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To ensure you’re fully prepared for your ostomy surgery, this article will help answer some of the most common ostomy questions.
What is an ostomy?
Why is surgery necessary?
What to expect?
How to prepare for surgery?
What is an Ostomy?
An ostomy refers to one of several medical surgeries that changes how body waste, such as urine and stool, exits the body, usually by means of a catheter or an ostomy pouch.
There are many reasons why a person’s bowels are no longer able to function normally such as colorectal cancer or trauma or injury to the bowels. Because the intestinal system is essential for survival, an ostomy can present a solution.
An ostomy changes the flow of the body’s intestines away from the problem source and creates a shortcut that allows the body to continue functioning properly.
If you think of the intestines as a highway, an ostomy would essentially be rerouting traffic away from an accident and sending the travelers to a new exit ramp. This keeps traffic flowing and enables the body to keep going. By performing an ostomy, the doctor surgically creates the off-ramp (called a stoma) for the traffic that will bypass part of the gastrointestinal process before things arrive at the damaged or malfunctioning part of your body, which could be anything from the rectum to the kidneys.
And to do that, the ostomy might involve procedures such as a colostomy, a urostomy, or an ileostomy, depending on the individual patient’s needs.
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Why Is This Necessary?
Ostomy surgery has to be performed when patients suffer from a serious condition with their bowels, which means there is an issue in the upper or lower intestines that is negatively affecting the body’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract and function. Ostomy surgery is only performed for very serious gastrointestinal problems, so people experiencing constipation or brief spasms of intestinal cramps probably won’t need an ostomy, although any concerns should be communicated to your primary healthcare provider.
An ostomy might be necessary for anyone suffering from colon or rectum cancer, injuries to either the big or small intestine, long-term bowel inflammations that result in irritation and sores in the GI tract (think ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease), any bowel obstruction that results in the normal flow of solids and fluids no longer functioning properly, or when pouches in the colon become inflamed or infected (also known as diverticulitis).
What To Expect?
Depending upon the individual patient’s needs, the surgery will involve removing part of the patient’s bladder or bowels that has become too damaged to recover without help. When that happens, the doctor will create an opening on the outside of the abdomen, called a stoma, that will allow waste to be removed from the body. So rather than exit the body through the rectum, the waste will bypass part of the GI tract and be removed through the stoma.
Once passed the stoma, waste will then be collected either by the ostomy pouch, also referred to as an ostomy bag or j-pouch, on the outside of the body. Depending on the individual patient’s situation, the ostomy can be temporary or permanent. Generally, there tend to be three types of ostomies: urostomy, which involves the bladder; ileostomy, when the problem occurs in the small intestine; and colostomy, when the large intestine has a serious problem.
How To Prepare for Ostomy Surgery?
As with any medical procedure, the patient’s first and best resource will be their doctor and surgical team. While online information can be helpful, you should ultimately direct your questions to the people who will be performing/attending your surgery. Every patient has a unique situation, and the healthcare professionals who know your unique medical situation and history will have the best answers.
While you should direct any medical questions to your doctor, there are some additional resources that might be helpful as well. Online resources such as the Better Health Ostomy Resource Center or the United Ostomy Association of America provide relevant information that is vetted by healthcare professionals for accuracy.
Prior to the surgery, your surgeon will be able to explain what the operation will involve and how the stoma will work, including where it will be physically located on your body and whether it will be temporary or permanent. The surgeon may also take this time to discuss ostomy supplies and potential risks of the surgery as well as what you can expect during the recovery period.
The surgeon and the ostomy nurse should also explain how the stoma works, the importance of getting the stoma and ostomy pouch to fit, the cost and location of ostomy supplies, whether your medical insurance will cover the surgery, lifestyle changes to diet/work/sex life, and the ability to travel and visit friends/family