Colostomy surgery may be an answer to several digestive conditions, including colon cancer, intestinal obstruction, Crohn’s disease, and diverticulitis. The idea of having colostomy surgery can be fearsome for many people, but the truth is that it may improve their quality of life, or even save their life. The surgical procedure to create a colostomy involves the removal of a part of the colon and bringing the end of the active part of the colon out through the abdominal wall to create a stoma, which allows the stool to leave the body. The patient has to wear an ostomy bag over the stoma to collect the waste. A colostomy can be permanent or temporary. A temporary colostomy, or loop colostomy, is when your doctor chooses to put the diseased part of the colon to rest. This procedure may involve making an incision on the side of the colon, and bringing that side out through the abdominal wall to create a stoma. This way, the stool passes out of the stoma instead of proceeding to the diseased part of the colon. When the colon heals, the surgeon reconnects both ends and put the colon in its natural arrangement. A permanent colostomy, also known as end colostomy, is when your doctor decides to remove the diseased part of the colon due to severe illness that becomes untreatable. After removing the diseased part of the colon, the surgeon brings the end of the active colon out through the abdominal wall to create a stoma. Types of colostomy surgery Each colostomy type differs from the others based on the colon’s location where a stoma has to be created. A colon can be divided into four segments: ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid.
Surgery: what to expect Colostomy surgery is generally a major operation, which requires you to stay in the hospital for 7-10 days. The recovery at home can take six weeks. It starts with the preparations that you are going to have to take several days before surgery. It could include discontinuing medications that you take. Your ostomy care nurse will run several tests to make sure that you are fully ready to undergo the surgical procedure. You may have to take laxatives a day before surgery to clear your colon. The surgical procedure starts with the surgeon administering anesthesia to put you to sleep. You will remain unconscious during the entire surgical procedure. After you will awake, the stoma care nurse will attach a stoma bag over your stoma. You are going to have to use stoma bags to manage your colostomy for the rest of your life or until your doctor decides to reverse your stoma. During the hospital stay, your nurse will guide you through the process of stoma care that includes emptying and changing the ostomy bag, and taking care of the skin around the stoma.
You may be able to leave the hospital after the initial recovery completes, and your bowel starts having movements. The recovery at home may take six weeks. During this time, you are going to have pay attention to your diet, and make sure that you have complete bed rest. After six weeks, you may start including your favorite foods in your diet, and engage in physical activity. It is crucial to remain in touch with your ostomy care nurse and doctor as long as you have a stoma, which might mean an entire lifetime if you have a permanent colostomy. It looks terrifying at first, but you will get used to it over time, and it won’t be bothersome anymore.
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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. |
Kendrick Villasenor
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