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Living with an Ostomy
It is a traumatic situation when you learn that you have to have any type of surgery, but one that changes your body or bodily functions like that of an ostomy is one of the harder ones to come to terms with. It is very normal to get angry, upset, grieve, be scared, and feel like you are the only one in the world faced with this type of body altering surgery. There probably is not one person that has not had any of these feelings. Of course, it takes time to accept and adjust to your particular surgery, but the more you learn about the surgery, especially beforehand, the easier it is to come to terms with it.
You can go online for a vast amount of resource and information is available, and your doctor and an ostomy nurse are a great source of knowledge. Also find and talk to others that have an ostomy of one type or another. It is possible to live a fun and full life with an ostomy. You will probably be able to resume almost 100 per cent of your life style just as it was before surgery.
The best thing to have as an osotomy user is have a sense of humor, and be willing to laugh at yourself, even if there is an embarrassing leak in public. Probably not being funny at the time but thinking back later you can just say, "oh well" that was not the worst thing that has happened to me. This type of attitude will help you live with a more positive outlook in life.
Other people will usually react to your emotions. If others can tell that you are not happy or are uneasy with your surgery, then they are more than likely going to respond the same way. On the flip side of the coin, if you carry a positive and confident attitude about your ostomy then you will get better reactions from others. This allows you to be in control of your life and come across to others that you are ok and they should be too, instead of the other way around.
Some major points in learning to live with an ostomy will first be to learn what type of ostomy you are having the surgery for and what its function. Then you are off to choose the right product for your situation. After that is cleaning and changing your unit. There may be some medications you can and can not take. Other things to consider are types of foods to eat, what causes gas and odor, what to do with food blockages and perhaps you need to check for hernia's. And most of this information, you will be able to find your doctor or health care provider, and of course, can research on the Internet.
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