Stoma Surgery: Things You May Want To Know

Several medical conditions can lead patients to require an opening in the abdominal wall to evacuate bodily waste. It happens when those medical conditions cause the inability of the digestive or urinary tract to excrete wastes through normal excretory pathways. In some cases, cancer in either tract could require a patient to undergo surgery, which might result in the removal or bypassing of the end part of that tract.

The diversion made to evacuate waste opens in the abdominal wall. That opening is called a stoma. It is a circular, pinkish, small piece of flesh sewn to the outer skin of the abdomen. Over the top of your stoma, you will have to wear an ostomy pouch to collect bodily waste. With no nerve ending, your stoma is not going to feel any pain.

That said, it would be worth talking about the types of ostomy.

• Colostomy: It is the type of ostomy created on the colon. Typically, the end of the colon is pulled through the abdominal wall to create a stoma. Depending on the location, there are different types of colostomy. This ostomy evacuates more firm stool from the intestinal tract.
• Ileostomy: The type of ostomy involving the creation of a stoma using the small intestine (or ileum) is known as an ileostomy. Because this ostomy involves removal or bypassing of the entire colon, it evacuates stool in liquid form. The stool consistency will thicken once your body adapts to your ileostomy.
• Urostomy: Your doctor may choose to remove your bladder due to any severe medical condition, such as bladder cancer. The same surgical procedure involving the bladder removal also involves diversion of ureters, which are connected to a piece from the ileum. The other end of the ileum appears in the abdomen, creating the stoma.

Stoma: What to expect

The concept of living with an ostomy seems daunting, but the matter of fact is that once you recover from surgery, you are all set to get back to your routine life. You are going to have to make a few adjustments, though.

Before surgery, you will need to visit an ostomy care nurse for blood tests and other preparations. They may also give you laxatives to prep your bowel. The nurse will mark the area on your abdomen to determine the location of your stoma.

After surgery, the surgical staff will take you to a colorectal ward. They will monitor you for a few days to make sure that ostomy surgery hasn’t caused any complications. Your stoma will not be active in the first 3-5 days after surgery. Once it becomes active, you will start passing out your stool through it. Your nurse will teach you how to use an ostomy bag to manage your stoma.

Living with an ostomy

If you have a permanent ostomy, you are going to have to be committed to the use of ostomy bags and supplies for your lifetime. At the start, it might seem daunting, but it will get easier as time goes by. The key to successfully managing your stoma is the use of the ostomy appliance that fits your requirements.

If you face any difficulty in your ostomy care regimen, you can call an ostomy care nurse in your area or your doctor.

Things You May Want To Know About Ostomy Reversal Surgery

We all know about permanent ostomies. If you have a permanent ostomy, you are going to have to live with that for the rest of your life. But in many cases, you get an ostomy for your colon, or a part of it, to heal before the surgeon decides to reconnect that disconnected part of the colon. This surgical reconnection is called ostomy reversal surgery, and it tends to bring everything back on track like before your ostomy.

If you have an ostomy and there is a reversal of it due in the next few months, now is the right time to have a discussion about it with your surgeon. Depending on your case, reversal surgery can be a simpler procedure as compared to the one that resulted in the stoma. You may not require a large incision like the one which is required for ostomy surgery. For instance, if you have a loop ostomy, your surgeon will be well aware of your need to undergo reversal surgery in the future. Such reversal generally requires incision only around the stoma. The surgeon makes that incision and reconnects the colon. That section is closed with sutures.

Before reversal surgery

You are going to have to talk to your surgeon about the type of reversal surgery and the preparation required before the surgery. For instance, your surgeon may prefer cleaning your bowel as a necessary part of the bowel preparation procedure if you have a colostomy. And if you have an ileostomy, you may not require this cleaning procedure. All you are going to need is fasting for 24 hours to clean out your system before you go for the surgery.

There can be a reasonable amount of diarrhea after reversal surgery. While you need to keep wet wipes with you the entire time, it’s a good idea to have skin-protecting cream that you may apply to your bottom to avoid or soothe soreness that tends to happen very quickly due to the frequent use of wipes.

After reversal surgery

You might not have complete control over your bowel after the ostomy reversal surgery. How quickly you will be able to go the toilet without using a pouch depends on the type of surgery and the length of time you have had your stoma.

It’s normal for things to get back on track after reversal surgery. Your bowel had been disconnected from its usual route for quite a while. It might take a considerable amount of time for your colon and its related muscles to gain back the strength they had before surgery. You may also try out a few techniques to test your muscles that have to deal with the waste excretion.

It’s an ideal approach to keep in touch with your doctor after reversal surgery to make sure that your recovery is going well.

Drainable vs. Closed Ostomy Pouch

In this article, we are going to talk about drainable and closed ostomy pouches. Both the two-piece and one-piece ostomy bags can be drainable and closed-end.

Closed ostomy bags come with a sealed bottom, and, so, you need to discard them after using them once. There is no way you can clean them to reuse. These bags are perfect for the ostomates who have to deal with less stomal discharge. That said, this bag might not be of much use for the people with ileostomy or urostomy, because their stomal output is almost consistent.

Closed ostomy pouches promise great convenience. If you are at your friend’s house or you need to change your bag in a public washroom, you can consider using a closed ostomy bag. This ostomy bag’s ease of use benefits from the fact that you don’t need to drain the waste out of a filled bag. You can discard a used ostomy bag, and connect a new one to your stoma.

In the washroom, you are going to have to take off the bag. You don’t have to remove the barrier if this ostomy bag is a part of the two-piece ostomy pouching system. Only disconnecting the ostomy bag from the wafer would do. If this bag is a one-piece ostomy pouching system, you are going to have to take the barrier off from your skin very gently. Clean the peristomal skin and prep it for the new bag. Discard the filled bag in a trash bin. Since this bag will be sealed from all sides, there is no chance of odor or leakage to occur.

Drainable ostomy pouches are the reusable bags. These ostomy bags come with an integrated clip or a closure system to allow you to open the seal and empty the ostomy bag when it’s full. Different brands are manufacturing drainable ostomy bags, and each of those brands works a little differently. However, the central concept of these bags is the same. They use a clip or closure system that requires very little strength or dexterity to form a seal at the open end of the pouch.

What’s necessary to note here is that each of the pouching systems is intended to make the stoma care easier for ostomates. Whether or not an ostomy pouching system is beneficial depends heavily on your type of ostomy or your personal preferences. If you have to deal with more watery stoma output, you are going to find a drainable ostomy bag a better option. If your stool is more firm and less firm, you can safely go for a closed ostomy bag. You can also discuss with your doctor or nurse whether or not a particular pouching system fits your requirements.

Basketball professional with an ostomy

When I was just a child, I loved to watch and play basketball. I wanted to play in the NBA when I got older. When I had an accident while playing college ball, I thought my chances of playing were over. I did not realize that I had already been selected to play for a team when it had happened, but when I got visited in the hospital, I realized my dreams would become a reality. I was also going to be the first of my kind. 

All throughout my childhood and young adulthood, I played basketball for my school I was attending. I was one of the best players on the team in high school, and because of that, I was able to get a full scholarship to a division one school to play basketball. My very first game in college was extraordinary. The roar of the crowd seemed to shake the stadium. I could feel it in my chest; what a fantastic feeling. I was having one of the best games of my life even I was surprised, but I wanted to prove myself. I got a little cocky in the final quartered and dunked on the person who was guardian me, and he did not like that. In the next play, he came at me full charge. You would have thought it was football with how hard he hit me. I got set at least a few feet back and blacked out. 

When I woke up, I was in the hospital with some of my team members around me. The doctor told me the hit had ruptured my large intestine, and I would be needing to get a permanent colostomy procedure. I was devastated, but I understood. I had thought my basketball career was over. After my process was done and I woke up in the recovery room, there was a man who I had never seen before. He told me he was a recruiter from the Chicago bulls, and they were interested in talking with me. I was speechless. When I could finally form words, I asked him if he was aware of my situation. He said yes, and that did not change their desire. When I got out of the hospital, I put in so much work to improve my game because I knew I was being watched. 

As the college years were winding down, I was able to speak with the NBA recruiter, and he was still interested in having me be a part of the team. It was a no brainer for me. I took him up on his offer, and just like that, I was the first NBA professional with an ostomy. I do not wear my pouch when I play as it hinders my movement a bit, and I can not afford that. I also wear a custom-made metal protector to cover my stoma, as any brutal hit will have drastic effects. I have been on the Bulls for close to three years now, and they are comparing me to the likes of Lebron James, and at times I have heard them say I may even be better than him. What a confidence booster. 

I’m glad to have had my ostomy procedure because now I stand as a symbol for people like me and show them that they can do anything. When I had my procedure, much like them, I thought my life was over, but really it was only just beginning. 

How is Life with a Colostomy? Care at Home

A colostomy is a surgery that creates a new passage for the excretion of solid waste from the stomach. The incision is a hole in the belly wall and is called a colostomy. Well, we can say that this will be the new organ in your body. However, you will have to take care of it as you do for the eyes, teeth, and other organs. Therefore, we have brought some keen and necessary information about colostomy and its care at home.

Why You Need Colostomy?

Usually, it happens as a result of cancer or a serious injury in the colon. Moreover, it is a temporary process and a patient has to go through two surgeries. One is to create a stoma and the second is to close it. It takes place to give your colon a rest. It needs some time to get heal and recover from the disease. Thus, for a few months, you will have to poop out through the stoma, appeared in your belly. Moreover, an ostomate will have to take care of this organ. It will require some extra and vigilant routine. Like cleaning of the stoma, changing of ostomy pouching system, avoid leakage, and other necessary care. Moreover, after the reversal of ostomy surgery, you only need time to get it healed. No need to use pouches, bags, flanges, and other accessories. However, it needs some ointments and medicines for recovery. In case of some serious accident, you might need a colostomy. Sometimes due to an injury or blockage in the colon, a person will have to go through a colostomy. The operation occurs as a result of a disease like constant constipation or piles. Therefore, in such cases, the colostomy will be temporary. After the healing of the primary disease, surgeons will reverse the process.

Shape and Structure of Colostomy Stoma

Well, it will create a hole or opening in your belly wall. The shape could be round and oval. It depends on the weight of the patient. Moreover, with time, if an ostomate loses his/her weight or vice versa, things will get changed regarding the size and shape of the stoma opening. Moreover, when it comes to the color of the stoma, it is usually red or dark pink. Well, these colors show that the stoma is in normal health. Well, it becomes maroon or dark black, if it is not healthy. Moreover, a moist opening is healthy. If gets dry, then it has some problems and you need to visit your doctor or WOC nurse. Maintaining an appropriate level of pH for the peristomal skin and stoma is necessary. That is why you need to visit your doctor after a few days. Do not allow your body and opening to get dehydrated.

Help From WOC or Stoma Nurse

The primary guide on stoma care, you will receive from your doctor and stoma nurse. Therefore, ask each and everything regarding care from your nurse. He/she is your first guide. They are some experienced people who exactly know the shape and type of your ostomy. Thus, they will guide you on what to do with the opening and which color is normal. Moreover, they will guide you about the appliances of the stoma. When you are a new ostomate, you do not know what to do with the accessories, how to change them, and when to change them. Therefore, first, you will have to take a complete guide from your nurse, then follow it.

Care at Home

An ostomate always gets scared of taking care of the opening at home. People assume that it would be tough and won’t be easy for them. Well, you only need to learn how to change the ostomy pouching system and what the right time is. Also, make sure that you are using high-quality adhesive for the pasting of wafers and flanges. Moreover, do not eat anything that is not suitable for your stomach.