Does An Ostomy Mean The End Of Your Life

Medical procedures can be a really scary thing, especially if you are not totally sure what exactly it is that you are getting yourself into. The same thing can be said for anybody that has ever had an ostomy. Most people I know who have had to get ostomies at some point in their life have always had the feeling that their life was completely coming to an end. This just seems like a crazy thought process to have, because ostomies are completely life saving procedures! Sure, you may have the occasional patient die when going under the knife, but they knew the risks, am I right? Anyways, if you are about to get an ostomy soon and are worried about its lasting effects on your ability to do tasks that you love doing and living your life like normal, you do not actually have to be that worried, In fact, pretty much everything that you can do without an ostomy, you can do with an ostomy! Except for, of course, going to the bathroom like a normal human being because that’s just not a possibility. 

The main thing to keep in mind is that you have to be patient with yourself and with your body. I remember back to when I had my ostomy put in several years ago; I was so frustrated during the recovery process, because I was tired of being sore and not being able to do anything! Most of the time, I just layed around my house in sweatpants and watched netflix. Don’t get me wrong - this is super fun and relaxing for a while, but after a couple weeks it starts to get old. That being said, I talked to my doctor about trying to speed up the recovery process if at all possible because I wanted to get back to doing my life the way I wanted to.

The doctor, and other medical personnel, assured me that life was going to get back to normal as long as I was patient and did not push my body harder than it could go. That involved eating the right things, cleaning my stoma as directed, and avoiding activities that could be harmful for my stoma. Some activities, like physical activity such as playing sports or working out, can be detrimental to the recovery process after getting a stoma put in. However, after waiting an appropriate amount of time after being discharged from the hospital, returning to these activities is actually recommended. 

Naturally, there are some things that should be considered off limits altogether for anyone with an ostomy. What are some examples of these? Well, the main ones that I can think of right now are very physical contact sports, like football or hockey. I know that this is a huge bummer to some people, but the reality is that keeping yourself and your stoma safe should be your number one priority. When I was younger, I really wanted to play hockey. I would ride round the road outside my house and the church parking lot nearby in my rollerblades and play street hockey with some of my friends. I always wanted to join an actual league somewhere, but it was too much of a driving commitment for my parents because there were no local hockey leagues near me. Also, it could get a bit expensive.