Colostomy Advice Please

I haven't one, ZG.
I do know that people with chronic bowel problems often find them life-enhancing compared to their quality of life before.
& there are 205,000 people in the UK living with a stoma, so you will be joining a big group.
Hope someone with personal experience will be along soon.

I’ve had one, DH has had three in last 3 years.

It’s a very easy procedure, if you’re offered sedation and you have someone dropping you off and collecting it, please accept it.

DH declined then more polyps were discovered, as they were small, they were chopped off immediately - ouchy.

You’ll be talked through everything and it’s normally a fairly quick and painless process, unless they plan on biopsy or removal of anything, hence my suggestion of sedation.

Good luck

I had a colostomy after surgery for bowel cancer. I had it for six months, but after some research, I learned a reversal was possible.
I spoke to my consultant about this and he said it was possible but a large number failed and had to return to the colostomy.
I found the whole thing upsetting and difficult, I tried many types and adaptations with the colostomy set up but I had several mishaps with it.
I decided to push ahead with the reversal. I was home within a week, and while it took some time to get near a normal toileting, I was happy to persevere and am still very happy ten years later and pretty much back to normal.
I hope this is helpful or at least another option for you.
Also, I have to say my treatment after the cancer diagnosis, I had the very best treatment from nurses several times a week to check on me, cat scan and MRI within two weeks and surgery within the month.

No personal experience but friends who’ve had them have found the colostomy nurses really kind and helpful.

Oh, did you mean a Colonoscopy?
A thin, flexible tube with a camera examines the entire large bowel, very different and much quicker than what I described

Good luck any way

I’m so sorry, I misread your original post and thought it said, colonoscopy.

Many apologies and good luck x

saymyname

Oh, did you mean a Colonoscopy?
A thin, flexible tube with a camera examines the entire large bowel, very different and much quicker than what I described

Good luck any way

No I think I misread x

My mum did decades ago, and it was life changing. She was virtually housebound due to ulcerative colitis before the operation, and was able to live a normal life afterwards.

The operation wasn’t easy, but she never regretted it.
I would hope there has been huge progress too in technology, pain relief and the systems used since she had hers.

Good luck ZACSGRANNY

My .other had an ileostomy- she was so relieved to not have her previous problems.

There is a young woman with one who talks about it and campaigns so I'll see if I can find her info.
I think she's an inspiration.

I had a colostomy operation after a bowel cancer diagnosis twenty-five years ago. I have a permanent stoma, due to the fact that the cancer was in my rectum. It was life saving for me and given me another 25 years of life. You will have great support from specialist stoma nurses before and after the operation and like most people with a stoma, it'll become part of your life. I think nowadays some operations can be done with keyhole surgery.

I know a couple of people who I only knew had a colostomy after it being mentioned in passing .
They live perfectly full lives and no-one would suspect that they had them.
I understand how difficult it is at first to come to terms with , emotionally it is so hard but they have both said it has been life changing for the better.
I wish you the best of luck for your future.

I can't find her now but here are some others sites where people talk about living with a stoma. The third one has several people talking.

www.stocare.co.uk/
thecolostomyqueen.com/
stoma4life.com

I hope your surgery and recovery is straightforward and that soon, like my mum, you adjust to this new way of living.
She was truly grateful - and so was I.

One of my oldest friends had an ileostomy when she was only twenty three years old and newly married.
She is now eighty six.
I wish you well for the future.

See above!

My husband has had a colostomy and a urostomy for 20 years, due to extensive cancer. Apart from the recovery from surgery, and getting used to dealing with both, each requiring different products and care he has had no problems at all. The stoma nurses were brilliant, during his hospital stay and later at home. You will be fine Zaksgranny. I wish you luck and feel free to private message me any time. 😊

I have had one since 2017. I can’t pretend that it was easy getting used to it. It does involve Surgery after all. The main thing I would say is that you will be surprised that there are some foods that you used to be able to eat that you will struggle with, for example I can no longer eat nuts or sweetcorn and it’s not keen on onion! I do still eat these foods, but I have to be mindful of it Chew very thoroughly and only eat small quantities. It’s been particularly impactful for me because I am a vegetarian and fruit nuts and veg are a big part of my diet but I have found a workaround.
Also be aware that what you drink can effect things If you drink water too quickly I find the bag balloons out and there is a risk of it coming away! Consider if you want drainable bags or one piece systems, stoma nurses will explain all this to you.
I would also say that it’s worth shopping around for the products with different companies. I found some of the suppliers were less reliable than others in terms of delivery speed and products offered. Remember if you are flying abroad you will need to take a letter about the colostomy because it invariably gets picked up at security scanning stage.
Don’t forget to take supplies in your hand luggage as well as putting in hold luggage in case you need to have a change on the plane.

Apparently Frank Sinatra had one - so - in good company!

I am sure that surgical procedures and after care have moved on considerably since then. My friend had one and had no problems with it. Another friend had his recently and is doing very well indeed - out and about managing his smallholding.

I send you good wishes for this. There is always a recovery period then a need to adapt to new routines and sorting what diet suits you, but for so many it has been life-saving and given a whole new lease of life.

I’ve had so many I’m practically on first name terms with the Dr doing the procedure.
Honestly, there is absolutely nothing to worried about.

petra

I’ve had so many I’m practically on first name terms with the Dr doing the procedure.
Honestly, there is absolutely nothing to worried about.

Of course I read the word wrong 😂
My Nan had a colostomy for years ( thanks to her surgery refusing to come out and see her) but generally speaking everything was fine for years.

Thanks to everyone who replied. Sorry for the late reply. I haven't been well and spent 24 hours in the bathroom.

Yes, I did mean a Colostomy and a Stoma bag. Just waiting for a date for my operation. Been suffering badly and in and out of hospital for months and my Consultant has decided to remove a large part of my bowel. Also been told thar my pelvic floor has collapsed, so he isn't sure what else he will find when he operates.
He is hoping to do this robotically, but even so the time in hospital is around 10 days and recovery can be up to three months.

I have joined an online support group and the main warnings seems to be around mucous and hernias.
Level of care and support seems to vary, and be a bit of a postcode lottery.
What I have learned, is that being positive helps. Which is why I'm trying to learn all I can before my surgery.
I have already beaten a Brain Tumour so I won't let this get me. I'm determined this will improve my life, not make things worse!
{wink}

I had an permament ileostomy back in 1990 due to Ulcerative Colitus. For some years I was on my local Ileostomy Association cttee, giving support to those with these and those people in hospital having one.

It is life changing, and in so many cases totally live saving. I put my off for nearly ten years, frightened at the idea of 'a bag'. Back then so often the subject for comedians. Afterwards I felt really angry with myself, as I virtually lost those ten years of my life as I was so unwell for so much of the time.

Back then it was a very major operation and I was cut from between breasts right downwards (one of my daughters saw the dressings being changed once when i was in hospital and called it my 'teddy bear' stitches!!!

I was in hospital nearly two months and then many months afterwards to get recovery. BUT.....it did give me a proper life back and as I experimented with different foods I could now eat and enjoy, I was able to pick up all the activities I had given up during those long illness years.

So, 36 years later having that bag on my stomach is all I can really remember. Obviously, I would prefer NOT to have this, but without it I would have been long dead and not seen my children go into adulthood and my grandchildren growing up.

I believe many of these ops these days are keyhole, so not all those very many stitches and a great reduction in recovery time.

Anybody having or due to having such operations, should contact (in advance) the National Associations, any of them have trained 'supporters' who will visit and talk of their own experiences and give welcome help and advice.

Yes, there can be problems, but for a good 95% of the time, absolutely normal life can be followed. Few of my friends and aquaintences know about my bag, I do not feel the need to talk about this anymore they feel the need to discuss their own toilet behaviors.

Good Luck

ZACSGRANNY - I am sorry you have had a bad 24 hours. Hopefully after the surgery this sort of bad day will ease.

I can understand how daunting this must feel - but surgical procedures have moved on so much and thankfully there are support nurses and voluntary groups too.

I hope very much that it will all be a great success for you and give you a new lease of life.

Franbern what a positive post.

One way or another a lot of us have modern medical interventions which help us to live long enough and well enough to see our children and grandchildren grow.


Truly wishing you all the very best ZACSGRANNY

My friend had one over 20 years ago because she had a large tumour (thankfully benign) and although there are a few foods she can't eat, she manages very well.