I'm having surgery

I never had a tube for any of my 3 surgeries this year.I had one after blockage after 3rd surgery but for 12 hours. Guess each surgeon and each surgery is different.Happy #1 is behind you[little joke there].Each surgery has different things to get used to,nothing earth shattering.After few times of changing the bag you will get the hang of it,just give yourself time changing bag.Whenever i was in a rush is when i had to start over or something wasn't right.No more anxiety wondering where nearest toilet is.Life is good after surgery.Very happy for you-Good luck and God bless

Hanging in there I'm still in the hospital

I hope that you get out soon. I was stuck there for 12 days for my first surgery.

Hope you recover well at home!

I'm finally home. The last week is just a blur. I had an obstruction probably because I took too much pain meds. Once I got a tube placed into my stoma I stopped all pain meds and noticed that I didn't even need them. Beginner's mistake I guess. I know for the next two surgeries I won't need pain meds. I was told I can eat any soft food with the side of a fork. I was about 56 kg before and I'm 55 kg now. So I haven't lost that much weight.

I took pain meds after i got home from surgery 3 and ended up back in hospital bc of blockage.We learn from our mistakes

That's normal Andrea. I had a lot of pain in the stoma area for a while after 1 & 2, actually 3 too, but that was not even a stoma anymore and it was a different pain. After 1 & 2, I kept tucking the bag in and it would pull down and hurt. it's good to keep it supported, but you definitely don't want to pull on it. You really just need to take it easy and don't do anything physical.

I rarely wore it inside pants. Maybe once or twice. Luckily I'm a contractor. I have Dbl XL shirts which worked perfectly once I was going out more. You have visiting nurse coming I would think??? I let my nurse change bag first week or so. about every 3rd or 4 th day. Once I started changing it I went 6-7 days without changing it once or twice. Changing in morning after shower usually best time. Visiting nurse said after u change it lay down for 20 mins putting pressure on glue area so it sticks to skin well.good luck

Tucking the bag into my pants never worked for me. The output would struggle to make it past my belt line. I started wearing it sideways and wore a stealth belt. I found this way preferable. It got the bag out of the way and made moving around way easier. I also like the support, not having the weight of the bag pulling on my stoma site. The belt was a little pricey. You could probably find a cheaper wrap or use an ace bandage and have the same result.

I've been home since Wednesday and today I had an appointment with an ostomy nurse. They don't seem to do home visits here so I had to go to the hospital where I had my surgery. I've been feeling very weak and close to fainting in the last few days. That's normal for me and it will probably never go away. Anyways I met a different nurse I haven't met before and she changed my appliance with me. Gave me some extra supplies as well.

I feel that I walk better but I know I'm still healing. I am able to drive around already. I want to do more than I can currently do and I have to take it slow. The other night I leaked because I ate too much and too late. It made its way through the barrier and soiled my clothes. I bought an underpad and "waterproof" blankets so thankfully I can just throw everything in the wash. But it still wasn't fun having to change the bag at 3 am at night. I have to remind myself to take it slow especially when eating. I need to eat smaller meals throughout the day and stop eating at around 6 pm. With Colitis I couldn't control anything but now I can control a lot. I have to remember that before I fall into despair.

Tomorrow I'll start working again.

ks1905 said...
They make an accessory that helps with the barrier leaking, I think Coloplast makes a great one called coloplast Bravo barrier strips. It’s a reinforcement tape that goes around the barrier.

There is a different product called a barrier sheet that goes underneath and helps with leaking on your skin. I liked both products.

As you heal the output should become less liquid and less quantity. They have larger bags called magnums that I used during the night after my 2nd surgery.

I need to look into that.

Today the nurse actually noticed a rash at the spot where it had leaked. She treated it with powder. So will the reinforcement tape help the skin too? I'm scared about skin issues to be honest.

Surgeon recommended Metamucil to thicken it. It works wonderfully. It leaked because I ate too much food after 6 pm. That day I might have forgot to take Metamucil though now that I think about it...

Here are the strips to reinforce it, they just overlay the edges. https://www.coloplast.us/brava-elastic-tape-1-en-us.aspx

here is the protective sheet that you cut a hole in and it goes underneath. https://www.coloplast.us/brava-protective-sheet-en-us.aspx

you could ask for free samples.