Stoma

monzaman

Hi Andy

Welcome to the club that no one wants to join but never the less we are pleased to see you and glad that you felt you could reach out to us.

I am sorry that you condition means that you will require an APR with a colostomy and I hope the following will be of some help to you and give peace of mind and able to deal with the stoma.

Removing the anus, rectum and part of the large bowel

This operation is called an abdominoperineal resection (APR). You might have an APR if your cancer has come back or if it hasn’t gone completely after chemoradiotherapy.

Your surgeon removes: 

the anus

the rectum

a part of your colon

They might also remove: 

some of the lymph nodes near your anus

the lymph nodes in your groin

As part of this surgery, you will need to have a permanent colostomy. This is when the surgeon makes an opening in the skin of your tummy and stitches the end of your bowel to the opening. The opening is called a stoma. You wear a bag over the stoma to collect your poo (faeces) and will have this for the rest of your life.

To remove cancer of the anus, you might have open or keyhole 

Open surgery

This means your surgeon makes one long cut down your abdomen to remove the cancer. 

Keyhole surgery

You might have part of this operation as keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery. Your surgeon makes several small cuts in your abdomen (tummy). This is instead of one large cut that you'd have with open surgery.

This operation can take longer. People who have keyhole surgery may have less pain and get back to normal more quickly. You might also leave hospital sooner.

Some hospitals do the part if the keyhole surgery by Robotic surgery this is done using a robotic machine to do part of the keyhole operation. The surgeon controls the machine using a specialised unit. The robotic machine gives the surgeon a better view of the inside of your tummy, and allows surgeons to make finer movements.

Robotic surgery is still a new technique and not all hospitals in the UK have this. Doctors hope that robotic surgery will cause less damage to nerves and give fewer side effects.

Please open this link having a colostomy. 

Having a colostomy is what you make of it but there is absolutely no reason for you not to enjoy a normal life doing everything you enjoying just now and you probably will find that you have more energy to do them.

The link above explains what happens after the operation, what to expect from the stoma care nurses and what you need to know when you get home about your stoma management when you get home you will be looked after by a stoma care nurse who will help you get on with things but you also have this group we all live every day with a stoma we go out to work, we play sports, we go to the theatre or the cinema and we eat out and with carefully planning we do all of these  things without problems. The members of this group are always available to answer any questions you may have and we firmly believe that there is no such thing as a stupid, silly or daft questions except the ones you never ask, if something is troubling you and is rolling around in your head don't hesitate to come on here and ask us anything we'll give you an answer and you can move on.

When you are out and about before your surgery why not play a game of spot the stoma, I doubt if you will see anyone with a stoma we look just the same as everyone else.

I'm Ian and I'm  and I am here every day to help you from now right through your pre operation time and will still be with you post surgery to help, advise and support you, please use me and contact me at anytime.

If you have any questions just ask nothing is too much trouble to answer.

Ian

Thanks Ian I get scanned on the 10th ct and mri and they say I will get results on fri the 13th 

right from the start my surgeon told me it’s very treatable and curative but also said I will end up with a stoma thanks for all the info above cheers Andy 

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the group! You're well on your way through your treatment now, and your surgery will probably be the most daunting. I had my APR in 2012, and I knew nothing of living with a stoma. You'll have a fab team around you, especially the stoma nurses so don't be afraid to ask them anything - they are experts and have heard it all! Don't be frightened or put off by your stoma - you will get used to it and it'll become a part of every day life. It's amazing how quickly we adapt to it! You'll find that the early days will be up and down, but that's because it's all new to you and your stoma also needs to settle down. I had my surgery in the September, and was able to return to work the following January. After about 2 years of my stoma, my stoma nurses asked if I would be interested in irrigation - this is where you introduce water into the bowel and it flushes everything out so you have an empty bowel - it does give you back some control. Some irrigators don't even wear a pouch, just a cap which is much like a big plaster over the stoma. So mention irrigation to your stoma nurses - that could be something for the not too distant future. 

Always happy to answer any questions - so don't be afraid to ask. No question is a daft question and we all have asked daft questions at some point (and still do!!).

Linda :-)

thanks for reply I’ve kinda got myself in the right frame of mind the op is scaring me somewhat I’m glad you mentioned work I’m a painter and decorator and self employed so that kinda concerns me with a stoma thanks for listening All the best Andy 

Hi Alan, with the kind of work that you do, I would definitely speak to the stoma nurses about support for the abdomen area. I was doing ok until earlier this year when I took the flu and all the coughing resulted in a parastomal hernia. I wish then that I knew about supporting the abdomen and I could have avoided the hernia. Whilst the operation is a bit scary, just take each day at a time. The first several days after the op are the worst - all of a sudden you need help with even the simplest of things, but over time you do get your mobility and independence back! I'm sure you'll be just fine.

Linda

I’m a big chap overweight and concerned about the op that’s all 

If your surgeon will go ahead with the surgery, then I would take that as a good sign that you'll get through the op. Linda :-) p,s, I was overweight too, but still fit enough for the op and made the recovery.

Yea he did say he would thanks your putting my mind at ease  All my symptoms have stopped and I feel better than I have for a year physical all the best Andy