I have been to see my surgeon & have been told that to only thing to be done is to remove the lot. That means having a stoma and bag. Would be grateful to anyone who has gone though this to comment on this experience.
Sorry today has been a bit hectic, we are organising a Christmas meal for 30 people tomorrow. My wife is great but she is not to well at the moment. I am 78 as well, must have been a good year, have had fittness test at my local hospital and I am told it went very well. I haven't got my surgery date yet but was told it will in the new year. It is great the you explained about you experiences and I hope my own goes as well. I will show you message to my wife tomorrow so she knows what to expect as well. Thank very much for sharing you story with me & I hope you have a good Christmas.
Hello Engineer 46, I'm late to your story and can only echo what everyone has said. Though would add:
Women have a good selection of stoma pants with a pocket that supports the bag to help feel confident in the bag under clothes. I haven't seen any for men but if they exist I'd say get some, they help a lot.
The following will make more sense after the op, especially re leaks etc
One useful thing to know that helps with adhesion of bags when you get them is to cup your hand over the bit that is sticking to you and press lightly for a while after changing. The bag adhesive works with body heat and that way you get a good fix. I keep it for 2 minutes and since learning that have far fewer leaks. Plus if while wearing it a section does become detached, just hold firmly again and it usually resticks itself. I used to panic until learning that.
Also a bag full of urine weighs a lot and can pull away From the skin, even if supported by underwear. So make sure to empty it regularly. And finally, my stoma nurse taught me to hold the bag under my arm to warm it before putting it on, particularly in cold weather (& cold bathrooms) that starts the adhesion for you.
January is my 2 year anniversary, I'm 72 and can say that I was back to normal in under 6 months after the op. Of course my rucksack now contains bags and their paraphernalia and clothes if I need to change while out but that's just in case. I'm sure you'll manage it just as well.
Haven't tried a hairdryer pre attaching but tried it lots when needing to restick the 'wafer' when it came loose at one side, say, and never managed it.
Actually, as a woman I usually put it in my bra while getting stuff together ready to change the bag and it works a treat. I mentioned armpits above because it's unisex
I’ve always placed my hand over and around the bag until it sticks.I’ve been very fortunate to only have had a handful of leaks over 5 yrs and nearly all were right at the start of having a stoma.
Yes, me too but at the start I never knew how long to hold it for. And I think my hands are often cold. So eg the stoma nurse only had to apply it, cup it for a very short time and it never leaked. But when I copied her it wasn't stuck fast and it did leak. So frustrating.
And I also hadn't realised that the bit that really has to stick from the start is the bit around the stoma - easy to miss if like me you have a dip down into that part of the stomach. If that doesn't stick then urine gets onto the skin under the bag and leads to leaks.
That's why I do it now for 2 minutes, which has improved things a lot. Probably less time would be OK too but I do a bit of mindfulness breathing as well timed by my fitbit and that's how long it lasts.
The other thing to mention is that one can be allergic to the adhesive. A stoma nurse changed my prescription without doing a patch test and my skin was badly messed up. I should have said not without the test but I didn't think it would be a problem. Learnt that lesson but took weeks to stop the rash.
