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← Return to Rectum resection with Ostomy bag, New to this, what can I expect?
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Rectum resection with Ostomy bag, New to this, what can I expect?
Colorectal Cancer | Last Active: Dec 8, 2025 | Replies (14)Comment receiving replies
Those are excellent questions for your surgeon. In my case, the pain was minimal and my hospital stay was five nights. The ileostomy, stoma care and bag management were much less complicated than I anticipated. Your ostomy nurse will be a great resource for preparing you for your routine after leaving the hospital and selecting your preferred supplier of bags and materials. Suppliers are another great resource, are readily accessible and provide samples without obligation. I encourage you to order bag samples from all of the major suppliers to determine which ones you feel most comfortable with. I only tried and was quite happy with one-piece bags. Don’t hesitate to post any other questions or concerns you might have.
Replies to "Those are excellent questions for your surgeon. In my case, the pain was minimal and my..."
@jaspithill1946
Hi
This is Jon from the UK. I have had an ileostomy due to completely different circumstances from your case so I won't make any comments about what you can expect from that. Other commenters have made much more pertinent comments than I could.
I can give you some advice regarding stoma bag management ( which I had no idea was coming before my emergency surgery) so I really had to learn about this very quickly. I have experienced all the downsides of having a stoma (ill fitting bags due to magical appearance across the abdomen of new skin creases, leaks, sore skin, and frequent bags changes,etc).
There are two words you should imprint on your brain now in my opinion: one is DRY, the other is PLANNING.
I have found it is impossible to attach a new stoma bag to skin that has the tiniest hint of moisture, either residual water after showering or from weeping sore skin. Trying to attach a stoma bag in these situations is doomed to early failure (at least in my experience). Obviously this is not the place to go into details of replacing a stoma bag but you should follow the manufacturer's instructions religiously regarding the removal and replacement of stoma bags but please always make sure your skin is really dry before attaching the new one.
Regarding PLANNING, just believe me trying to replace your stoma bag when it is active is one of the most frustrating things you will ever experience (and messiest). You will probably establish a regime when you know how soon after eating or drinking you can expect your stoma to be active and by the same token when it is likely to be less active. Time your stoma bag change to coincide with the less active period.
There are many other words of advice out there on his to live with a stoma, but I just hope these two bits of my experience help you avoid my mistakes.
And, last but not least, every stoma nurse I have encountered here in the UK has been wonderfully kind and helpful. I sincerely hope you have the same experience over there - your stoma nurse should become your new best friend. Good luck with everything.
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@jaspithill1946 yes, nurses are a great source of info and love to help.