Managing Your Recovery From Stoma Surgery

A stoma is any hold that opens into the human body; the plural form of the word is stomata. Occasionally artificial stoma is used surgically to treat different health conditions. Recovering from stoma surgery can take a little while, but as long as you do what is necessary, it should not be a problem.

Stoma Appearance And Pain Management

The first few dozen days after your surgery, the stoma will be swollen and large. It could even start to use bodily fluids. Over the first couple of months after your stoma surgery, it will reduce in size significantly.

Most patients are given control over analgesic medication after their surgery with a patient control button.

These allow you to control the painkillers' level in your body to manage pain post-surgery effectively.

Immediately After Your Surgery

When you wake up from your surgery, you can expect to be in the hospital for 1 to 2 weeks recovering. You will be discharged once your new stoma is functioning correctly. During the time you are at the hospital, the nurses and doctors will help teach you how to take care of yourself.

Learning How To Take Care Of Yourself

Eating and drinking need a bit of relearning after stoma surgery. Immediately after surgery, you will likely only be able to digest liquids.

Over a few days, your gastrointestinal system will come back online. Some foods that are difficult to digest are essential to avoid if you have a stoma. These can include things like popcorn or potato skins.

Moving Around Again

Avoid the temptation to just lay around in bed all day after your surgery. The quicker you get up and moving again, the faster your recovery will be. It is normal to feel a little weak after your surgery, but you should regain your strength quickly.

What To Expect Once You Arrive Back Home

When you get back home, expect to still feel soreness around your stoma and bowels. Do not live over actively for the first few weeks after leaving the hospital. Eight weeks is the typical length of time for a full stoma surgery recovery.

Exercise Precautions

Lifting heavy weights is important to avoid for at least the first eight weeks after your surgery. If you raise more than 10 pounds, your chances of creating a hernia at the stoma site are extraordinarily elevated and can cause future issues if the stoma ruptures.

Showers And Baths

When you take a shower or a bath, it is your choice to leave your stoma back on or off. You do need to make sure that any bath products you use do not leave any remaining fits behind on your skin, or it could interfere with the functioning of your ostomy wafer.

Changing Your Stoma Bag

It would be best if you had been taught how to change your stoma bag at the hospital. Make sure to regularly take measurements during your first few weeks home to monitor the size changes. Ensure you have an excellent hermetic seal around your stoma to prevent your banks from leaking when you change them.

 

Going into regular office work with your new stoma

I have been a fan of working in all kinds of locations and doing lots of different things.  I now enjoy the fact that I have a great office view and that I am able to walk around and simply enjoy my day how I want.  But most people don't have that luxury.  In fact, most people work in a cubicle in a dark damp place.  That is in the United States, so what kind of life do you want to live. I don't want to ever spend 9 to 12 hours a day in a closet.   For most of us we will say some sort of America Dream jargon and always say live life to the fullest. That is not possible for many or at some times in your life.  I would absolutely agree that you should be able to live the life you want to no matter what that is and not let the fact that you have a stoma get in the way.  If you have a stoma then some medical conditions can in some ways really limit your life but for most people who have had an ostomy their lives are normal, active, and fulfilling.  I always try to give people positive news and a good outlook on their future.  To me having a stoma has not hurt my regular workings of life.  Unless you are told by your healthcare provider that you shouldn't be out and active, then you should find ways to live life to the best of your ability.  Don't let a simple thing that has an insanely good gear in 2021 keep you from living your best life.

The research I have done has allowed me to live a wild and adventurous life outside of work.  It has also allowed me to enjoy my office and go play a game of pool and not have to worry about my ostomy bag.  I have found that by using quality gear you are able to not worry about your stoma nearly as much. To me, this is because you have less anxiety rather things will go wrong.  There are a ton of companies I buy gear from. 

Each of them is for different reasons and before I sound like a marketing commercial just know that I like to use multiple companies and mostly because they have nice customer service and good quality control.  In my life, most companies live and die in my mind off those two areas because those areas are what can cause conflict.  If something goes wrong and gets taken care of is what drives my opinion on a company.  So if the product has great quality control then it is likely I won't have to deal with Customer Service in a negative light and only contact to ask questions. But if something goes wrong and customer service is fast, polite and understanding thanI won't have a negative feeling and will continue to use the company.  I have found both to be outstanding and that is why I am a loyal customer to the companies who treat me the best.

This matters when I need gear every second of the day.  I want to know I am safe and now going to work is a daily thing and to me being comfortable is a big deal. I generally work at a desk now and I like to make sure my body won't be in pain during the day.  

Learning to camp outdoors with your stoma

I truly love being outside and living up what I feel is my best life. With the weather changing and many people are more than ready to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors.  I know I sure am and my family is big on seeing new things every single year! It is simply part of who I am and who my family is too.  The joy of exploring, learning, and seeing new and rare places is one of the best parts of life.  The newest of places is not always the best and sometimes just going to that old familiar camping ground or spot is just the ticket.  But the important part is to go out and be there. 

So It is important for me and my family to enjoy our trip as much as possible and we do that by being safe and planning out the weekend just a little before we show up.  If you show up and find yourself simply without plans, sometimes that can be stressful and that is the last thing you want. But there is something to planning and in some cases it is necessary. Now I would say I plan a little bit more because of my stoma and that keeps me ahead of the game because I want to make sure my ostomy care is top-notch when I am out in the wild.  I also don't want to think about it any more than I have to while I am enjoying a nice weekend outside. So keeping up with the best gear helps me to do that in more than just ostomy gear. 

Don't go in blind when you visit a new place or go camping.  It is nice to know what is available and that is part of choosing a really good spot to be.  So I like to plan at least one or two activities to do when we are camping before we show up.  This by no means we are going to do them, but if I have some options that are readily available and people start getting bored or antsy it is nice not to have to come up with something on the spot. It also helps me plan my ostomy care and know what I need to pack on the adventure we have planned.  At least that's my personal thoughts on it.  Have you ever had two dogs barking at neighbors, kids screaming for absolutely no reason, and a wife that is ready to go home and is also getting bored? That is simply a recipe for a disaster and a very good chance you won't be camping for a long time.  So by not worrying about what you are going to be doing you can attend to the screaming children, or work on the barking dog before it all happens at once.  That is a joy of doing a little bit of planning. 

It is not all bad to plan and I suggest making sure you have all the ostomy products you need and maybe even double in case something goes wrong.  Sometimes people also need a little organization in their lives to enjoy their time.  Now go out and enjoy the great outdoors and be free to live a happy life of adventure.