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Having to live with a colostomy bag can be an entirely different experience, which can be unpleasant at first. Colostomy surgery deprives a patient of his ability to use his rectum and anus to pass out stools. Resultantly, he has to manage stool evacuations by using a colostomy bag that fits over the stoma created on a segment of the colon. The stoma sticks out on the abdominal wall, denoting an internal diversion that bypasses the latter part of the colon.
The recovery can take six weeks to complete after surgery. During this phase, the patient is not in his healthiest state. The body has to adapt to the shortened length of the bowel after surgery, and it generally results in the patient having to put certain limitations in the lifestyle to allow the recovery to complete without complications. This vulnerable state can also be a cause of stress in many patients.
Nonetheless, it becomes possible for the patient to adapt to life with a colostomy as soon as the recovery completes. The patient indeed has to make some lifelong changes in the lifestyle after colostomy surgery, but it doesn’t mean that he or she has to be less healthy or relatively inactive due to this change.
In this article, we will talk about the ways to live well with your colostomy bag.
Nonetheless, it becomes possible for the patient to adapt to life with a colostomy as soon as the recovery completes. The patient indeed has to make some lifelong changes in the lifestyle after colostomy surgery, but it doesn’t mean that he or she has to be less healthy or relatively inactive due to this change.
In this article, we will talk about the ways to live well with your colostomy bag.
Living with a colostomy bag
You will not have to make drastic changes to start living a healthy and active life after surgery. With the positive mindset and right approach, you can adapt to this change within no time.
First of all, you will need to pay attention to your medication. Make sure that the medication you are on is not leading you to have diarrhea or constipation. You can talk to your doctor or surgeon in this regard. Let them know about the prescription medicines that you must take. They will assess its impact on your colostomy. If your medication has the potential to cause problems for your ostomy, they will discuss it with your physician to get you an alternate solution.
Perhaps the most necessary thing to consider during colostomy care is your diet. During the initial recovery, you will not be able to eat foods that might cause diarrhea, gas, constipation, or odor. Your surgeon or doctor might even disallow some foods for the rest of your life, but those are going to be very few. You should be able to eat most foods after your bowel recovers. You can talk to your dietician to develop a food plan that will be compatible with your colostomy.
You will not have to make drastic changes to start living a healthy and active life after surgery. With the positive mindset and right approach, you can adapt to this change within no time.
First of all, you will need to pay attention to your medication. Make sure that the medication you are on is not leading you to have diarrhea or constipation. You can talk to your doctor or surgeon in this regard. Let them know about the prescription medicines that you must take. They will assess its impact on your colostomy. If your medication has the potential to cause problems for your ostomy, they will discuss it with your physician to get you an alternate solution.
Perhaps the most necessary thing to consider during colostomy care is your diet. During the initial recovery, you will not be able to eat foods that might cause diarrhea, gas, constipation, or odor. Your surgeon or doctor might even disallow some foods for the rest of your life, but those are going to be very few. You should be able to eat most foods after your bowel recovers. You can talk to your dietician to develop a food plan that will be compatible with your colostomy.
The best thing about living with a colostomy is that it doesn’t stop you from engaging in your favorite physical activities. You can run on a tack or exercise in the gym to maintain your health and fitness. The fact of the matter is that a colostomy may even help you live a better life because choosing to live with a disorder instead of having a colostomy is not just an unhealthy decision, but it can turn out to be fatal.