27 years post injury. C7 quadriplegic. Been fighting bowel issues for several years. Thinking of getting a colostomy. What do I do! I'm 54 and active. I want the ability to swim and use my handcycle. Is this possible after ostomy/colostomy?
Thank you
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First off, this is a pretty cool site with 37,000 members who truly understand you.
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Only you can decide whether to have a colostomy or not, but if it's to improve your quality of life, there's only 1 option in my view!
Anything you can do now, you will be able to do with a colostomy.
I'm a plumber and do everything: swim, bike, fish, work, ski, 4-wheel, camp, eat
I do it all
Assuming you have sufficient finger and hand dexterity, it is a reasonable thing to do.
Where is the best location for stoma. I don't have any type of disease. Just a slow-moving gut.
Thank you
If you are asking about the location on the body, they usually do an assessment on you before the surgery happens at your pre-op appointments. They ask where you wear the waist in your pants, they will have you sit, stand a few times, and totally assess looking for dips in the belly, etc., and then mark you with a marker in the spot they know will work best for you.
If you're asking about the location in terms of hospital or surgeon, then I would suggest the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Colorectal Surgery Department in Cleveland, Ohio if you can get there.
