Hello!
I recently had a permanent colostomy after my year-long bout with rectal cancer. I am a 44-year-old male and just looking for people with similar experiences to speak with, as I am new to this lifestyle and would love to hear from others who have struggled and are thriving.
Hello and welcome to the site. I had the same cancer way back in 2000. It's very survivable. My first suggestion to you would be to find out from your doctor or stoma nurse if you are a candidate for irrigation. If so, invest the time to try it; it will give you back your active lifestyle and remove all the stress and complications from leaks, smells, etc. I do everything I did before my surgery. If I can be of help to you, shoot me a message👍
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First off, this is a pretty cool site with 37,000 members who truly understand you.
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I'm 10 months post-op with a permanent colostomy. Be very careful you don't lift anything slightly heavy or sneeze or cough strongly. Most people with a stoma eventually develop a parastomal hernia. Mine popped up at 3 months as a bulge under the stoma, tilting it moderately toward my belly button, and making my stoma protrude quite a bit. You can try wearing a stoma support belt now, to possibly prevent the hernia. But it is unclear if it really works, but it's worth a try. I have support belts from Nu-Hope Corp. No one warned me about peristomal hernia. So I didn't use a belt until it was too late. The only way to fix the hernia is surgery, but successful outcomes are rare.
It will take some time for your stoma to heal and adopt its final shape.
If you can irrigate as MM Superhero suggested, that would save you a lot of time and hassle.
Take care
Hi ddf4792, how are you doing? Welcome to the site. When I had my surgery 3 years ago for a colostomy, I was given a handout about colostomies, and that was for the expert training for an ostomate. The real learning came a few days later when I had to change the appliance and pouch. I hope you recover quickly and the pain will all be a distant memory soon! Will be watching for your updates! Best wishes and take care. What is your email for me to email you about some things and talk more? Best regards.
