in hospital waiting to have surgery

It wont' feel like it right now, but you WILL be ok and you WILL get through this. You must be nervous and anxious, but in time you'll recover, get to grips with your new 'friend' and start to feel healthier and better than you have in a long time. An ostomy really isn't that bad at all. You very quickly get used to it and find you can pretty much do and wear anything you want.

Start very easy on the food front and even if the Dr's and nurses tell you 'to eat what you like' don't! Start the first few days on liquids, jelly, soup etc.. then progress slowly to soft foods (mash potato etc) and from there gradually introduce low residue foods and see how you go. Keep your fluids up and include salt in your diet from the beginning (without a colon we don't absorb electrolytes in the same way).

Any issues with the bag etc, then post them here and we can help.

Good luck with the surgery and keep us posted! One step at a time. Deep breath. Welcome Sheila

I finally got into surgery after being bumped a few times. I now have Sheila and am waiting to see doctors and the stoma nurse to learn more and how to take care of it. I am hoping that recovery goes well and I do not have any complications. This seems very overwhelming right now and I still have to get used to having an appliance. I am sure that i will have many questions for you here. This site has been a lifesaver over the past few months.

Welcome. One thing to know is that your output will be a green smelly slimy mess at first ... that's bile. When you can eat regular food, it's not as bad.

For recovery -- walk, walk, walk.... it'll be really hard at first, but it really makes you feel better. When you start eating, chew, chew chew.... and all the time drink, drink, drink, as it's easier to get dehydrated w/an ileo.

Get a lot of protein in your recovery -- some kind of shake or supplement is a good thing, as you need protein to heal.

Be sure to measure your stoma a lot for the first two months or so. It will shrink, and that will affect how you need to cut your wafer.

If you have problems and you have a short stoma or a soft belly, be sure to ask your nurse about convex wafers (especially if you're having leaking problems).

Use M9 drops or hydrogen peroxide (the kind in the first aid section at the drug store) in your bag for odor.

Good luck! It's a learning curve, but a lot of the parts that seem overwhelming at first become routine with practice.