Excretory Tract Info

This year I had an amazing time.  It was indeed to covid-19 pandemic but that didn’t stop me from having a good time.  The fact is that in a whole year only three people I know even knew people who got covid 19 and I live in a top 10 city in teh United States.  That means that nothing really changed in my area because the hype about the insanity was just that, hype.  SO I learned to not freak out and simply enjoy life because so many people locked themselves in and lost a whole year.  This year my outdoor excursions were really fun and revolved a lot around hunting.  This was such a cool thing because my year consisted of living with a stoma now as well and yet still I was happy and enjoyed my hunter experience, even more, this year. 

The reason why I thought I enjoyed this hunting season, even more, was because I was able to use my ostomy gear to my advantage.  I never thought I would really say this but the ability to not have to use a restroom or head to the bathroom is such an awesome part of having an ostomy bag.  I simply am able to go a lot longer if I need to without emptying my bag out.  This is incredible for hunting because I can simply stay out for longer.  I have also found this to be super awesome in other areas of my life as well.

When it comes to road trips can you think of anything that hurts your outdoor adventure more than bathroom breaks?  I know that I am not a fan of stopping hour after hour when I drink a big cup of coffee on the road.  It is an annoying part of travel, but if I am alone and have my ostomy bag, I am able to go a long time and save lots of time by not stopping.  It is super cool to go the distance without having to stop but for anything except gas.  That really is a cool thing to do and I have tried to make all of my ostomy gear work for me and help me out in my life. 

I was worried about smells as well when I was out on the road, but I made my gear work for me.  I found out through research that I could use pills that would help me keep my smell of stool down.  There are also some great drops you can add in your bag which keeps the smells down as well. For hunting I was able to use all of these items and also some scent blocking clothing and it worked great.  I was able to get within 25 yards of two deer this year in teh woods and my smell did not spook them away.  So I just want to let people know that I am able to do all of these things with a stoma.

Don’t let your ideas of what you cannot do stop you from doing what you actually can do.  I think that with a stoma I am just as capable as I was without.  In fact, I am in much less pain and my life has actually gotten much better.  So get outside and enjoy life!

Laparoscopic hernias usually need to be repaired in a newer and less invasive manner for these and are a good alternative for those who have ostomies as well. The procedure does involve three openings with in the abdomen, one for scoping or viewing the problem, and the other to operate on the hernia itself. 

The concept of surgery that isn’t very invasive is something which has been present for a while, and it was basically started with endoscopies of various cavities, and it’s actually been around since the 4^th century in some cases. 

The Background 

These have been modernized back in 1901, where there was a surgeon who was able to look at the abdomen of a dog and look into this. Then, the term laparoscopy is there, and the procedure is one that spread throughout the world. Needles, 45-degree laparoscopies, insufflation, and also the insertion of the trocar also become quite popular, and there have also been other discoveries too, including the dual trocar that was used for biopsies and is still used today. 

The visualization did get better with illumination and also other lenses, but it then waned off. In the 1970s, a lot of gynecologists would use this to help with harvesting oocytes, litigation of the tubes, and also biopsies for tumors. Since then, there have been over 20,000 different laparoscopic procedures, and it’s considered one of the best ways to help determine if something is malignant or also to help understand what’s going on. 

Parastomal Hernias incidence 

These are unfortunately quite common, with half of colostomy patients and about a third of ileostomy patients dealing with this. That’s because stomas are considered hernias, and usually, the best treatment is to reverse the ostomy, unless they have a terminal ostomy, which cannot be changed. 

They usually aren’t able to fully repair it unless it’s causing some pain, is obstructed, band is bleeding. It also may be repaired if there is problems with the stoma appliance. This can be disappointing, but there are some people that can get a laparotomy incision to help with this, to help reduce the risk for the lifetime of these types of hernias. 

What about incisional Hernias 

These usually are becoming a little more common, but there isn’t some differences in the rate of recurrence. However, laparoscopic repairs also can help create complications with the usage of open repairs.  There is also the possible risks that come with incisional hernias of the ventral area, including where they put the ports, and also for mesh fixation. 

Repairing Laparoscopic incisional Hernias 

In some cases, these can be repaired, but you do need to get seen by a doctor, and they’ll determine from here if there is a chance that you can get this hernia repaired in some ways. 

Larger hernias may be repaired more immediately because of the lesions that are there, and also any spinal complaints that are there too. During this form of surgery, they may start to press the sac back into the cavity. The defect is still there but they put a mesh graft in to help with this. 

This does have quite a quick recover period, and usually, this can be pretty easy for some. However, there is the risk of trauma, and of course the controlling and repairing of such large wounds.  There are some other ones too that do go unnoticed. But it can possibly be a good one. The biggest downside to this is that it can cost a lot to do, but the fact that it can be a quicker procedure with less pain. 

Have you ever thought about not having to wear a pouch anymore? Well, if you have an end colostomy or a sigmoid colostomy, you don’t have to wear one, but it does require you to learn colostomy irrigation. 

Irrigation of course is where you empty out a ton of water directly into the stoma, helping to evacuate the colon, just like an enemy. Once you irrigate, you don’t have to worry about the stool coming out, and less flatus as well, which offers a safe and easy way to manage the colostomy. 

How it’s Done 

This can take about an hour, and it needs to be done consistently at the same time each day.  There are irrigation kits that you can buy to hold the water, a tubing and regulator for the flow, a stoma cone to help attach, but also a sleeve for irrigation, along with the belt to. 

The procedure is quite easy to do, but not always a very simple one at first, and it can be a bit messy at first, but once you get it, it makes sense. It basically means putting up to 1000 mL of water that’s warm to the stoma, and then wait about 30 r so minutes to purge said contents. 

Conditions of This 

This is not for everyone, and it is something that isn’t ideal for everybody. Those who have an ileostomy, have stool that is loose and isn’t consistent, have UC or Chron’s disease, or a hernia should not do this. Different types of stomas also affect this. Those that are prolapsed and structured should not do this either. Finally, you also need to make sure you have the time.  Those who also have radiation of the pelvic area and chemotherapy should check before attempting this. 

The Best Tips 

The best thing to do is to drink lots of water before doing this, since a lot of water can offer better output. Knowing the output does vary between the status of hydration, and sometimes, if the water is too cold or too fast, it can cause cramping, which can be a bit of a problem for those at first. 

You should check the irrigation sleeve, making sure it’s the right size that you want, but only condition is that the bottom of it is cuffed to help make sure it’s clean. When starting this, it’s very common for stool to breakthrough, and while you’re getting used to this, it does happen. 

That’s not the end of the world, so make sure that you wear a small stoma pouch to catch any of the stragglers. Once you’ve managed to get a good schedule for this, you don’t have to wear pouches, but also instead switch over to a cap to help catch this. 

The cool thing about this is that it can be done over time, and while it does take a little bit for you to get on a good schedule, there is always a chance that you can get on the right schedule to help with this. 

But overall, this can offer a better quality of life for those who do it. It can offer less skin problems, your sleep will be better, and you’re less self-conscious during sex than those who wear ostomy bags. It offers a lot of freedom you may not get otherwise with a pouch, and also it does lower a lot of expenses for you financially in lots of cases, and also lowers the plastic waste that’s out there, so it can benefit lots of people in the world too.