So, you don't want an ostomy bag. Neither did I. But here I am living life and
having a good time. Hi, I'm Laura Cox, the Ostomy Lifestyle
Specialist for Shield HealthCare. Today, we're going to be talking about top
concerns about living with an ostomy bag, and don't worry we have tons of articles
and videos about all of these topics, so check out the links below.
So first let's talk about leaks.
I have three general tips for leaks
First and foremost, keep your ostomy pouches with you in case of a leak.
Second, pay attention to your skin underneath your wafer. If it starts to
itch let's go ahead and change it. And third, change your pouch every three to
five days. The longer you have your pouch on the more likely it is to leak.
If leak does happen, quickly change your pouch, maybe take a couple of deep
breaths. Allow yourself to be upset for a minute. Maybe meditate, give yourself your
your favorite latte as a treat, and then go about your day.
Another concern people have is noise. So you will have a lot of gas buildup after your ostomy surgery
but it will work its way out. You will still experience some noise but I
usually just muffle it with my hand. If you don't catch it in time to muffle it
it will just sound like your stomach is gurgling.
Another concern that people have is how to dress with an ostomy. We have some really great articles and a
video about dressing with an ostomy but quickly I will give you my top three
tips to dressing with an ostomy. The first one is to wear clothing that is
dark or has lots of patterns which helps conceal the ostomy pouch.
Wear something tight underneath your clothing to smooth and compress your ostomy pouch.
Or, bring a jacket with you so you can put it on if you can't empty it and your pouch is
a little noticeable or you can tie it around your waist.
Body image - am I right?! We did a whole video on it, so find the link below.
Another concern people have is if they're going to be able to play sports
after having ostomy surgery. We wrote a great blog about famous people with
ostomies, including golfers, baseball players and football players.
We also wrote a blog about how to protect your stoma during full-contact sports.
I myself boogie board. There are tons of ways to make sure that you can play sports.
Another common question I get is: can I still play Whac-A-Mole after surgery? The answer is yes.
So alienation is one of the concerns of people who are new to having a stoma,
but your friends really won't mind and your good friends will adapt to your new way of life.
Another common concern is dating and sex. Yeah, that's really scary. So the thing I like to tell people is:
you don't have to tell someone you're dating about your ostomy until you feel
comfortable and when you do decide to tell someone, to put a positive spin on
it. The more positive you portray it, the more positive someone will feel about
your ostomy. We have a whole video on how to tell someone about your ostomy
and we also have a nice article about intimacy.
You don't have to do anything special to prepare for sex, but if you would like there is certain lingerie
that you can find online and maybe think about emptying your ostomy beforehand.
Sleeping. There are a lot of questions that come up about sleeping positions and
how to handle pain in the middle of the night right after surgery.
We did a whole video on sleeping with an ostomy, so check out the link below.
Another concern is odor. There are two simple solutions for odor with an ostomy pouch.
The first is to use deodorizing drops after you empty your pouch. And then
the second one is to incorporate foods that naturally are deodorizing like kefir, yogurt or parsley.
My biggest concern was keeping hydrated. I thought I had to walk around with a glass of water constantly
taking sips out of it, but that's not the case. Just drinking fluids with
electrolytes, maybe eating something bread-y to slow down the water in your
system. Using common sense you should be fine.
Another common concern is travel, which also can be scary, but as long as you're
prepared you really should have no problem.
So just bring extra ostomy supplies, maybe copies of your doctor's notes and
prescriptions and you're good to go. We also have a great video about travel.
Another fear is going out in public. But no one has to know you have an ostomy
when you're out in public and the more often you go out the less scary it gets.
Another concern is just that you won't be able to do the leisure activities that
you love to do, but I haven't found any limitations, except for eating raw
vegetables and some people can even do that.
So those are some of the most common concerns about life with an ostomy,
but as you can see it can be kind of wonderful. So don't forget to check out our articles and videos posted below
and we'll see you next time.