UOAA Discussion Board

My husband has been having a hard time with his stoma. It prolapses maybe 3-4 times a day. He is in pain all the time. Today we was told that surgery can not be done on it, because his cancer is a the final stage, and if he gets surgery, it will cause him to be off chemo, and he can not risk that. Also the surgeons are saying if they were to cut him open, the ascedis (fluid in his stomach from the liver) will go crazy and he can die right then and there.

This is causing his quality of life to be low. Does anyone know any tricks that he can use to stop the prolapse and swelling of the stoma? He can’t even tie his shoes because the stoma is so big and it hurts. I ordered him a hernia belt through the ostomy nurse but it’s still not here. The doctor told him to stop wrapping the ace bandages around it because it causes blockage. I need help. He doesn’t even want to play basketball with our son anymore because he is afraid that it will prolapse.

Prolapses can be tricky. A hernia belt designed for an ostomy may cause more issues as they have a hole to place the stoma through. I have two hernias now, so I wear an abdominal binder, which covers both. The only caveat is that it completely covers the stoma. This isn't a big deal for me as I irrigate and can go all day without any output. If he wears an abdominal binder, it might decrease his wear time or cause leakage (due to pressure) when he does have output. You would want to place the binder when the stoma isn't prolapsed to avoid blockage of the prolapsed section. Additionally, he could try using the binder only at times when he needs it, like going outside and shooting hoops. I know that when I don't have the binder on, that the hernia is uncomfortable, so I can totally understand how a prolapse could do the same thing.
Hope that helps some.

David

Thank you for your post regarding hernias. Here is a link to the UOAA's official site that may also contain relevant information: https://www.ostomy.org/search_gcse/?q=hernia