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January
2010 Last Month’s Meeting (our 394th) What
a beautiful day it was this year for us to have our annual Gala Holiday
Party. We had, as usual; many of our members come early to help with
the preparations for the evening. For the third year
in a row, we had a catered dinner brought in for us with deserts and
appetizers provided by your board of directors and managed by Ken Niebuhr,
our Publicity Chairperson. Renard
entertained us on the piano with songs of the holiday season. We want
to thank everyone for coming and sharing this celebration with us. Jerry and Sally
Schinberg were the masters-of-ceremony.
They helped entertain us with a game we all played by identifying
common company logos we have all seen before.
It was more difficult than it first seems. The festive night
would not be the same without singing carols.
We finished off the evening in our traditional way by singing The
Twelve Days of Christmas. All had a joyous time. By the way, in the logo game, the crown
turned out to be the one used by Rolex.
We will have our Association elections in January as is stated in our bylaws—available for viewing via www.uoachicago.org . If you would be interested in running for an office, let one of the board members know of your interest at the next meeting. The slate of candidates includes: Jane Michnik, President Renard Narcaroti, Vice President Tim Traznik, Treasurer Joan Loyd, Director Rhoda Gordon, Director If you have a talent that you would like to share by participating in one of our many diverse committees, please let us know. Some invest as little as an hour a month. If we all pitch in, it makes the burden lighter for all of us. We are updating our mailing/e-mail list every month. Please complete the form on the last page of this newsletter if your home or e-mail addresses change. All your information is strictly confidential and is only used by our Association. No other people or organizations ever have access, under any circumstances, to our membership list. Whenever you are contacted, like when we mail you the monthly newsletter, it will only be by us. Thank you . . . all the people who contributed to our ostomy association during our annual appeal. This provides for most of our operating expenses. From
all of us here at our local ostomy association, we wish you and your families
a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Be sure to make that New Year’s resolution to visit us. We have secured parking coupons that allow
us to park in the hospital garage during a meeting for $2.00. Lutheran General Hospital regulations require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. However, one student nurse found an elderly gentleman already dressed and sitting on the bed with a suitcase at his feet, who insisted he did not need any help to leave the hospital. After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let her wheel him to the elevator. On the way down, she asked him if his wife was meeting him. “I don't know,” he said. “She's still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown.” OAGC Meeting Dates for 2010 January 20—The
elections for officers plus, Tim
Traznik has accepted our invitation to host a return engagement of a panel
discussion on the challenges associated with living with an ostomy
today. Be sure to come! February 17 Southwest
Suburban Chicago
The Southwest Suburban Chicago Ostomy Support Group is an entirely
volunteer ostomy association dedicated to the mutual aid, education and moral
support of people with ostomies and their families. Meetings are held at
For information regarding this special ostomy group serving SW Sub Chicago Meeting Dates for 2010 All meetings are held at Little Company of Mary Hospital, Evergreen Park, Mary Potter Pavilion, Lower Level, 2850 W. 95th St. Northwest Community Hospital An ostomy support group formed in 2008 at Northwest Community Hospital, 800 W. Central Road, Arlington Heights. They wish to extend a welcome to all of our readers to visit them. The WOC nurses at the hospital lead the group. For more information, please contact Diane Davis-Zeek, RN at 847-618-3215, ddavis@nch.org . They meet at 1:00 PM in the Busse
Center, B1 level, Room LC7-8 of the Learning Center. This building may be accessed from the
garage at the west end of the Busse Center.
It is easiest to enter from Central Road. NW Comm Hospital Meeting Dates for 2010 February 11 April 8 June 3 August 12 October 7 December 9 Permanent/Temporary vs. Hope A study from the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor
Holding on to hope may not make patients happier as they deal with
chronic illness or diseases, according to a new study by University of
Michigan Health System researchers.
“Hope is an important part of happiness,” said Peter Ubel, M.D.,
director of the U-M Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences in Medicine
and one of the authors of the happily hopeless study, “but there’s a
dark side of hope. Sometimes, if hope makes
people put off getting on with their life, it can get in the way of
happiness.” The results showed that people do not adapt well to situations if they are believed to be short-term. Ubel and his co-authors—both from U-M and from Carnegie Mellon University—studied patients who had new colostomies: their colons were removed and they had to have bowel movements in a pouch that lies outside their body. At the time they received their colostomy, some patients were told that the colostomy was reversible —that they would undergo a second operation to reconnect their bowels after several months. Others were told that the colostomy was permanent and that they would never have normal bowel function again. The second group—the one without hope—reported being happier over the next six months than those with reversible colostomies. “We think they were happier because they got on with their lives. They realized the cards they were dealt, and recognized that they had no choice but to play with those cards,” says Ubel, who is also a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. “The other group was waiting for their colostomy to be reversed,” he added. “They contrasted their current life with the life they hoped to lead, and didn’t make the best of their current situation.” The research was published in the November edition of Health Psychology. George Loewenstein, professor in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University said these results also might explain why people who lose a spouse to death often recover better emotionally over time than those who get divorced. “If your husband or wife dies, you have closure. There aren’t any lingering possibilities for reconciliation,” Loewenstein said. Ubel said health professionals find it easier to deliver optimistic news to patients even when they believe the prognosis is unfavorable, justifying it by assuming that holding on to hope was better for the patient. Said Loewenstein: “It may be easier for a doctor to deliver a hopeful message to a patient, even when there isn’t much objective reason for hope, but it may not be best for the patient.” “Hopeful messages may not be in the best interests of the patient and may interfere with the patient’s emotional adaptation,” Ubel says. “I don’t think we should take hope away. But I think we have to be careful about building up people’s hope so much that they put off living their lives.” The research was funded by the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development. Smith was supported by a career development award from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
People
were selected that had surgery in the past six months. In total 41 people were told their
colostomy was reversible and they could undergo a second operation to
reconnect their bowels after several months.
Another 30 individuals were told that the colostomy was permanent. We have know for quite a long time that those with a temporary ostomy often have a harder time dealing with it than those who know from the outset that it is permanent. This study provides some evidence that this might be true. Publishing this article is not an indictment of readers who have a temporary ostomy. Of course, the researchers meant for physicians and others to apply these findings to the larger body of patients with all kinds of medical and physiological situations that could be affected by being hopeful—not only ostomy patients. A golfer teed up his ball on the first tee, took a mighty swing and hit his ball into a clump of trees. He found his ball and saw an opening between two trees he thought he could hit through. Taking out his 3-wood, he took a mighty swing. The ball hit a tree, bounced back, hit him in the forehead and killed him. As he approached the gates of Heaven, St. Peter asked, "Are you a good golfer?" The man replied, "Got here in two, didn't I?" Impact of Abdominal Changes By Arthur Clarke, CWOCN There is only a finite amount of bowel eligible for use in the creation of a stoma. When you had your ostomy surgery, the surgeon was allowed—according to your personal physiology—only so much moveable bowel in the construction of a quality ostomy stoma. Once that piece of bowel was pulled through your abdominal wall, it was stitched to the inside of to abdominal wall and onto the outside of the skin. The length originally chosen by the surgeon will remain constant throughout the patient’s life. Therefore, if the wall of the abdomen thickens: i.e., fat accumulates on the abdominal wall due to increased weight or lack of exercise, the length of the bowel segment used in the creation of the stoma will not change to accommodate the patient’s increased girth. This being the case, one might expect the stoma to appear to be receding, since it and the peristomal skin cannot expand with the thickening abdominal wall all around it. This is in fact hat happens. This condition is further exacerbated with the patient move from a standing to a sitting position. This change in position causes the abdominal wall to move forward and down. However, the fixed dimension of the stoma bowel segment prevents the peristomal skin from shifting as much as the rest of the abdominal wall. The result is formation of a skin well around the stoma, especially when changing from one physical position to another. The welling effect and excessive stress on the peristomal skin will most assuredly result in difficulty developing and maintaining the integrity of the skin barrier’s seal. Ultimately, this results to untimely and frequent leakage challenges. There are two main approaches to resolve this issue. The ideal approach is for the patient to make a conscientious effort to maintain a constant and healthy weight, thereby returning the abdomen to the shape and wall thickness present at the time of the surgery. This approach would require regular exercising to firm up one’s body as well as maintaining the correct weight for one’s physical attributes. If one is unsuccessful with this approach, an option in pouching management is to switch from one’s current pouching system to a convex pouching system. Many have found that a skin barrier with a convex surface—this has the effect of pushing the skin down and popping the stoma out—works much better than the highly flexible flat skin barriers. If you find yourself in a position where abdominal changes affect the integrity of your pouching system, there are positive solutions available. Should you experience any difficulty making the switch to a convex pouching system, enlist the aid of your local ostomy nurse. Convex pouching systems are being used successfully by people with ostomies with flat or retracted stomas, and they have been for a sufficiently long time to prove their worth. The Risk of Being Set in Your Ways By Sharon Williand, CWOCN Sometimes it takes a catastrophe to shake us out of our complacency. It is easy to fall into the ostrich syndrome. This is unfortunate, particularly when it comes to ostomy management. It is only through education that individuals grow, learn and reach their fullest potential as people with ostomies. While writing this column, I was reminded of several examples of individuals recently seen by our ostomy nurse team. One man had a sigmoid colostomy performed many years ago and had developed a huge peristomal hernia. He irrigated his colostomy daily and used what now classifies as an antique set. The irrigator was a latex bag with no measuring guide to gauge the amount of solution being given. There was a hard rubber catheter with no shield into its full twelve-inch length. He poked and poked until t finally went in. Overall, it was a miracle that he had not perforated the herniated bowel. He had not been successful with irrigations, continually losing as much water around the catheter as he was instilling. It was difficult for him to accept an explanation of why he was flirting with danger. After all, he had always done it his way. Only after a great deal of persuasion was he agreeable to trying a new set with a measuring guide on the irrigator and a cone in place of the catheter. One elderly woman called the ostomy nurse office in a state of panic. She was no longer able to obtain the rubber pouches she had using for 25 years. She had been ordering through the mail from a distant state. She had no idea of what supplies were locally available. She was very amazed at the new lightweight odor-proof disposable ouches now on the market. Another case involved a man who had put up with a continued skin irritation from a cement he had been using for many years to adhere his ostomy pouch. He was obviously allergic to this preparation and would periodically have to discontinue wearing a pouch to allow his skin to heal. Had he known several years ago about the new hypoallergenic skin barriers when these became available, how much more comfortable his life could have been. Being an ostrich with your head up your, I mean, with your head in the sand is for the birds. Keep updated. Read this publication, The Phoenix and attend your local ostomy association meetings. Moreover, your ostomy nurse will know what is new in pouching system management. You may be surprised at the improvements you will discover. For our liability disclaimer and
privacy policy visit http://uoachicago.org/liability.htm. What I Want for Christmas Forwarded by The Hartford Ostomy Update It is the week before Christmas. An 8-year-old boy is anxiously waiting in line at one of the local department stores to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas. He has patiently waited in line for over an hour, overhearing all the things the other children before him hope to get from Santa. Finally, it is his turn. Santa asks, “So, little boy, what would you like from Santa this year?” Without any hesitation, the little boy tells Santa, “I want a colostomy!” Feeling rather confused, Santa repeated the question and got the same response from the boy. Santa asked, “Wouldn’t you rather have a toy train, or a football or a new bike?” “No,” said the boy. “I want a colostomy.” Santa asked the boy, “Do you know what a colostomy is?” And the little boy said, “No, but I heard if you have a colostomy you could go horseback riding, sky diving, mountain climbing, swimming,” (Editor’s note: I think this little boy had just seen UOAA’s new Living with an Ostomy video.) Share a Laugh By Cricket Henley, OstomySecrets.com I
thought it would be fun to share some stories I found humorous about people
who told me of their life with an ostomy.
I love sharing my stories, but I really want to hear and share
yours. So, here are a few that I find
cute. I thought you might enjoy them,
along with some other silliness.
During my interview with an ostomy nurse, who just happens to own a
urostomy, Paula Erwin-Toth, she shared this amusing memory. “I
had just married and my new husband and I drove from Ohio to Florida to
celebrate our honeymoon. When we
finally arrived at our hotel, we decided to make merry. Not ones to drink much, we polished off two
bottles of champagne in the course of the evening. We finally hit the sack.”
“Having had a urostomy for most of my life, my internal clock had
always woken my up in order to empty my pouch. However, this night was different. My clock was inebriated. My darling husband and I woke up to soaking
wet sheets. My husband declared,
‘Honey, I think the tide’s in.’ It was a pivotal moment for our newlywed
status. We laughed changed the sheets
and took a shower together. Thirty
years have since passed, and we still laugh about this night.” My
friend, LeeAnn Slaton, who has an ileostomy, shares this funny account.
“One day while at work, I went to the bathroom for my usual 2:00 PM
stop. When I emptied my pouch, the
contents were entirely bright red. It
scared my to death and I started to frantically panic. I did not know what to think as I was
finally getting used to my ileostomy, and thought I was doing so well.”
“For about an hour and a half, kept going back to the bathroom and emptying
the pouch to see if there was any change.
There was not; fear filled me.
My sister happens to be my boss, so I went into her office with the
intention of telling her what was going on.
When I walked in the first thing she asked me was, ‘Hey, do you have
any of the red licorice left?’
Suddenly, I realized the reason for the bright red output. I was so relieved and even started to laugh
about the whole incident.”
Recently I was reading a magazine column about monde greens—it is when
someone mishears or misinterprets a phrase, most typically in a poem or song,
so much so that a new meaning to the lyric comes out of it. A couple of them stood out to me as they
related to our whole ostomy world I
laughed out loud and decided I needed to share the laugh. Of course, you have to sing them at a
thunderous volume, in your best off key to enhance the humorous aspect of the
whole thing. My top favorites are ·
Taking Care of Business, by BTO heard as
Baking Carrot Biscuits ·
Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch by The Four Tops
heard as Sugar Fried Honey Butt ·
There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise by CCR heard as
There’s a Bathroom on the right ·
And my ultimate favorite, which could be the
theme song for many of us out there:
From The Beatles, who sing about picturing yourself on a boat on a
river answering somebody who calls out a Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes
heard as A Girl with Colitis Goes By. Keep laughing until we meet again. Hints
for New Urostomy Patients Forward by The Ostomy Association of Long
Island Train
yourself to shut the pouch valve as soon as you have emptied the pouch! If you forget, the resulting disaster
within the next 10 minutes could ruin your day. Be
sure to take the plastic washbasin and clean measuring container home from
the hospital. They are very helpful as
you establish a daily routine of washing your nighttime equipment. Gallon
bottles of white vinegar and cheap liquid detergent make the daily washing-up
an inexpensive chore. Irrigate the
pouch daily with a solution of 4/5 water and 1/5 vinegar. The hospital plastic washbasin is an ideal
container for supplies when traveling.
In addition, it can be used to hold the night drainage bag. In the morning, it is handy for washing-up
wherever you are. It fits nicely into
most carry-on bags and is not heavy. If
you change the pouch first thing in the morning, there is less chance of the
stoma misbehaving as you do the change. In
most cases, urostomy patients enjoy a completely normal diet. Cranberry juice, yogurt or buttermilk will
help combat urinary odors. Asparagus
produces a strong odor in urine, but many of us eat it anyway because it
tastes good and is healthy. Did you know that we
have our own Internet site? Next time
you are on your computer, check out our site at www.uoachicago.org A 55-Year-Old Ileostomy By
Finley J. Fisk, The Journal On October 29, 1954, I was lying in a hospital in Brooklyn, NJ due to a flare-up of ulcerative colitis. For over a year it had given me a multitude of challenges, and it suddenly became clear to my doctors that I had reached the point of no return with medical therapy and needed surgical intervention. I was scheduled for a surgery that I had known nothing about. Hours after surgery, I awoke in the recovery room with an ileostomy, though I did not know that at this time. There was a plastic bag tied over something on the right side of my abdomen. Some time the next day, I found a pamphlet on my night table describing how an ileostomy functions. At that time, there were no ostomy nurses, and no one knew anything about ileostomy management and care. The pouching system that they had covering my stoma was a plastic bag that the hypodermic needle syringes were previously wrapped in after being sterilized. It was taped over my stoma and required a total replacement every time it was full. When I was allowed to go home, the hospital provided me a large number of these plastic bags. I had difficulty sleeping with this device taped to my side, and it leaked all the time. After convalescing for a while, a relative of my wife—a surgeon in New Jersey—connected me to a group from an ileostomy organization. A person from that group came to visit me in my home. They brought with them a pouching system made by Torbot Manufacturing Company. The pouch was made from a heavy rubber that was attached to a steel faceplate and an opening suitable for me to wear. It required rubber cement to be put onto the faceplate and on my body in order to make it stay in place. They were a godsend to me. However, they were not disposable and had to be washed regularly. I would hang the pouch over the bathtub to dry . . . not a very pleasant sight. Despite the fact that I had nothing to prevent odor; the difficulty in changing due to the rigid opening in the faceplate; using rubber bands to keep the tail opening of the pouch closed, this pouching system did the job very well. I was grateful. Torbot Mfg. Co. migrated from a white rubber pouch to a black neoprene one, which was not as odor prevalent as its predecessor and was much lighter. I used this pouching system for many years. I was introduced to a new two-piece disposable plastic system from Hollister, Inc., and I have been wearing it ever since. The difficulty of the early years passed. I was able to work, travel and swim. I play golf and became an avid tennis player. Within four years after my surgery, my wife and I were blessed with two wonderful daughters. I am one of the original founders of the Long Island Ileostomy Assn. and have held at one time or another, every office within that support group. I have had many opportunities to speak to groups of doctors and nurses on the topic of caring for an ileostomy patient. Fifty-five years after my surgery, I am continue to perform many of the activities I did when I was younger; i.e., swimming, tennis, and of course, attending my local support group’s meetings. I do enjoy my life. The difficult time of those early years are now memories to be passed onto the new people with ostomies in order to learn and gain hope. At 81-years-old, I am looking forward to more years of enjoying life, loving my wife, my family and living as a person with an ileostomy. "To be successful we must have a
burning desire! Most people are ready
to give up their dreams when the first obstacle appears. We must out last any obstacle and persist! In my life, I have found that my will power
mixed with my persistence always insured my success. Do you have a burning desire? Do you really want what you say you want? Don't let your fire go out! Remember this, weak desires bring weak
results!" W. Clement Stone Wasp Spray If you do not want to use a gun, here is a more humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you. A receptionist at a church in a high-crime area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead. The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it does not attract attention from people as a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection. Thought this was interesting and might be of use. Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School. For decades, he has suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed. Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them." Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so, if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes". It is a tip he has given to students for decades. It is a tip he wants everyone to hear. If you are looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray. "That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out," and maybe even save a life. Please share this with all the people in your life. Moderation --Hamilton,
Michigan Ostomy Association It is several months since you had your ostomy surgery due to ulcerative colitis, and you have adapted just fine to your new plumbing. You have a beautiful stoma. Changing your pouching system is almost a routine task. Your skin has now adapted to the patch you apply, and you may wear your pouching system for three or four days before changing it. Boy, this is living again . . . No more pain! You can go out without worrying about bathroom locations and even your arthritis seems to bother you less—prednisone can do wonders. You accept an invitation to a party for the first time in two years and really rejoice in being out with your friends again. You drink with freedom and down quite a few handfuls of peanuts. You wander to the table with raw vegetables and sample them repeatedly joining in with your friends. The dinner is delicious—including the corn on the cob. This has been a truly great night—just like old times. Now, it is two o'clock in the morning and you have not slept a wink. There is a persistent pain around your stoma. It will not let you sleep . . . and now it is getting worse. You recall that you have not had much effluent in your pouch. What you did have is mostly water. By three o’clock, it is much worse and by four, you are considering going to the emergency room. You remember reading about blockages, and try to remember remedies that were mentioned. You drink some warm tea, pull your knees to your chest and rock back and forth. You eat some crackers, drink some grape juice and knead the area around the stoma. You drink some more, have a little mineral oil, get in the shower and let warm water roll down your back to relax. About the time you decide to go to the hospital, you feel a bit better. You notice that your pouch is no longer empty. When you empty your pouch, it is like pouring out a bag of peanuts in the toilet. You have learned a great lesson. Sure, you can eat nuts, popcorn, raw vegetables or corn on the cob—but common sense will now tell you in the future not to eat huge quantities of them all at the same time. Eat them in moderation, drink and chew your food better. Let me repeat: Chew your food better. Eat in moderation. Drink plenty of fluids. A
Letter to the Executive Producers Grey’s Anatomy By
Darlene Hafner and the Minneapolis Ostomy Assn affiliated with the United
Ostomy Associations of America, edited
As a person with a
colostomy, I would like to comment on the episode of Grey’s Anatomy that aired in Minneapolis, MN on Thursday September
24, 2009. After managing Crohn’s disease
for over 40 years and having numerous bowel resections, I ended up with a
permanent colostomy in 2003 due to surgeon error when she punctured my
intestine. It was discovered too late
before my kidneys starting shutting down and an emergency colostomy was
performed to save my life. I was frustrated,
disappointed and alarmed during that TV episode, when confronted with
surgery, the patient, who had a bowel infection asked, “What is the worst
possible thing that could happen to me?”
Cristina responded, “You’d end up with a colostomy bag.” The patient starts to cry and responds “No,
no . . . no pooh bag for me! My Granddad
had one of those! I won’t do it!” Later on in the show,
Cristina is reprimanded by Dr. Bailey.
Dr. Bailey says, “Well, thank you very much for threatening my patient
with a colostomy and talking her out a life saving operation.” She retorts back, “What was I supposed to
say? How am I supposed to sugar coat a
colostomy?” Once again, words like
“threatening” and “sugar coating a colostomy” implies that having a colostomy
a negative event. I do give you credit
for the exchange of words further into the episode where Dr. Bailey says to Dr Yang, something to the effect of
it was a fragile situation and the patient needed time to accept it. This short conversation
sparked my concern and the catalyst for this letter. The writers of the show gave no thought
whatsoever to the hundreds of thousands of people who have colostomies today.
We are not all “old grandpas”
like depicted in the patient’s comment.
We are mothers, spouses, children, young, old, sisters, brothers,
co-workers and employers. We have
survived colon cancer, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, bowel resections,
anal cancer, ileitis, trauma and birth defects. It was disheartening to
have the patient ask, “What the worst possible thing that could happen to
me?” and to have the answer be “a colostomy”.
The worst thing that could happen is that the patient could have suffered
painfully for an extended time and then died a humiliating death. I sat in front of the TV thinking . . . what
about all the viewers out there that
may be scheduled for an ostomy due to cancer or others that have
suffered years of inflammatory bowel disease that have finally decided to
have the surgery and then to hear that it “is the worst thing that could
happen.” I understand that Grey’s
Anatomy is just a TV series. As
successful as it is and the number of viewers it can have an impact on, I
would have thought you would have taken the opportunity to have Cristina say,
“A colostomy will save your life. It
may take some adjusting to, but you can have a long and healthy life with it.” Instead, the writers portrayed it as
something horrible. We, as people with
ostomies are trying so hard to erase the stigma that goes with it and that
episode certainly did not help. I am
sure you are aware, in real life, that ostomy surgery has saved millions of people
who are now leading productive, healthy and successful lives. As a patient, who must
live the rest of my life with a colostomy, I would encourage your writers to
think twice about what is written and to reflect whether anything in the
script will have an impact on a certain group of people. After my surgery, I turned my hurt feelings
to be pro-active and be involved in something positive. I am a patient advocate and I speak not
only for myself but also for others about this episode. I do hope it will make a
difference in how you write and how you view a colostomy . . . that instead
of being the worst thing that can happen, it is the best thing that can
happen. None of us really want to have
ostomy surgery, but it becomes a necessity for us who have endured years of
pain, have cancer or have a plethora of other serious health conditions. If a person has an artificial limb, a
hearing aid, a wheelchair or even false teeth other people may socially
accept and admire the personal challenges that individual faces. When it comes to such a personal part of a
person’s bodily function such as an ostomy, it seems more difficult to accept
or even discuss socially. I am trying to increase
awareness of the wonderful life one may possess by having a colostomy and for
people not to be ashamed for owning one.
Your episode perpetuated ancient myths about ostomy surgery. The writers should correct this paradigm. I hope in future episodes you do just that. What Kind of Ostomy is Best? Forwarded By Lawton-Fort Sills, OK Have you ever noticed at
one of our meetings that everyone thinks his/her own ostomy is the best? The person with a
colostomy that irrigates says, "I couldn't stand to wear that pouch all
the time. It would drive me crazy." A person with a colostomy says, "I
like the way I only have to empty my pouch once or twice a day. I'd
hate to have it always running." The person with an
ileostomy says, "I couldn't stand having to irrigate or wonder when my
pouch would get full. I'd rather just wear my pouch all the time and
not have the bother." The person with a continent
procedure says, "I'd rather catheterize than have to wear a pouch all
the time." The person with a pull-through
says, "I couldn't stand having a stoma. I'd rather go to the
bathroom several times a day." The person with a urostomy
is strangely silent. However, he/she
is thinking to him/herself, "I'm so lucky, because I only have to use
the bathroom once a day to move my bowels." What kind of ostomy is the
best? Why . . . mine is of course! Being a Total Person By Albert Lyons, MD, Dallas, TX The person with an ostomy
as a total person includes the worker, the family member, the social being,
the sexual being and the physically active being. To achieve this
totality after ostomy surgery, a person needs compassionate doctors, a caring
WOC nurse, loyal friends, a supportive family and his/her own will to become
a total person. A proper mixture of
optimism and realism is needed for all of life’s endeavors. Some modifications may be needed in one's
lifestyle after ostomy surgery. It is all right to be upset by this these
changes because at the time, they may seem drastic. However, much of how one adjusts depends on
how well this mixture is worked out, whether the person wants to adapt well
or not. Your local ostomy association
can assist with this lifestyle adjustment and speed up the entire process of
living with an ostomy. Right after surgery, most
people feel like a small person attached to a large stoma. Everything
seems to revolve around this stoma.
One needs to provide daily care to maintain the functions of the
ostomy; learn to adjust one’s pouching system and even adapt to the different
feelings of the simplest of routine bodily motions. As days go by, a
person with an ostomy should begin to feel once more like a regular person .
. . this time with a stoma. The time of making positive adjustment has
begun. This may take a long or a short
time, depending on the person. Anger and depression after ostomy
surgery is perfectly natural. Most
people go through a period of grief caused by the loss of a body part. Becoming a certified ostomy
visitor is one of the best ways for a person with an ostomy to adapt to his/her
own surgery, as well as being helpful and providing support to someone with a
new ostomy. Every contact with a new
person helps reinforce the visitor's own attitude toward his/her situation,
while a being a positive roll model to that new patient going through ostomy
surgery. A loving spouse or even another
family member can be present when life after ostomy surgery is discussed with
a patient by a dedicated ostomy visitor. Everyone at this kind of
meeting may be involved and can be included in the discussion. The family also requires some adjusting to
the ostomy surgery. It is always best to leave a time so that concerns can
be brought up privately. Everyone has
issues on their minds they do not want others to hear to avoid needless
embarrassment. Most people will have some
issues in making changes to lifestyle or body image. This is to be
expected. However, if progress is not made in a reasonable period, then
psychiatric help may be needed. If a relationship can be established
with a counselor before surgery, it can help a person make a smoother
transition to his/her new life after ostomy surgery. Of course, this
situation is not always possible, as some surgeries are done in an emergency
with no prior knowledge of the illness. Difference types of ostomy
surgery may result in impotency for men and/or pain during intercourse for
women. One's sexuality need not depend
only on one's capacity to perform in a traditional manner. There are many forms of sexual expression .
. . remember. One's sexuality depends mostly
on how one views him/herself. Many people with ostomies
want to share and help others but also maintain their personal space. They may not wish to discuss their surgery
with everyone. It is up to each person
to decide who should know about his/her surgery. Right after surgery, it may seem that
everyone can tell that you have an ostomy.
In reality, it is only you and anyone you wish to communicate your
surgery. Participating in a local
ostomy association does not need to invade the individual patient's
privacy. His wishes will be respected by the group. It is perfectly all right for one not to
tell everybody he/her has had ostomy surgery, as long as this does not
progress into hiding at home to avoid facing reality. Remember—every day there are people having
ostomy surgery that can use your help. Family and Spouse—Their Needs By
Donna Hoffman, WOC nurse, Blue Water NM Much has been communicated about the person who must undergo ostomy surgery, his/her physical recovery from the surgery and his/her emotional recovery. What about the needs of the spouse and children? They suffer in their own way. In the hospital, doctors and nurses hurry around seeing to the person with a new ostomy’s physical needs, and the new visitors see to his/her emotional needs. Who is there for the family? Spouses suffer just as much—if not more. They must put up with our outbursts of anger, despair and depression. They work with us providing love and support and then go home to an empty house and wonder—what next? There is usually no one to help them through their anxious days of worry and uncertainty. "How will my loved one accept me? After all, I am not the one with an ostomy. Will he/she change or be the same?" After the person with a new ostomy comes home from the hospital, the family and spouse usually tolerate inconveniences; such as, pieces of skin barrier stuck to the floor, paste spilled on a favorite brush or comb, irrigating tubing hanging in the bathroom, leaning to leave the bathroom free at that certain time of the day, making extra "pit stops" when traveling, etc. On the spouse's end, he/she may think "What about our sexual life? Will it be the same? Will it be worse, better, or maybe none at all?" Spouses and families need the same support during the hospitalization and recovery phase as the new person with an ostomy. They need to be included in the teaching of ostomy care, to feel they are still wanted and needed. Children should have the surgery explained to them so that mom or dad will seem the same and love them even more. They will not think anything of it if explained in a simple understanding way. An ostomy is nothing to be ashamed about and it should not be treated any differently than someone who takes insulin or wears a prosthesis—false teeth. Spouses should also take advantage of opportunities to talk to other spouses of people with ostomies like at your local ostomy association. |