What’s the difference between surviving and thriving for ostomy patients?
Much of it boils down to the proper mentality and a little know-how. Yes, there’s no doubt that living with an ostomy bag, at any age, will present challenges and adjustments. Nevertheless, many ostomates thrive with this condition, which effectively re-routes one’s digestive system.
Thriving with your ostomy condition can happen if you keep a few essential considerations in mind.
Learn About Your Body
One thing an ostomy (colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy) will do is require you to pay much closer attention to how your body digests food. The ostomy bag will fill at a certain pace based on how much you eat and how efficiently your digestive processes it. For most folks, it’ll require a pouch changing about every one to four days. The hard part will be to pinpoint the typical pattern and frequency for your individual circumstances. It’s mostly an exercise of patience and caution in the early days while you’re still getting accustomed to things.
Anticipate Accidents & Difficulties
The tricky part with accidents and leaks is that they could occur either while you’re awake or asleep. Experience is the only way to tell, which means you’ll probably suffer some frustrations initially. Many ostomates get the hang of output accumulation once they’ve mastered their post-ostomy dietary regimen. For more on that, please consult our previous post on ostomy nutrition. This will give you some insights on which foods to avoid, those common culprits for gas and heavier/unpredictable output.
Make Friends with Fellow Ostomates
It’s a great idea to make friends with others who share the same condition. For instance, the United Ostomy Associations of America has a solid array of support groups. Remember that there are ostomy patients of all ages and backgrounds, so you’re bound to find someone with one of the conditions, who shares your circumstances.
Use Cymed MicroSkin for Ostomy Bag Help
Our entire reason for existence is to help medical staff and ostomy patients manage the condition better. In the old days, there wasn’t as much variety or customization among ostomy bags, pouches, and other supplies. Now, however, you can use our industry-leading hypoallergenic ostomy supplies to handle your condition easier with fewer accidents, less skin irritation around the stoma, and greater convenience. This includes user-friendly pouches (one or two-piece options), seals, barriers, applicators, and more.
Cymed MicroSkin wishes you the best as you adjust to a new ostomy condition. With the right attitude, you can thrive and enjoy life just like you did before the surgery. If you’d like to learn more about our ostomy supplies, or how to use them, feel free to reach us anytime by calling 800-582-0707.