Mike, living with a colostomy: There are so many questions that you don’t know what to ask, until you start living the experience of being an ostomate. Make sure you ask the questions you need to find a solution to put you at ease.
The 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 takes time to adjust, but it will get easier.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
After your operation, your ostomy care nurse will focus on helping you become confident in taking care of your ostomy, ordering ostomy pouches, your rights and other practical aspect 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.
