I'm scheduled for a total hysterectomy in two weeks. i believe my colon will be removed either because they won't be able to treat me cyst, or because I ask too. I have a mega colon and my bowel has always given me trouble.
It would help if anyone can share with me what life is like afterwards with a bag and recovery. I found another forum that talks about this but so far can't get a pasword to get in. (I'm very frustrated about that)
Keggy

I can only tell you from a nursing aspect about colostomies but most of the active people I know do very well with them. The wafer is changed weekly or as needed and the bag is emptied as needed if that is the type bag they recommend. If there is any problem with any odor from excess gas they you can get deodorant tablets to put in the bags to help with that. A co-worker was well into her 60's when she needed a colostomy and once she recovered from everything she was back at work as a nursing assistant and leading the same active life she had before her need for surgery. This lady was in her mid 60's at the time so think positive.

mushroom,

My heart goes out to you . . . that is a lot to be facing. I had a temporary colostomy a couple of years ago (for 5 months), so, yeah, it's easy for me to say it will be okay. But I can say that after that experience, if I were faced with the possibility of a permanent colostomy at some point in the future, I would not think of it as the end of the world, like I might have before.

It is an adjustment. Getting used to cleaning and changing the thing takes time, and everyone has embarrassing accidents at first, but soon it gets routine and will not limit your activities at all.

I hope you get that password soon. The one thing I regreted was not getting hooked up with some kind of support group (something the nurses all recommended strongly). It will be helpful hearing other people's experiences and avoiding some of the possible pitfalls.

Good luck! Judy

I had a temporary colostomy, too, after having major bowel surgery and peritonitis. My husband is paralyzed and has had a colostomy for 10 years. Because of my experience with him, I wasn't frightened, disgusted or ignorant about taking care of myself with a colostomy. In fact, it just so happened we used the same size equipment (stoma wafers & bags), very convenient. There are even bags now with deodorizers built in so that gas doesn't build up and fill the bag with air, which would give you a noticeable bulge. With a man, there is a little more maintenance because the area you attach the wafer to has to be shaved, so adhesion is good. You don't have to do this with women, unless you have a hairy stomach!!! I had mine for 3 months and I have to agree, if it meant for the rest of my life, I could live with it. In all the years my husband has had his, he's never had an odor. He empties his bag regularly and we change the wafer once a week, but he's not that active. There is another thing you can do with a colostomy and it's called "irrigation." This is very similar to an enema and some people do them daily and it cleans you out in one shot so you are more regulated....just like someone that normally goes first thing in the morning. We did not choose this method. Good luck to you with your surgeries.

Thanks guys, I just remembered this post. After finnally hooking up with the osto folk and talking to stoma nurses I became quite confy with the idea of a colestomy. I even prefer a permanet over the temp. When my surgeon performed my hyster the colon was not involved, apparently it had also done a lot of healing over the past few years cause he said it was practivcally normal in size, whereas before it was a ahuge megacolon.
My hyster went really well. I'm 8 weeks post op, and I have no cancer either.
Thanks for your help!
keg