Tips To Live With A Stoma

If you have bowel cancer, you may have to undergo surgery. This surgery may end up giving you a stoma, which is an opening in the abdomen to pass out body wastes.

During intestinal ostomy surgery, the surgeon brings an end of the bowel out through the abdominal wall. It creates an opening known as a stoma. An ileostomy is when the end of the small bowel is brought out, while a colostomy is when the end of the large intestine is pulled through a cut in the belly.

Both the ileostomy and colostomy can be permanent or temporary. Your surgeon will explain to you everything before surgery.

After surgery, you may find it hard to deal with the stoma during the first few days. During this time, you will need practical and emotional help. In case you need any guidance regarding how to take care of your stoma and bowel health, you can contact an ostomy care nurse. Over time, managing a stoma will become your second nature, and it will not bother you in any way.

Emotional impact

It is perfectly natural to have some concerns before and after ostomy surgery. You may be thinking too much about how other people will react. You may be a bit too worried about your body image. well, don’t worry. You will be perfectly fine once you recover from the impact of surgery. You can discuss anything and everything with an ostomy care nurse in the hospital. You can also speak to your doctor about your concerns.

You can contact these professionals any time after coming back home. You can also consider joining ostomy support groups to share your concerns and listen to others. Soon, you will be able to figure out solutions on your own.

Diet after surgery

It will take six to eight weeks for your bowel to recover from surgery. By that time, you may reclaim the ability to eat anything you want without causing any problem for your GI tract. A persistent bowel health problem, however, restrict you from eating everything you want.

When introducing new foods to your diet, be sure to introduce no more than one food at a time. Note the impact of that food. If it is not causing any problem, go ahead with it. If not, stay committed to your restricted diet plan until you are sure about the full recovery.

If you are concerned about gas and odor coming from your stoma, you may have to avoid eating foods that cause these problems.

You will also need to pay attention to your daily water intake. The amount of fluid will depend on whether you have a colostomy or ileostomy. A colostomy produces normal-looking stools. An ileostomy, on the other hand, passes out more water stools.

Working and other activities

You can continue to go to your workplace as you would do without an ostomy bag. You may, however, have to take a few breaks to check whether or not you have to empty or change your ostomy bag. You can discuss this with your employer in this regard.

Normally, you can engage in any sports after ostomy surgery. You will just have to allow your stoma to heal, and for that, you will have to wait for at least six weeks. Until that time, you can engage in lighter physical activities, such as walking.

 

Doing those big hikes with a stoma

This year for Christmas I got my wife some cool gifts.  She really wanted to see all the national parks in the country before she dies.  I decided to get some cool books with fun things to do in each and everyone for her to help plan.  Yes, the internet exists in 2021 but it is nice to have some solid things in life to remind you.  This is all pretty awesome because the United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Not only do we have a plethora of different types of people but the topography and the land we have is absolutely diverse.  Beauty beyond belief can be found on every continent, and I am just happy there is so much of it on the one I live.  Going to a national park can be a dramatically different experience depending on what side of the country you are on and there is always something new to see.  I love going out to visit different locations across this country and sometimes it is a little bit more work considering that I have a stoma.  Now I would say that for the most part, it is really not that much different than going to a park with a regular person, but I do tend to bring some extra gear along with me when I hit the parks. It is always wise to be prepared.  

So one of the things that my wife and I love to do is to go hiking.  One of my favorite parks to visit is the Grand Tetons and the amazing amount of views and hiking that can be done there is just overwhelming.  It is an incredible place and I like to make sure when I go that I am capable of seeing a lot of different things.  My average day in the Tetons consists of doing about 15-25 miles of hiking per day.  But with my wife, we do about 2 to 4 so we all can stay happy.

You really have to know when to do more or simply less.  Now this is a lot of physical work and many people would not think that it would be that fun, but with that amount of hiking, I get to see more then the average visitor would.  I prefer to take extra ostomy gear along with me on the hikes.  I usually use my Hollister Ostomy Supplies gear and it has served me well.  Now I would say this before you go and hit the trails make sure you have extra gear with you.  So if that means popping online and heading to Hollister Ostomy Supplies and making an order before you leave on your trip do it!.  It is always better to be prepared than not! 

As long as I have extra gear the biggest trouble is choosing what trail to hike!  My preference is to view places where people seldom go.  It makes the sights more precious to me and usually means it's simply more secluded and makes the whole trip seem wilder. But be smart and be safe with this whole thing too. Not every place is good to go with inexperienced people or people who don't want to be there.  Just be smart. 

Can you Ride a Motorcycle with a Stoma and be safe?

There are a few things in life that are really cool.  I enjoy doing some things that most people would never think of me doing.  One of those is enjoying a good motorcycle ride.  I would admit that I am most definitely a person that does not fit that whole mold. My look does not scream Harley guy at all.  But I do enjoy riding motorcycles and feeling the open road on my face and body.  Lots of people actually fit into that mold and many of them ride bikes or use skateboards to feel the exact same way.  It really is that feeling of being free and focusing on something to keep your mind free.  This is something that really hits home hard with me.  But one thing many people don't know is that you can enjoy this hobby and even thrive in this hobby if you have had an ostomy.  I have talked to some individuals who were so afraid they would have to give up some of their most favorite past times by having an ostomy.  Luckily, I can assure most people that the majority of tasks and hobbies they enjoyed before are still available to them and in some cases are more available.  So what do I mean by this and how do you stay safe?  Well, that is pretty simple and it is getting good gear and understanding how it all works. 

Just like learning to deal with your stoma on a day to day basis, you must learn to ride a motorcycle.  And being able to ride a motorcycle is a skill that is very much learned.  It does not come naturally and lots of information and work goes into becoming a safe and skilled rider.  Lots of people don't talk about some of the downsides of being on a motorcycle and that is having to go to the bathroom during a long ride.  For some reason, I always felt like I had to go a little more when I was riding versus when I was driving a car.  But when you are stocked up with the right ostomy supplies you can ride a much longer amount of time without having to stop.  That is just a cool fact that I love to point out when riding with friends. 

When I am on a long trip I am always safe and prepared for the worst.  I would say that it is important to double up on gear just in case something does go wrong on your motorcycle ride.  I mean rain happens and worst-case scenario crashes do occur. I would say it is important to have a extra set of ostomy supplies somewhere on your motorcycle in case something does happen.

Many motorcycles have extra storage on the bike themselves and I prefer to put my things in a waterproof bag and stuff it in.  Some of my motorcycles have a seat that comes off with a compartment underneath.  Many people keep a manual or tools in this location and I put my gear there as well.  There are also saddlebags that can be added to most motorcycles or my preference a tank bag. You do what works best and enjoy the ride.

Crohn's Disease: Things You May Want To Know

Redness, swelling, and sores along your GI tract are an indication that you might be suffering from Crohn’s disease. This disease falls in the category of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD.

Crohn’s disease is a long-term illness. You may find some relief after a few days of pain and discomfort, but it comes back. In most of the cases, this illness affects the ileum or small intestine. In some cases, it affects both the small and large intestines.

Severe cases of this disease may result in inflammation along your entire digestive tract, including your mouth, your esophagus, stomach, the first part of the small intestine, the ileum, the colon, the rectum, and the anus.

Causes of Crohn’s disease

Experts do not know what causes Crohn’s disease. It may be due to a virus attack that invokes the immune system to show an inflammatory response. Observations suggest that most of the people with Crohn’s disease had issues with their immune systems, but still it is hard to tell if they had this disease due to issues with their immune system. Stress doesn’t seem to be a reason for Crohn’s disease.

Who is at the risk of Crohn’s disease?

This disease can happen at any age, but it most often affects people aging between 15 and 35. It can also happen to children and older adults. Both men and women can have this problem.

You are at the risk of having Crohn’s disease in the following scenarios.

• You have a family history of Crohn’s disease.
• You have an eastern European background.
• You live in a developed country.
• You smoke frequently.

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease symptoms vary from person to person.

• Pain in the abdomen
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Rectal bleeding
• Joint pain
• Fever
• Vomiting
• A cut or tear in the anus
• Rashes

Sometimes, Crohn’s disease may reside in your body without showing any symptoms for quite some time. That’s when it is nearly impossible to know if you have this disease.

Diagnosing Crohn’s disease

The above-mentioned symptoms should be seen as red flags, and you should treat them as possible signs of Crohn’s disease. Following are the tests that can help your doctor know if you have Crohn’s disease.

• Your doctor will recommend blood tests if they are suspicious about Crohn’s disease in your body. If there are fewer red blood cells, you may be suffering from Crohn’s disease.
• Your doctor may take samples of your stool. The test results will be ready in 2-3 days.
• Upper endoscopy involves monitoring of your esophagus, stomach, and upper part of the small intestines. Your doctor may also take a small tissue sample if needed.
• Your doctor may want to take several x-rays images of your intestines. A CT scan is the most appropriate option in this regard.

Treatment of Crohn’s disease

There are multiple treatment options for Crohn’s disease. Your doctor may choose an option based on the severity of your issue. If you are facing a severe form of Crohn’s disease, your doctor may want to remove the diseased tissues. If a significant amount of tissue structure needs to be removed, your doctor will give an ostomy, which means there will be an opening in the abdomen to allow the intestinal diversion to evacuate bodily waste. Less severe cases can be treated with medications.