Surgery coming up for temporary colostomy

[Dog lover 23320]

I was recently diagnosed with stage II rectal cancer and am having surgery Feb 6. I am really nervous and scared to wear a bag. Having a cancer diagnosis is devastating and I’m afraid of the stoma. I just turned 41.

[sassie]

It sounds way worse then it is Dog Lover, and its only temporary so you will be okay, its more scary to think about then it is, for the most part it just adjusting to a different way.. Try to just take it day by day and feel free to post questions here ,there are so many willing to help in any way they can...

God Bless You,sassie

[Dog lover 23320]

Thank you for your kind words. I’m trying my best to stay positive and have the right attitude, but I am overwhelmed.
with the care but I know the Nurse will go over that with me. I received a phone call tonight to schedule the ostomy marking.
I have stage II rectal cancer. It haunts me.

[Jono]

A diverting colostomy, while hard to get your head around, is really not too difficult to deal with. You will have a lot more control over the situation than you think you will, and, for the most part, nobody who you haven’t told, will have any idea you’re sporting a stoma.

Get something like a Stealth Belt to support the appliance (the “pulling” feeling when there’s stuff in the bag is disturbing, and this sort of device obviates this problem)

Learn how to irrigate, and you’ll have even more control.

Worry about getting the cancer under control, and don’t sweat the little stuff...

[Dog lover 23320]

Oh wow. The pulling part does sound disturbing. I need to lesrn more about the irrigation I keep reading about. I completed 6 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation. Radiation was harder on me than chemo. 27 radiation treatments to the pelvis. They fried me. I rang that bell so hard on my last treatment.

Its iust my aniexty has increased significantly since the diagnosis. And I am praying for clean pathology report bec that means no more chemo.

[Jono]

Well, I hope everything is good. Neoadjuvant therapy beats the heck out of how things used to be done.
Don’t fixate on the date that you can have the stoma taken down. Your plumbing isn’t going anywhere, and, up to a point, it’s easier and safer to take things down the longer you wait.

I wish you all the best!

J

[Dog lover 23320]

Thanks! You’re absolutely right. How was it the first few weeks for you? If you want to share I would like to hear your story. I have great doctors. I’m having the davinici robotic surgery laproscopic. Pretty amazing what they can do now days.

Have a good day

[sassie]

Dog lover its rather very interesting to see how your body works and try to make the choice to kinda have fun with it, I gave mine a name and that way i had someone to yell at,lol You get to see something that was always behind you "pun" and when you poo just dump the bag and its no different then wiping and going about your life,You tube has lots of videos about irrigating and its easy as well..you will need a kit and your nurse can fill you in about that..there is a section here on it as well...Just pray about the cancer and the rest will be good ...All the Best sassie

[Jono]

I was living along just fine until I had an argument with a Chinese buffet, got food poisoning and ended up in the hospital with a perforated colon and an intra-abdominal mess. Spent about 3 months in the hospital, and bought a stoma along the way.

[Dog lover 23320]

Oh no I’m so sorry to hear that. I wish you all the best. You went through a lot. I’ve never been a fan of buffets. Thank you for responding to my post.

[Jono]

It is what it is, and it’s given me a lot more perspective...

I am sure you’ll do great!

[Bob Webtech]

Hi Dog lover,

You may wish to check whether you'll really be getting a "colostomy." In fact, the temporary ostomies created in conjunction with colorectal cancer surgeries are more often ileostomies rather than colostomies. It also turns out that the name "colostomy" gets overused so, in many cases, ileostomies are referred to incorrectly as colostomies. I suggest looking over a page describing the various ostomy types at https://www.ostomyok.org/whatis.shtml on the site I do for my local support group. And note the "Terminology Confusion" section at the bottom of the page. Then, you may wish to check with your surgeon to confirm exactly which kind of ostomy you'll be getting.

I see that you've been looking into irrigation. This is a topic you probably don't need to worry about. If you'll be getting a temporary ileostomy, it's definitely not a candidate for irrigation. And even if you're getting a temporary colostomy, that kind of colostomy is usually in a location that isn't well suited for irrigation. So, either way, you won't need to concern yourself with irrigating while you have your temporary ostomy.

[To Dream a Dream]

Great article, Bob! And what an informative website! My first visit to our friends in OK. Have you considered posting your link in the general forum? I almost missed this timely post (my husband is scheduled for bowel surgery in a few months).

[Dog lover 23320]

Yes, you’re right Bob! I asked my surgeon this morning.
So I had a sigmoidoscopy and my tumor is completely gone.
I am so glad my tumor responded to radiation/chemo.
Wednesday is surgery. Part 2 of cancer treatment. Bring it.

[Bob Webtech]

Hi Dog lover,
This is great news that your tumor is gone! But, given that the tumor is gone, what sort of surgery will they be doing on Wednesday?