What to Expect with an Ostomy

Ostomy is a life saving and life changing event for anyone who needs to undergo this type of surgery. And while it offers someone a better chance at living a quality life, there are significant emotional and psychological downsides to the procedure. This is due to the nature and outcome of a ostomy as it requires a man made hole to come through the patient's stomach where human waste can exit the body into a pouch. 

Ostomy is not more common with a certain age, race or ethnicity. It becomes a viable procedure when a patient's urinary tract and digestive system is malfunctioning. For some, this procedure can be temporary that allows for fast healing and recovery and for others, this is a more permanent procedure. These types of surgeries are susceptible become permanent if the end of the colon or rectum is riddled with disease. 

The opening is called a stoma where a piece of the small or large bowel or ureter is used to create a channel between the belly and pouch. The most common causes of ostomy is inflammatory bowel disease, incontinence, diverticulitis, cancer, birth defects and the like. 

Ostomy is a type of continent diversion surgery and while there different types of ostomies, there are four common ostomies that are leveraged today. The most popular type is called the Colostomy. 

This is the most popular and well known ostomies out of the four types. A colostomy is when a portion of the colon or rectum are removed completely and the colon is redirected through the stomach wall. Like mentioned above, this can be a temporary or permanent fix, it all depends on how severe and advanced the patient's symptoms. 

The most intricate type oy ostomy is the J-Pouch. The J-Pouch is a reservoir that is created with the patient's small intestine. Surgeons are able to surgically created this crater within the patient's body to redirect the the digestive tract and create a new functioning system. Based on the intricacy and nature of surgically creating a man made pouch, surgeons perform this ostomy in multiple steps. 

Living with ostomy whether temporary or permanent does come with its own set of physically and emotional complications. Many patients that undergo this procedure have a higher chance of feeling self conscious given their own human waste is in a pouch on the outside of their body. Doctors focus not only on the physical rehabilitation of the surgery but also the physiological healing. Due to the nature of the surgery, doctors encourage their patients to express their concerns and fears. The healing process takes time and for some patients they have a hard time accepting their new set of circumstances. An ostomy gives a patient the at a new and improved life; however, there needs to be a revamped and new hygienic routine post surgery. The patient needs to make sure the stoma is clean and that waste is exiting the body properly through the hole into the pouch. With the pouch being externally attached to the patient's body, there needs to be mindfulness to keeping it flushed and secured to the belly. 

There are support groups and therapists available to help patients and loved ones cope with these drastic changes. Just because there have been a few physical alterations, doesn't mean the patient needs to live a limited life. There are those that have had successful surgeries and have found ways to continue to grow and thrive despite their condition. 

Everything about Urostomy

What is meant by Urostomy Creation?

A urostomy creation is a procedure that allows urine to pass out of the body through a new passage. You need a urostomy if your bladder does not work properly or it has been deceased or removed, such as in care treatment. A small portion from the small intestine is brought to your abdomen to create an orifice or opening called a stoma. This portion of the small intestine is called the ileum. Urine exit your body through the stoma. The urine either remains stores in the ileum or drains into the pouch depending upon the type of surgery you had.

How Can I prepare for the Surgery?

• Your doctor will help you in preparation for surgery. You may be told not to eat or drink one night before your surgery. You must have someone who can drive you home once you get free from the hospital. And you also need one person who stays with you all the time.

• Always tell your surgeon about your current medication. He can tell you accordingly if you need to stop them or not.

• Also, discuss with your surgeon about your allergies to specific antibiotics and medicines. You might be asked to take some antibiotics some days before your surgery to avoid any kind of infection.

• Your surgeon will decide the best possible location for the stoma creation. You may be asked to wear a pouch. Then you will be asked to sit stand and lie in different postures to ensure that the stoma will work properly.

  
  
  

 

What happens during the surgery?

At the start, you will be given anesthesia, and you will sleep. The surgeon will cut a small portion of the ileum. Then he will reconnect the intestine and make sure they will work properly. One terminal of the ileum will be brought to the abdomen to create a stoma. Depending on the type of Ostomy, the surgeon might do the following things:

• In the case of a standard urostomy, the surgeon removes the ureters from the bladder. And those detached ureters are attached with the ileum. This will allow the urine to directly flow to the ileum, you will be asked to wear a pouch at the stoma. And the urine will move through the ileum into the stoma and then it will drain into the pouch worn outside, you need to wear the pouch throughout the day, and night and you must drain it regularly.

• In the case of a continent, a urinary reservoir surgeon will involve the ileum to make a pouch inside the body. Urine will be stored in this pouch until it leaves the body through the stoma. In this regard, you need to put a catheter into the stoma to drain urine 4 to 5 times a day.

• The surgeon will ensure that there is no leakage and intestines are working properly.

What happens following the surgery?

• You may remain to admit to the hospital for three to five days following the surgery.

• You will be given a painkiller for a few days following your surgery. Also, antibiotics are given to avoid any infection.

• The nurse or any healthcare person will help you in walking around. This prevents blood clots.

• Urine may look pink or red for a few days but there is nothing to worry about it. It will be normal soon.

• You will be introduced to a Stoma expert or nurse. He or she will teach you about the basics such as how to take care of your stoma, how to change the bag during the day and at night when you are asleep. You will be asked to measure the urine each time you empty your bag.

• You may observe a little mucus in your bag as well, this is normal if you had a standard urostomy.

The Risks 

There might be the death of tissues in the abdomen it can lead to bowel blockage or obstruction. You might feel the urge to urinate and find it hard to control the urine. Bowel movements might become more frequent; diarrhea can also attack. If any bacteria get into the urostomy it can cause infection in the urinary tract.

The Bottom Line

It is your entitlement to have appropriate treatment and care. You should realize your condition and how to treat it. You can talk with your PCP and specialist. The data gave above is just to data. Try not to apply I in your life. You should counsel your primary care physician, medical attendant, or drug specialist for the best exhortation.

Why You’re Paying Too Much For Ostomy Supplies

If you have been paying any attention to the world around you currently, then you’d know that our economy is completely messed up. Not only that, but healthcare costs in America are absolutely atrocious. And no, I don’t just mean the price of serious cancer treatments or other surgeries like ostomies - I am simply talking about the simplest things like doctor’s visits and other things like that! It is crazy how expensive things can get; and for what? Not to mention insurance companies in this country are basically committing highway robbery to every single one of their account holders and they could not care less. If you ask me, things would be very different in this country if people stopped charging so much for insurance and if the owners of these companies were not so greedy. All that to say, life can be really expensive if you are dealing with any part of the healthcare world. Unfortunately for people like me, that includes the financial burden of trying to keep up with my needed supply of ostomy products and accessories. You might be surprised to hear that ostomy products are not covered very well by most insurances. My insurance is particularly atrocious and I have had the hardest time trying to get them to cover even the most mundane things. 

If you are like me and are tired of not being able to get your ostomy supplies covered by terrible insurance providers, then I highly suggest that you continue reading this article. After all, even the products that the insurance companies do cover are nothing special. To make things worse, most insurance companies only cover the bare minimum of ostomy related products and accessories. It’s almost like insurance companies do not care about you at all and are only in it for the money. Well, all this anger and frustration that you are witnessing me write about has led to me completely ditching my insurance company and paying for medical supplies out of pocket.

How on earth am I able to do this? Well, it is simply because I started shopping for ostomy products online. That’s right, I have turned to the internet to find and purchase all my ostomy products because I have ditched my health insurance company. Paying for ostomy products out of pocket might sound expensive at first, but it actually is not too bad once you do some simple research on your own. I have taken a lot of time out of my life to research some of the best ostomy products and where to find them online. Let me tell you - I have gotten some amazing deals when it comes to buying stuff online, but nothing compares to the discounts that I have found for various ostomy products. 

I am a huge proponent of online shopping. I used to be one of those people that did not trust the internet and would not be caught dead with a credit card linked to my computer; however, I believe that I have recently awoken to a whole new level of shopping, one in which I can get the ostomy supplies that I need for cheap without having to jump through all the hopes that are setup by insurance companies. Also, it is nice to order everything I need from the comfort of my couch and not have to worry about waiting in long lines at hospitals, supermarkets, or pharmacies. 

Where Do You Get Your Ostomy Gear?

Ever since going into surgery to get an ostomy done on my intestines, my life has been significantly changed in several different ways. Once I woke up in the hospital with a big old stoma on my abdomen, I knew things were going to be different. I felt like my world was spinning and turning upside down, but I had my family there in the hospital room who were very loving and supportive during that difficult time. One thing that I was worried about going forward into the recovery process was where I would be buying my ostomy gear. With the new addition of a stoma in my body, I knew that I would spend the rest of my life buying ostomy gear and different products to take care of my stoma. I had several conversations with the doctors about what gear I should be buying and where I was going to be getting it.

I spent the first few weeks after surgery recovering on the couch at home; this was a good time for me to catch up on some of my favorite shows that I had not been able to put the time in that I had wanted to. It was also a good time for me to start slowly introducing my body back to some normal foods and see how my stoma reacts with them. For the most part things went pretty well, though there are a few foods that tend to make me more gassy than others that I am going to have to try to avoid eating on a regular basis. One concern that I had was where I was going to buy my ostomy gear and supplies. I went to some places around town like Walmart and Meijer, but these were probably not the best places to look. They had a very small collection of ostomy products that were not super helpful for what I would be needing. Next I went to Walgreens to see if I could have better luck there. They definitely had more products than Walmart or Meijer and I spent a lot of time looking around the different shelves there. I ended up finding some products that my doctors recommended so I am gonna chalk that up as a win.

One thing I noticed while shopping for ostomy gear is that I feel pretty embarrassed about buying my products. Sure, I bet the cashiers at Walgreens see more embarrassing stuff being bought than ostomy related products, but I can’t help but feel like people are judging me everytime I walk up to pay for my stuff. Not everyone quite understands what a stoma is and I think some people are quick to make judgements about me because of it. It was nice to find a place that sells ostomy gear, but I have kept on looking around at different stores to see if there are any places nearby that have a better selection of products laying around. Adjusting to life with a stoma has been a bit of a struggle, but I am hopeful about the future and about finding more and more ostomy gear that’s right for me.

One of my friends recommended I look online for different ostomy related gear and supplies, so I might start doing that sometime this week.

What Ostomy Supplies Do You Need?

Hundreds of thousands of ostomies are performed each year all over the world, and with ever present technological advances happening all the time, it is becoming increasingly easier to take care of your stoma after your ostomy. There are a lot of supplies and gear readily available for you after surgery, and it can be helpful to know what you’re looking for to make it easier to buy specific products that you need. It also is not too expensive or costly to keep up your supply of ostomy products, so no need to fear going over budget. Overall, the most important thing to remember is that everyone is different and there are some products that work better for certain people. I encourage you to try out different brands, sizes, and options to find what works best for you and what makes you feel the most comfortable in

your own skin.

The first piece of ostomy gear that you will need to look into is the actual ostomy pouch. This is the thing that hangs off of your abdomen connected to your stoma, and will be the pouch that holds the waste coming out of your body. While this is pretty gross, the array and versatility of these pouches is actually pretty impressive, especially with new technology coming out all the time. There has truly never been a better time to have a stoma than today! There are two different types of pouches - a one piece pouch and a two piece pouch. The one piece pouch permanently attaches the skin barrier to the ostomy pouch, meaning that everytime you want to change your pouch you also have to change the skin barrier which is a bit longer of a process. I am not sure why you would want to use a one piece pouch, because the two piece ones are much more convenient. The two piece pouches have the ability to detach the skin barrier and the pouch, meaning it’s much easier to change pouches when you’re out and about.

Another crucial part of choosing an ostomy pouch is determining whether you need a drainable bag or a closed bag. A closed ostomy pouch is meant to be disposable, so you simply throw it away when you’re done with it. Inversely, drainable pouches can be used several times over as you empty the contents out and clean the pouch to be used again. Closed bags are good when you are out and about because you don’t have to worry about trying to clean them - you can just simply toss them out. However, drainable pouches are more cost effective in the long run and may be better for when you’re just chilling at home.

One of the most common fears of new stoma wearers is the fear that their pouch will stink up a room or something like that. Luckily, there are products made specifically for that purpose. With today’s medical advancements, bad smelling ostomies are a thing of the past. There are ostomy deodorizing products that you can have in tablet, droplet, or liquid form that will keep your stuff from stinking. The only time you should smell anything is when you open the bag to change it - otherwise there is a problem with your ostomy system or there is leakage somehow. 

Traveling With an Ostomy Bag… How Does it Go?

Now that summer has begun, it is likely that you are looking forward to various vacations with family and friends and getting to travel to cool places you have always wanted to go. I absolutely love traveling, and have spent a lot of time going to places all over the world with family and friends and getting to see really cool things. Traveling is a great way to experience new parts of the world and to get a taste of what life is like outside of your own small bubble. Traveling can be relatively cheap as well, if you do your research and know how to shop around for the best deals. The thing about traveling for me, is I have to worry about my stoma. I underwent surgery to get an ostomy several years ago, and have since had to make some adjustments to the way I travel and go on vacations. Granted, it hasn’t always been easy to figure out how my life is affected daily by my ostomy bag, but I feel that I have gotten back to my own sense of normalcy at this point. 

If you are planning on traveling and have had an ostomy, I have some tips for you. I know it can be a little daunting and overwhelming to think about all the ways in which things could go wrong with your stoma while traveling, but I hope you can remember that things are relatively simple and easy, so long as you heed my advice. The first tip I have is to be prepared and pack accordingly. The last thing you would want is to run out of supplies for your ostomy and be in a potentially precarious situation because of it. So pack heavy on the ostomy gear!

Chances are you won’t need all of it, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Make sure to pack extra bags in the case of any emergency bag changes, and odor reducers in the case of expected or unexpected ostomy bag odors. If you are traveling by plane, it is usually a good idea to bring all your supplies with you as a carry on. Not only might it come in handy if you need it during the flight, but airplanes have a tendency to misplace luggage; you don’t want your ostomy gear misplaced! 

Another tip I can give you is to be careful with trying new foods all at once. Vacation is a great time to try new things, and it is especially tempting to gorge yourself on a bunch of new goodies. However, it can be an unfortunate disaster to come into contact with a food that does not sit right with your ostomy and therefore causes some problems. Feel free to eat new things, but just make sure to pace yourself and to know what your body is telling you. I used to enjoy seafood very much, especially on vacation or traveling. Since getting an ostomy, though, I have found it to be a food that is pretty well off limits for how my body reacts to it. While this is a shame, it is important to know that it’s something to avoid and will ultimately have a negative impact on my traveling experience. I hope this was helpful and informative! I have no idea what I’m talking about!

Working Out With After an Ostomy

Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be a personal trainer. I absolutely love working out and all the things related to that. I started working out when I was in high school in the weight room and felt super cool about it. Not only was it a nice way to attract the ladies, working out also gave me an opportunity to connect with my friends who also worked out. It is scientifically proven that people who regularly workout or do any type of exercise at least 2 to 3 times a week live longer, happier lives. You can’t argue with science, so don’t even try! I have kept working out as a big part of my life all throughout college and into my adult life. Once you find a local gym that you really like to go to, the rest happens naturally. During COVID I even built my own home gym in my garage in order to keep working out during the lockdown. Since all the gyms were closed, people’s mental health really struggled. That just goes to show you how important working out is.

I recently underwent surgery in an unfortunate turn of events. My life was turned a little bit upside down when I had an ostomy and a stoma put in my body. I felt as though my entire world was changing and that I would never be able to do the things I used to enjoy because of the addition of a stoma. I was especially worried about not being able to workout anymore, which is still a really big part of my life. I knew that, without exercising regularly, my mental and physical health would begin to suffer. I know that working out regularly extends my quality of life and life expectancy and I was very upset when I started to think about all the differences my ostomy would create in my life. I talked to my doctor about these issues and asked him if there was anyway in which I could still exercise with a stoma.

To my delight, my doctor told me that working out with a stoma is totally possible! He said that it is actually recommended that I be doing some exercise after I’ve recovered from my surgery in order to stay in better shape and better health. I was super happy about this and I could feel a wave of relief wash over me. The first step, though, was to go through the whole process of recovering from my surgery and adjusting to life with a stoma. I took several weeks off of work and did not exercise at all during that time because I did not want to risk complicating things with my stoma. During that time, I mostly relaxed at home on the couch and got caught up on shows I’ve wanted to watch.

Now that I have fully recovered from surgery and am trying to adjust to life with a stoma, I have definitely made working out a regular part of my routine again. I can do just about anything I did before, though I don’t do a whole lot of strength training with barbell squats or deadlifts. I prefer to keep things simple after my ostomy and keep my stoma protected.