Ostomy: Adapting to life after colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy

Posted by Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung, Sep 20, 2017

It takes time to become comfortable with an ostomy — a surgically created opening in your abdomen that allows waste or urine to leave your body.

Many questions may run through your mind as you practice good ostomy care and live your life. It can help to talk to others who have been there. Perhaps you'd like to ask others questions like: What can I eat? What about leaks? Can I go back to work after colostomy? Can I ride a bike with an ileostomy? Will everyone figure out I've had urostomy surgery just by looking at me? What about intimacy?

Welcome ostomates. Let's talk frankly about living with an ostomy. Why not start by introducing yourself? What type of ostomy do you have? How's it going?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Ostomy Support Group.

katydid77 | @katydid77 | Jun 6, 2021

In reply to @dideon "Wow, that is bizarre. How did your husband come up with that?" + (show)

@dideon, Two nurses told me. The antacid fights the acid in urine and the Flonase is an anti-inflammatory which should work no matter what type of stoma causing the inflammation.

dideon | @dideon | Jun 6, 2021

In reply to @katydid77 "@dideon, Two nurses told me. The antacid fights the acid in urine and the Flonase is..." + (show)

So, how does this work? I get that you spray the Flonase around the stoma before putting on a new pouch, but how does the antacid fit in?

katydid77 | @katydid77 | Jun 6, 2021

@didion, you use one or the other. Not both. I spray the nasal spray on my fingers and gently apply it to the irritated skin. My husband dries it with the hair dryer and then I apply his pouch.

dideon | @dideon | Jun 6, 2021

In reply to @colleenyoung "Hi Dideon, welcome. I can't imagine things moving so fast. Thank goodness you were able to..." + (show)

When this first happened to me, it was like a nightmare. To make matters worse, when the medics took me to the er, the gurney tilted and they dropped me on the ground. The first surgery left me with a huge wound. I was in the hospital for 17 days and about two weeks in rehab. The next year the doctor wanted to try another surgery to reverse to the normal way. It was a disaster! He said there was to much damaged tissue so after 8 hours of surgery it was all for nothing. This surgery was worse than the first one. You asked what was my most challenging adjustment. That was dealing with ostomy products. To try different things that will work for me. Trial and error. I had two hernia surgeries, but then more came. I have two small ones and one large one about the size of a grapefruit. I went to see a hernia specialist and he said it would be ok to just leave them alone. They don't hurt.

katydid77 | @katydid77 | Jun 7, 2021

In reply to @dideon "When this first happened to me, it was like a nightmare. To make matters worse, when..." + (show)

We probably are not supposed to give advice but—-run, not walk to the nearest airport and get to a Mayo Clinic. My husband had his surgery for bladder cancer at Mayo Jacksonville (Florida) with minimal problems.