Looking for experience of Lifting with a stoma!

Hi Jane1982 and welcome to the group.

I had a different surgery to your husband and have 2 stomas-urostomy and colostomy and the risks of developing a parastomal hernia are very real.

I am retired, so don’t have experience of having to work, but I am still careful about lifting anything heavy, more than 4 years after surgery. Getting a parastomal hernia can happen even without lifting anything very heavy and it can be difficult to deal with so I try not to take risks. 

In the immediate aftermath of surgery I avoided lifting things, full stop. Nowadays I will lift something like a laundry basket at home if I’m on my own, but if my partner is around, I’ll ask them to do it. I don’t lift bags of shopping if we have a supermarket delivery, and I don’t  lift my mobility scooter into the boot of the car. I have friends who have developed parastomal surgeries after their surgery which cannot now be operated on, and they can grow very large and painful. I do my best to avoid this happening. 

Hopefully others will let you know their experiences, but I know I try to be really careful in my day to day life even now.

Sarah xx

Thank you .  We have just been getting mixed signals from doctors and nurses.  I feel we need to be mentally prepared for the change. Take care x

I’m not sure what you mean by mixed signals from the staff-the advice I was given was always clear cut and consistent as regards the risk of heavy lifting?

Life most definitely is different after any surgery which involves having stomas, but it can certainly be perfectly possible to make adaptations.

Sarah xx

What I mean is …Surgeon said at our first meeting my husband would be able to return to work with having help off aids to lift the heavy things..but stoma nurse is claiming no lifting at all. Thanks answering have a nice weekend x 

Hi. I had APR surgery for rectal cancer in 2019. I wasn't really told not to lift heavy stuff. I worked at Wilko at the time. I went back to work and pretty much carried on as normal as I didn't want to be thought of as a wimp. I now have a parastomal hernia and am waiting for surgery to repair it. It wasn't even really heavy lifting, just more repetitive movement of stock. Since I was made redundant last year I haven't gone back to work. I would just say be very careful what he lifts and don't do anything he isn't comfortable with.

Regards 

Kim

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Thanks for sharing . Do you mind me asking if you wore a belt? x

Hi Jane. No I wasn't told that I should wear a belt. I now get 3 belts a year on prescription, which I could have had from the start if I had known. I find they do help to support the hernia. My advice now with hindsight would be to wear one from the start.

Kim

Thank you x Hope you get your surgery soon.  x

Hi Jane1982,I have a urostomy and wear a belt for any heavy work like gardening.Best wishes for your husbands surgery.Jane x

Thank you ️