Recovering from an ileostomy You may feel tired after the operation but you could try gentle exercise, such as a short walk, when you feel ready. Wait until you've recovered from the operation to drive again, usually at least 6 weeks.
Having a stoma will not affect your driving ability, but it is wise to check with your motor insurer as policy conditions vary. If you find the seat belt is uncomfortable across your stoma try fitting a 'Klunk clip' device.
Once home, avoid strenuous activities that could place a strain on your abdomen, such as lifting heavy objects. Your stoma nurse will give you advice about how soon you can go back to normal activities. At first you will pass wind through your stoma and then, usually within 2 or 3 days, you poo through it.
This most often takes at least 6 to 8 weeks. But in some cases it can take up to 12 months. Your bowel and anal muscles need to be working for the reversal to work well. The doctor rejoins the ends of the bowel that were separated.
Yes. As a general rule, if you have a colostomy bag that makes it difficult to work, you'll qualify as disabled. If your colostomy bag is functioning well or if you expect to have it reversed within the year, you probably won't qualify.
Make sure your clothes are not too tight around the bag.
You may need to be careful that waistbands do not rest below the stoma restricting ability to drain into your pouch. Depending on stoma placement, you may feel more comfortable with high- or low-rise waistband items, like underwear, jeans, or activewear.
It usually takes 6 to 8 weeks to recover from an ileostomy and get back to your usual activities. But you should avoid strenuous activities or heavy lifting for 3 months while your tummy muscles heal. It's important to rest and take the time you need to adjust to the change in your body.
You will probably need to take 6 weeks off from work. It depends on the type of work you do and how you feel. You can take a bath or shower as usual. You can bathe with your colostomy bag on or off.
Having an ileostomy makes it harder to stay hydrated. If you notice signs of dehydration such as fatigue, dry mouth or lots of poo coming out of your stoma, speak to your stoma nurse or another healthcare professional to get advice.
Some common complications of stoma include poor siting, parastomal hernia (PH), prolapse, retraction, ischemia/necrosis, peristomal dermatologic problems, mucocutaneous separation, and pyoderma gangrenosum. Each will be discussed separately in further detail.
Avoid drinks that cause bloating
There are certain alcoholic beverages which can cause bloating and ballooning of stoma bags. These include lager, beer, prosecco and any other fizzy alcoholic drinks.
A colostomy is an operation to create an opening (stoma) of the large bowel (colon) onto the surface of the tummy (abdomen). Your poo no longer passes out of your body through your back passage. Instead, it passes out through the stoma. You wear a bag that sticks onto the skin over the stoma to collect your poo.
Bending. It's near enough in possible to do gardening without having to bend down. This is fine, but you can bend down in a way that reduces the risk of injuring your stomach muscles and stoma area. For example, rather than bending over at your waist, try bending down slowly at your knees.
Living with a stoma is a challenging situation for various reasons including uncontrolled gas passage through it, odor, diarrhea, and leakage around the stoma or appliance. It would take several months for the patients to adjust to this difficult time.
The best position to sleep in when you have a stoma is on your back, or on your side. If you prefer to sleep on your stomach, this will be fine at the beginning of the night but increases the chances of leaks as the night progresses and your bag fills.
The surgery itself will last several hours. Upon awakening in recovery, a colostomy bag will be attached to the abdomen over a new stoma and there may be one or more drainage tubes. Once vital signs (pulse, blood pressure, respiration) are stable, it will be time to move to a hospital room.
After a stoma, the bottom part of the bowel no longer has poo passing through it, but it still produces mucus. Dead cells from the lower bowel or rectum may be mixed in with the mucus. The mucus may leak out of the anus, or you may feel the urge to go to the toilet.
Start with walking regularly and on a daily basis. Walking will help regain muscle strength which may have been lost whilst having stoma surgery. Believe it or not, walking also helps prevent any issues with constipation!
You may have a sore bottom after the reversal, but this should improve as you get used to pooing through your anus again. After every bowel movement, it may help if you: wash the skin around your anus with warm water. pat it dry with a soft cloth.
You may wish to keep your clothing loose for the first couple of weeks, because your tummy may feel uncomfortable. But the good news is that in a few weeks, you should be able to wear your usual clothes. Wearing tight-fitting clothes will not affect your stoma.
In Australia around 50,000 people have a stoma. People with a stoma are referred to as 'ostomates'. The Stoma Appliance Scheme provides free stoma appliances and products to ostomates through stoma associations.