The first few days after ostomy surgery can be challenging. You have a pouch attached to your abdomen and lots of new things to learn. It's important to remember that it can take time to adjust, but that it will get easier.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
After your operation, your stoma care nurse will focus on helping you become confident in taking care of your stoma, emptying and changing your ostomy appliance, ordering your ostomy supplies, your rights and other practical aspects of living with an ostomy.
Becoming confident with a little help from your nurse
There will be a lot of new information to take in at once and it may even feel a bit overwhelming.
Take your time and ask all the questions you need, as many times as you need to. The more you ask and try things out, the better prepared you will be once you are back at home. It will also help to have a close relative or spouse with you for this training.
