Finding out a major surgery is on the horizon is a scary thing for anyone. When you first find out that you are getting an ostomy lots of words are thrown out. Phrases like Ostomy care and ostomy supplies and so many other terms that you go nuts. The learning curve is rather crazy, just like many things in my life though it is more than possible. It really is a lot to learn and it is best to become a professional at it as fast as possible. So yes, I feel like I am a dermatologist now because I deal with my stoma and keep my skin super healthy. But what I really think of when it comes to the phrase ostomy care is more like care for my own well being.
I know that it was all for the best because it allowed me to simply live a better life. I am not in the pain I was and that is more than money is worth. When people get an ostomy some really don’t change their life that much and get back on to doing things normally. But there are some people that make it really hard and get really afraid of situations. No it’s not just introverted. It hits extraverts really hard too because they think it will cut their personal ties with people or make things weird. The emotional scares of surgery and changes to the body are truly a real thing. So some people clam up and go inside and stop being as social. Really it’s not even the social aspect some just stop going outside and doing fun things they used to do.
Being in a healthy state of mind and in my body is important. So to me staying healthy is not just a mental situation but a physical one as well. So if you have a stoma just know that you can be basically just as active as you used to be. It just takes time to build back up to where you were. This is a process and not something that happens overnight. You just had surgery and your abdominal muscles are not as strong. This does make you more prone to a hernia than normal. So if you used to run 5k’s don’t jump directly back in.
If you have ever had an injury before, like spraining an ankle or pulling a hamstring. You know that it takes time to get back into your old routine. Even getting really sick throws your whole game off. For me, it takes weeks to get my cardio back up to where it was before I got a winter cold or even the flu. So what makes you think an ostomy is any different? Really that is how you want to think about it. So if you run 5k’s now walk around your neighborhood first. Make sure your new ostomy bag is working properly and then walk more the next week. Then maybe jog to the end of the block and see how it goes. If it goes really well don’t overdo it. Start at a quarter of a mile. Ya, it seems like you don’t need to take it that slow but just do yourself a favor and build back up slowly. No one likes an injury.
Excretory Tract Info 