Life With A Colostomy After Colon Cancer Surgery

Surgery may be the most critical part of your treatment if you have colon cancer. For many people with colon cancer, undergoing surgery means having to live with a colostomy bag for a while or even for the rest of the life. The purpose of constructing an ostomy is to create an alternative way to remove bodily wastes.

The reason you may need an ostomy as a part of colon cancer treatment could be damage to the affected part of your large intestine. This intestinal diversion reroutes the passage of wastes away from the diseased part of the colon. To make this intestinal diversion work, the surgeon will have to make a small incision in the belly. He will pull a part of the colon through this cut and stitch the edges of the colon to the abdominal skin. This way, the part of the colon will look sticking out on your belly. This bud-like opening is known as the stoma, and it passes out intestinal wastes from the body. you will need to wear an ostomy bag over this stoma since it doesn’t have any sphincter muscles to allow you to control your bowel movements.

Fortunately, most colostomies created during colon cancer treatment are temporary. It means that the surgeon will reconnect the bowel after the diseased part recovers from the illness. Regardless of whether or not a colostomy is temporary, managing it may seem overwhelming at first. It is, however, not very hard to adapt to life with an ostomy. Once you adjust to it, it will become just like your second nature. The best way is to think that this procedure has saved your life, and now you are going to have to live it to the fullest.

Living with a colostomy

Having a colostomy doesn’t stop you from your preferred routine activities. You can work, exercise, and enjoy your life the way you want. Whether you tell others about your condition or not is entirely up to you.

• While you may have to follow a modified diet plan during the first few days after surgery, you will be able to eat anything you want once your bowel recovers. You can discuss with your doctor how to inject a particular food item into your diet plan to prevent its adverse effects. You may also have to change your eating habits a bit to stop foods from becoming problematic for your GI tract.
• You shower or bathe with or without a colostomy bag. You may, however, need to avoid using moisturizers and creams on the skin area coming in contact with the ostomy pouch. Be sure to pat the peristomal skin dry after bathing.
• You can engage in exercises or other physical activities after surgery. However, it is best to wait until your bowel recovers from the impact of surgery. Your doctor may discourage you from heavy lifting, though.
• You can travel to your favorite destinations or within or across the country with your ostomy. The best practice is to keep supplies for the duration you will be out of your home.

You can discuss every aspect of ostomy care with your doctor or ostomy care nurse. They will help you prevent and resolve any complications related to your stoma.