Having an ileostomy or colostomy can alter your life significantly. Read more about having an ileostomy or colostomy, and how to care for it. What is a colostomy? An opening (stoma) of the large intestine onto the surface of the abdomen is known as a colostomy. This ostomy bypasses the diseased part of the large bowel that includes rectum and anus, meaning that your stool will pass through the stoma. The most common reason for a colostomy is bowel cancer. In most of the cases, a colostomy is temporary. The surgeon creates it to treat the diseased part of the colon. When the colon heals, the surgeon reverses the colostomy by reconnecting the now-healed segment of the colon to the active segment. Women with cervical cancer, which has spread out of the womb, may need to undergo a major operation called pelvic exenteration. This operation involves the creation of a colostomy, which is mostly permanent. Other types of cancers may also result in colostomies. Whether or not those colostomies are permanent depends on a case-to-case basis. What is an ileostomy? The operation that involves the temporary removal of the entire colon or a part of it results in a temporary ileostomy. The surgeon will join the ends of the colon back together to reverse this ileostomy when the diseased part of the intestinal tract heals. This reversal, known as a stoma reversal, requires another surgical procedure. If a large part of your colon has to be removed, and there is no way to join the ends of the colon back together, the ileostomy you get is permanent. Your surgeon will try to avoid this if possible. The stoma nurse The role of a stoma care nurse if significant before and after ostomy surgery. These individuals provide necessary counseling along with crucial information that you need to adapt to an ostomy, which tends to be one of the most significant changes in your life. After your surgery, an ostomy nurse will visit your ward to help you through the initial recovery phase, which may last 2-3 days. After that, the nurse will help you look after your stoma and the skin around it. They will also teach you how to empty and change your ostomy bag. Based on the type of your stoma, they will help you to find the most appropriate type of ostomy bag for you. At the time of your discharge from the hospital, your nurse will provide you several stoma bags to take home. This initial bulk of supplies will be free. Looking after your stoma
Learning to look after your stoma can be a time-taking process, and it might get worrisome during the first few days. Generally, you might not be able to expect to cope with this change anytime soon. But, it gets easier over time, and it becomes your second nature managing your stoma and the skin around it. A significant part of ostomy care has to do with the use of ostomy supplies. You are going to have to make sure that you have kept all your necessary supplies in one place. If possible, arrange everything in sets. This way, you will be able to pick a set every time you need a pouch change.
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Kendrick Villasenor
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