Recently diagnosed with bowel cancer

Hi Dorchester32 and a warm welcome  to the board. Yes it leaves you pretty shell shocked but the gold standard treatment is to get the ball rolling with 2 weeks of referral then things can move pretty quickly after that. 
I had a Low Anterior Resection back in 2016 - it can be done either by keyhole or open surgery - but my surgeon told me that although recovery after keyhole is a bit quicker it’s much of a muchness after the first couple of weeks. I’ve attached a link to a booklet about the operation which has some handy information - an extra long charging cable is a must have

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/YourOperation_BowelCancerUK.pdf

The stoma can sound a bit daunting but you soon get into a routine and back to normal life. The stoma nurses will make sure that you’re fully comfortable with it before leaving hospital and I had regular appointments with them in the early days. Once you’re fully healed and your treatment is finished then the stoma can be reversed although the timeline for this can vary. There’s lots of help and advice on the stoma board

 Ileostomy, colostomy and stoma support 

We’re all at different stages of treatment and recovery on here and happy to help and support you through yours so please ask if there’s anything that you’re worried about?

Take care

Karen x

 https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-blogs/b/community_news/posts/kath-s-story-living-with-a-stoma-and-building-confidence
You might find this an insightful read .

take care ,

Court 

Hello Dorchester32,

A stoma can seem rather daunting and until it becomes an option or necessity most of us are in ignorance of the subject. I have two: the first is a loop ileostomy (on my right side) and the second is a mucus fistula (on my left side). The ileostomy does 99% of the work and the fistula simply serves my redundant colon. I declined the offer of an ileostomy reversal for several reasons.

There are numerous stoma related products available via your GP and they are all designed to make our lives more comfortable. You will be guided by your stoma nurse, who will suggest what items will probably suit you best. The first solution might not be the one that suits you and the nurse will help you to arrive at the correct solution. After that it is a matter of getting into a regular routine to suit your lifestyle and restore your confidence.On these pages you will find suggestions for certain foods to be treated with caution (simply to avoid obstructing the stoma) but generally you should be able to adopt a near-normal diet and resume activities, including swimming. Just avoid lifting any heavy weights!

Dulac

Hi Karen thankyou so much for your reply and kind words I've downloaded the information you have suggested 

Kind regards les

Thankyou Court x

Hi dulac thankyou so much for your kind advice it's very kind of you 

Kind regards les 

Hi Dorchester32

I know it’s a lot to process. 
I was in a flap but found by preparing as best as I could before the procedure helped. 
If you want any tips please ask away 

If you click on my name you can read my back story  I had a LAR in 2021 my rectum and cancer was removed and thirteen months later I was reversed I enjoyed life with my stoma travelling and socialising very quickly.  I joined the stoma support group and gained lots of support and advice

Take care 

Ann