Listen up everyone; if you are someone who is worried about getting an ostomy, then I am writing this article specifically for you. Many people go into surgery very nervous and are not ready to start their new form of life with a stoma. This is understandable, because surgery can be a really scary thing and I don’t expect everyone to be completely okay with having a stoma put in their body. However, as someone with a stoma and lots of experience in the whole world of ostomy, I want to set the record straight by talking about what it really means for you after you have an ostomy. Contrary to popular belief, having a stoma put in does not mean that you will be bed ridden or put out of commission for the rest of your life.

In all honesty, though having a stoma put in affects your life in a variety of ways, you will still be glad to know that you can function pretty regularly like you did before. Of course, your entire digestive system and the way in which you output waste will be completely different, but that is just about the only difference you will have to face. I wanted to come on here and write this article for anyone that may be scared or unsure about getting an ostomy – I am going to tell you what the surgery is like and what you can expect after waking up with your new stoma companion.

First things first, there is a lot of preparation involved in getting an ostomy. The doctors should mainly be the ones to prepare you for the surgery, so I don’t necessarily suggest you listen to all that I am saying instead of the doctors because there is a high chance that I have no clue what I am saying. Anyways, I am pretty sure that you should not eat before your surgery, by at least like 12 hours or something like that.

This will probably make it much more complicated for the surgeons, nurses, and doctors that are trying to cut you up and rearrange your insides. The surgery itself will not be that bad I don’t think. Of course, you will be completely knocked out the entire time from anesthesia and have no clue that you are even existing until you wake back up. Anesthesia is really weird that way. But once you do wake up, you can be sure that all the work has been done and all you had to do was lay there and look pretty. I am sure it is going to be a really weird feeling when you first wake up with a stoma, and one that not many people can say they have experienced.

The recovery process after surgery is pretty long I would say, and most people stick around in the hospital for a couple weeks in order for the doctors to ensure that everything has gone smoothly. If there are some complications due to your surgery or something like that, I’m sure it is much easier to deal with quickly if you are already in the hospital. But once you get discharged, you are now entering the world of living with a stoma! I wish you luck, because it is not a super fun road to be on.