management, you can share it with other ostomates in your group.

Learn about your condition

If you know how severe your condition was before the surgery and how this surgery has helped you get out of that condition, you will find enough motivation to embrace your post-ostomy surgery life. Moreover, you are going to have to learn about how ostomy management works. For this purpose, you can talk to your doctor or ostomy care nurse.

Odors and Ostomies

Do you remember that time when you were a kid and all of a sudden you smelled something unpleasant and of course the first question that comes out of your mouth is, “who let one go?”. And then you were given a response in return that went a little something like “hey he smelt it dealt it!” And then you all laughed, because back then farting was hilarious, and you all went about your day like nothing had happened? Yeah, those were the good old times. These days, when an unpleasant smell starts to linger in the air your first thought is “oh gosh, I hope no one thinks that was me.” And pretty much everyone else in the room, including the person who is the cause of the smell is thinking it too, except everyone is ignoring it because no one wants to own up to it? Yeah, now times that awkwardness by about a million and that’s where you land when you’re dealing with odor from an ostomy bag. It’s literally one of the worst feelings in the world. Mostly because it’s completely out of your control, and because trying to explain that particular odor to someone would make any sane person want to curl up, lock themselves away, and never come out of hiding. Thankfully though, this doesn’t have to be you. If you’re experiencing odor trouble from your ostomy pouch, there are solutions that can help you hit refresh, literally, and be able to go about your day clean and stink free. 

 

The first and foremost solution to implement is empty your ostomy pouch regularly. Seriously, you would think this would be obvious, but hey days get busy and when you’ve had the pouch long enough that it has literally become like a third arm, you can easily forget it’s there. But by emptying it regularly, you will be able to assure any smelly odors are long gone, and hopefully avoid any leaks from it overfilling. 

 

The second solution, and one that deserves about 101 articles of its own, is your diet. Believe it or not, the foods you eat can affect not just body odor, but the smell of your urine and feces. And it’s not just about avoiding foods, which is a good thing to do, but eating a diet that is anti-inflammatory and can help gastrointestinal distress. However, for time’s sake, here are some gas-producing foods that would be good to avoid. 

 

·       Apples

·       Beer

·       Cabbage

·       Onions

·       Dairy

·       Beans

·       Brussel Sprouts

·       Carbonated Soda

·       Asparagus

·       Etc. 

 

A third helpful hint is trying an odor eliminator. Pouch deodorants for instance are a great way to help mask the smell of the contents of any pouch. All you have to do is place one in the pouch after you empty or change it out. There are also odor eliminating sprays, filters, medications, and some people have even found success using, and not kidding, Tic Tacs…but maybe talk to Doc about that one. 

 

Finally, if all of those are still failing you, go see your doctor to make sure you have the right ostomy bag or bag size. If yours is from cheap material or too big or too small, it could be the cause of leaking, even with feces, which is why you’re having so much trouble with odor. 

 

Smells can literally be the worst. But they don’t have to be your problem. If you’re struggling with unwanted and unappealing odors from your ostomy bag, give these tips a shot, and see if they can help you become as fresh as a daisy!

Gym time with your ostomy.

Yes, indeed I have an ostomy.  It is true and if you have one then the way to go.  Your life is probably better now because of it.  But with an ostomy bag does that mean you can no longer lift weights of run?  Heck No.  But we all can limit ourselves depending on how we feel or what we believe.  That fact is that it is our perception that many times actually create our own reality.  I hate to see good athletic people give up on their dreams because they just got out of surgery and believe that their new stoma will stop them from doing what they normally within reason.  What brought me to this was simply the fact that I was worried about my capabilities when I got out of surgery as well.  I am a pretty active person and didn't want to lose my ability to be healthy, and look good, and be comfortable in my own body.  What I found was that with lots of hard work I was able to really improve on my own abilities and even my overall body as well. 

You can't start deadlifting right after you get out of surgery.  Well, rather the opposite. I lost a lot of weight after my surgery and was rather timid about getting back into the gym.  The fact was that I was afraid of my own ostomy gear and didn't want to embarrass myself on the gym floor and make a huge mess.  So it took me more than a few months to look myself in the eye and finally take the plunge to head into the gym with an ostomy bag.  I was hiding it all the way in the locker room and decided I would no longer shower or change.  I would simply walk in and out and that would be it.  I wanted to be a ghost. Just like when you are fat and at a gym.  You don't want to be seen and I felt fat again.

It took me a while to get in there, but I finally did and I took my time getting back into a rythem. didn't want to overdo anything and hurt me.  I was a bit afraid of hernias and being more prone to them.  So I started slow with easy cardio and worked my way up from there. I found that smaller ostomy bags and some cool bags with belt loops that fit elastic belts were what worked well with my stoma.  I found a flange that fit perfectly and by the next month of taking it easy, I finally went to the weights. Don't feel bad about starting out super slow. That is totally fine and you need to because you just got out of surgery.   

Don't let fear drive your life.  Learn from the best about what to do and overcome.  I went to my pharmacist and learned a lot from him and he ended up saying that I should call the major manufacturers and that is what I did.  I learned a ton from them and even got some new gear at no cost to myself to try out.  Confidence is key and that is how I learned to become fit.  Slow steps forward and small steps start to become big.