Adjusting to life after an ostomy surgery can take time. You may be wondering how you will resume your normal activities now that you have a stoma. The good news is that people with ostomies are usually able to do all the things they did before surgery. One of the most important things for getting back to your activities without hassles is having access to products that best fit your unique body, stoma, and lifestyle.
Amy Landrum, AGNP-C CWOCN
Recent Posts
Having a new Ostomy can be tough. In addition to healing from surgery, there is a lot to learn about caring for an Ostomy. If you were fortunate, you may have been seen by an Ostomy nurse while in the hospital or during home health visits. Your ostomy nurse may have taught you the basics of Ostomy care and made product recommendations for you. But after discharge, it can be difficult to know where to go for help if your Ostomy supplies are not meeting your needs. If you are having skin problems or leaking problems, this can usually be resolved by switching to a different or specialized Ostomy product or changing the Ostomy care routine. This is where having access to someone with an Ostomy nurse background can really help.
If you use intermittent catheters (ICs) for bladder management, you may be concerned about urinary tract infection (UTI). First, the good news – by using intermittent catheters instead of an indwelling urethral catheter (Foley), you are already ahead of the game in terms of prevention: Research suggests that intermittent catheter users experience fewer UTIs when compared to indwelling urethral catheter users. So keep up the good work!
