New Ileostomate with Questions and Gratitude - Seeking Advice

Hi folks, I am back home from my loop ileostomy surgery, got home Monday. I have a newly minted stoma and so far, fingers crossed, it seems to be functioning as it should. I still have my stoma from my colostomy, so temporarily I will have two holes, oh well, it's only for a while. My old stoma has basically gone to sleep, although it still puts out a little mucus as someone forgot to send it the memo that its job is over. I just wear a cute little stoma cap over it, can't believe that I am thinking of anything related to my ostomy as "cute", but there it is. The amazing thing for me is that I have gone almost a week without taking any laxative which is about as close to miraculous as it gets.

I'm in a learning curve with my new stoma so will probably have lots of questions for other ileos. It's great to know that all of you are out there with your knowledge and willingness to help. I am feeling very lucky and grateful, and happy to be home! Hospitals are not places you want to be, especially now.

Glad to be back,

Terry

Wow, did not know you got a whole new stoma. Lots of new things to learn, I understand. You got this though!
Stay strong.
Puppyluv

I think I can speak for most. We are glad to help! Good to hear your home and doing good!

Praying for you

Cplumber

Terry,

Welcome to Planet Ileo! :)

Believe it or not, "cute" can be part of a broad and varied stoma-cabulary. Feel free to incorporate that word - and so many others that may seem inappropriate, at first - into your daily conversations. On Planet Ileo, we warp our reality to suit ourselves! I believe many other members of the Stomaverse can relate and do the same. :)

Seriously, though... a hospital can be one of the worst places to recover, in spite of healers' best intentions. So glad you're home and can rest, allowing your body to adjust.

I'm with Cplumber: Yep, we're right here. Happy to help however we're able; just let us know. :)

Lily17

Hi Terry,

Wow....that's great news! And you're a "Double Ostomate", temporarily. Glad to hear things went well. We all need all the good medical news we can get. Hear ya about hospitals........never got a lick of rest in any of them. Speedy recovery!!

Regards,

Bob

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Hi Terry, so glad to hear you are doing well. Hospitals are not a place to be. They used to have pictures on the walls of nurses with their pointer fingers on their lips. This meant be quiet so people could get some rest. Now they walk around hollering at each other and laughing and talking loudly all times of the day and night. There is no getting rest anymore. Many years ago, I used to say I would like to check into a hospital for a rest and let people take care of me without anything being wrong with me. Best wishes and stay safe.

So happy that you're home, Terry, and that all is well so far.  You'll be fine and we're all here for you.  Best, HenryM

Welcome back. Good luck with the new one.

Hi Del.

Hope you have a quick recovery and are getting all you need.

Axl.

Hi Terry, glad to hear all is well. I'm surprised to hear they left the old stoma and did not close it up so as not to require another surgery, but what do I know? Get lots of rest. Good luck.

Thanks Lily! As a new inhabitant of Planet Ileo, I'm sure I will be picking your brain as I learn to navigate!

Terry

Hi Lovely,   Yes, someone needs to remind them that rest and sleep is important for healing.   If your room is anywhere near the nurse's station, shift change sounds like a party is going on!  

Terry

Hi Ron,   The old stoma is my safety net.   If the ileostomy does not work for me, I have the option of having it reversed quite easily.   Once they take my large bowel and close up the other stoma site, there's no going back.   So the hope is that things will go well and in six months to a year I will then have surgery to remove the large bowel and close up the old stoma.   Another surgery sucks but it's better to be safe.   Thanks for the good wishes.

Terry

Welcome home, Terry.  Lots of virtual hugs to you.  

I had a loop colostomy for awhile and it did what it was supposed to do.  All got better and I barely remember it.

Stay well,

Mike

Hi Terry,

Just catching my breath from a very busy fall - no time even to create controversy.

I just read your rookie venture into the world of ileo and wish you the best in your recovery. When it is safe and timely, I hope to drive to Vancouver Island to visit my kids. It would be cool to meet up and visit. Of course, it all depends on the virus specs for the next few months, and how receptive the locals are to out-of-province license plates. I always check to see if our province borders are opened first. Take care and stay safe. Just, K.

Hi Karen, It would indeed be cool to meet up when things get back to some sort of normal. We in Metro Vancouver are in a "hot zone" right now and travel in or out of our area is discouraged. Not sure how long that will be in effect for, but the numbers are going up, not down. I guess that means you wouldn't even be able to visit your kids on the Island because you would have to pass through our zone in order to get there. The days of us B.C.ers being smug are over. Restrictions are increasing, and for good reason. I haven't heard of any negative backlash recently over out-of-province plates, but that is probably because summer is over and there isn't much travel going on now. There were some instances of people with Alberta plates being harassed and/or having their cars keyed or spray painted with "go home" type messages. I wouldn't want to be caught with U.S. plates, that's for sure! Maybe by next spring we will have a handle on it, let's hope anyway. The timing of my surgery and recovery couldn't be better. You can't plan anything and I'm not missing anything. Perfect!

Terry

Hi,

Yeah, let's hope people can help minimize the virus damage. So far, the Maritimes are doing the best job. If you visit someone there – first they have to let you in, and then you have to quarantine for two weeks AND the people you are visiting must quarantine as well.

Can you imagine - many American Airlines are booked solid for their Thanksgiving in a few weeks. All seats are filled and other flights are being added. Whoop - there it is – again! I'm not sure what part of "the virus is not a hoax" people still cannot comprehend. Read some local newspapers – and how hospital overloading is now a serious problem. North Dakota has ordered more freezer units for dead bodies. Oh well. Just, K.

Good morning, K.

Just so you know, some of us south of the Canadian border are just as shocked as you are by many Americans living - and dying? - in denial. We are living our safest lives based on medical facts & recommendations provided by the highest-regarded medical professionals, not on the fictions, "alternative facts", or "herd immunity" promoted by some radiologists.

Many of us who are living more cautiously hope to get through this pandemic unscathed. Sadly, as we can't depend on 100% of our fellow citizens to give a damn about everyone's safety, the future of all remains to be seen.

But, "Don't Let Reality Ruin Your Day!", K. :)

Lily17

Hi Lily,

Yeah - got you! I have relatives and colleagues stateside and used to spend some of the colder months in Florida (Sanibel) or Arizona (Mesa) - when I could grab a month or so of downtime. Many former colleagues live in The Villages in Florida so you can imagine the "heckles" they received from "we the north." I took my second degree in Portland, Oregon and absolutely loved it there.

I think it will be some time before I cross the border again. I belong to a professional club (in attitude not occupation), many of whom spend at least 6 months every year south of the border. At least 80 of them (maybe more now) are experimenting with the stay-in-Canada option - like British Columbia, and are loving it. But, not without withdrawal symptoms. No travel or out-of-country medical insurances. It might become a trend - to explore this country.

Canada is seeing spikes in the virus again so I think we will have to hunker down. Time to figure out which movie channels to subscribe to.

You stay safe as I know you will. Just, K.

Hi Lily, I really feel for you. My brother-in-law and his wife live in Hawaii, where the numbers are not so bad and people are, for the most part, acting sensibly. They realize they are lucky to be isolated from the rest of the country. Good luck and stay safe.

Terry

K & Terry,

With the American Thanksgiving holiday next week, Washington State, Oregon & California have issued "travel advisories" for populations. I expect other states to follow suit. (But, we'll see what actually happens...)

Our governor, Steve Sisolak, tested positive for the virus late last week, so he's in quarantine and, the last I heard, symptom-free, thank goodness. I don't envy his position in government: no matter what you say or do, someone doesn't agree with it - or worse. He's been threatened with a recall election a couple of times since mid-March, when he asked all Nevadans to stay home for two weeks, except for essential services, businesses. Small business owners have been hit very hard, unemployment rates skyrocketed along with the rest of the nation, our homeless rate has climbed from people out of work not being able to pay their rent. At that time, I knew that two weeks wouldn't suffice. Nor would four, or probably even six weeks. And, here we are, eight months later, with the highest positive daily reported cases in our county during the last week... and exhausted medical workers, diminishing medical resources, and no end in sight. (I re-read what I typed and, yes, Nevada's COVID-19 situation mirrors that of so many other states & countries. It's not just about us Nevadans, unfortunately.)

I work in an essential industry (construction) in our building's lobby, so have worn a mask at my office 8 hours a day, five days a week since mid-April. Some of my coworkers are able to work mask-free while alone at their desks, but are to be masked while in common areas and/or in meetings of two or more (per current CDC regs). Some of these individuals STILL complain about how wearing a mask is inconvenient, "a pain", they can't breathe (but no one has passed out, yet), or they believe that "with so many people getting sick, the masks aren't effective", etc., etc. All this even after our office staff have been touched by the virus: we've have about 10 of our staff who have quarantined at one point or another, and at least one person/a member of their family tested positive for COVID-19 in early summer. I chose to get myself tested, as well, as I had been in close proximity with this individual frequently. I was blessed that my test result was negative, yet my worries remain, understandably.

On the lighter side of things: the Earth is still spinning on its axis, my cat still loves me (okay - it may be "cupboard love", but I'll take it! LOL), I have the year's most expensive grocery shopping trip behind me, my personal library is stocked, there are many movies and comedy routines at the ready in my home on DVD & VHS, and the popcorn kernels are ready for their "hot oil treatment". : ) One genre of movies/shows I am NOT watching are those involving viruses and end-of-the-world scenarios! : ) Now...if only I could "hunker down" like K plans to, and just wait things out... )

I hope you & your family members, friends all stay well, and stay in touch! : )

Lily17