Possible permanent Colostomy

Moesimo said:

I did it
I couldnt wait to get reconnected. I did it only 8 weeks after my first surgery. I then spent the next 18 months either in the bathroom or looking for one. It was horrible. Yes, it was a tough decision, but I havent looked back. It has been 6 years since my colostomy and almost 8 years since my diagnosis. I now irrigate the ostomy daily. It limits my bathroom trips to empty. I work full time as a nurse. I am selective on who I tell that I have an ostomy. Life is good. You can send me a message if you have any specific questions. good luck. And I especially dont miss the accidents or the sore butt.

VickiCO did the same....
....Stratplayer, after many months of trying to get her own business back up to snuff Vicki (and I am sure she won't mind me using her as an example) decided enough was enough. She had spent most of her day on the toilet and she could not run her business that way. She did have a woman taking control until she returned to normal, but to Vicki, that wasn't going to be soon enough. Through Im sure many sleepless nights and pros and cons she opted to go back to the ostomy. She has now gotten control of her life and business back and says she will never regret the move made...It gave her freedom or her life and for her business...Strat, there is another side of it that I have to deal with....intimacy, it is a large concern and yes it is somewhat a mental issue that does have consequences with it...I am at the stage of my life though that these things are not as important as my life and family, but it is something you must consider if you want to return to the bag...There are always pros and cons, its just what you want most out of life.........In hopes for your right decision........buzz

stratplayer said:

Possible Permanent Colostomy
I sure appreciate the input. I did experience some issues with my Ileostomy in the bedroom.
We found a long Ace bandage and wrapped it around my waist and the bag.
I made sure to cover any sharp plastic corners that might get in the way.
Please explain the irrigation of the bag!!!

I want my life back and go back to work.

Thanks everyone,

Mickster

Hey...I was looking on line
Hey...I was looking on line at ostomy apparel once and saw this band that goes around the waist and holds the bag in place. Or so it says. Like you did with the ace wrap. There were other clothing also. I ended up getting reversed and didn't look into it more but it sounded interesting and worth checking into. There are other items out there also might be worth investigating.

Since I'm still on chemo and have all of the restroom side effects of that to go along with the reversal, I don't have fair input on your first question.

Good luck, Gail

Hey Mickey
I still have my temp colostomy and after 10 months with it I am getting tired of it and looking forward to reconnect. that being said, Compared to the problems I was having pre-colostomy (diarrhea, constant trips to the bathroom, incontinence, pain, etc) It was a relief to have my colostomy and have some control over all those issues. Of course those issues were from my colon tumor and not a reversal surgery. While I am looing forward to my reversal, I also have mixed feelings about having to invest so much time and effort into getting things to some sort of normal. I most likely will also go back on chemo after my reversal so I might not have such good luck with "normalizing" bowel movements ... it all just depends on what my next steps are. I can say that it is reassuring knowing that if all efforts fail a perm colostomy is an available option.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with going to a perm colostomy if you feel you've given it what you had to give and just can't see continuing with the pain and hassel. I wish you all the best and hope that you have all the support you need with this decision. HUGS

taraHK said:

somewhat different
I didn't have a reversal -- I had a permanent colostomy after my first surgery (I had very low rectal tumor). That was 8 years ago. I find living with a permanent colostomy not bad at all -- it has become very routine for me. I do a lot of sport, wear pretty much whatever I want, etc. I do irrigation. Would be happy to provide information on this or direct you to some excellent sources but my understanding (apologigies if I'm wrong) is that this may not be an option for ileostomy. In terms of intimacy issues -- your ace bandage sounds like a great idea. After much research, I settled on a simple "b**b tube" [insert two o's] (pardon the language) -- which you can buy in many shops. Or can sew something similar, using a stretchy fabric. That's if I need to wear a regular pouch. With irrigation, I usually wear a very small appliance.

It is not an easy decision. I wish you all the best as you make your decision -- and the best possible quality of life with your choice.

Tara

ps
meant to add I can also travel (long distance flights), hike...., hot tub....

taraHK said:

somewhat different
I didn't have a reversal -- I had a permanent colostomy after my first surgery (I had very low rectal tumor). That was 8 years ago. I find living with a permanent colostomy not bad at all -- it has become very routine for me. I do a lot of sport, wear pretty much whatever I want, etc. I do irrigation. Would be happy to provide information on this or direct you to some excellent sources but my understanding (apologigies if I'm wrong) is that this may not be an option for ileostomy. In terms of intimacy issues -- your ace bandage sounds like a great idea. After much research, I settled on a simple "b**b tube" [insert two o's] (pardon the language) -- which you can buy in many shops. Or can sew something similar, using a stretchy fabric. That's if I need to wear a regular pouch. With irrigation, I usually wear a very small appliance.

It is not an easy decision. I wish you all the best as you make your decision -- and the best possible quality of life with your choice.

Tara

How about those sexy
crotchless panties? I've never seen a guy wear them, YET ... but it might be fun. haha

taraHK said:

water parks fine
I would think water parks would be just fine -- I swim with mine -- in pool and ocean -- never had a problem with that

Crotchless pantyhose huh !!!....I might have to try th......oops
sorry for thinking out loud......but thanks Lori, gives the man an opportunity to wear something and simply say that we're doing it for scientific research, and if that don't fly well we'll tell em Lori said it would work, then we're really in deep poop....Oh well such is life.....

In all seriousness to the ostomy issue.....

I wish everyday that I didn't have a bag. Im not going to tell anyone that yes its a piece of cake. Its a piece of chit, but its what keeps me honking....and for that I am grateful. I never had the opportunity to have a decision on whether or not I wanted to be reconnected or not . It was a choice made for best survival percentages and for clearest margins...I look in the mirror and see a broken down ole fart thats just glad to be alive. Im at the age that the "sexy" for me doesn't matter anymore, I have no intention of ever chasing women anymore, much less catching one...so the bag issue to me isn't really an issue, just for me a reminder of whats important in my life...and if the bag keeps me alive longer then by all means bring it !! Now, if I made my money selling my body (well, we'd all starve to death) kiddin..just kiddin'.........I pretty much live my life outloud and it really doesn't bother me to speak of things that lots of people turn red over, but yeah the bag is horse hockey when your trying to court...but once that testosterone level falls and our brains start to rise returning to their original place of residence, then the bag issue is not really an issue after all, just a slight inconvenience....and yes Tarak, a tube(boob)top works great.....You just have to be color cordinated....(red tubetops do not go with a 400 thread count camel colored top bedsheet.....just remember these fashion Fax-Pauxs and you'll be on your way to a toilet free, bedroom spree............Here's for the best that life can bring to ya......buzz


and where in the heck is Kerry....this is just to good to pass up for him......miss you too bud........

Vickilg said:

Pros & Cons
Hi there... I had a temporary illestomy bag last year that I actually counted the days until the reversal. I hated it. Then for a year after the reversal I was always running to the bathroom, not eating a lot of things I had, irritation/pain from going so much, and always, always, always being distracted when I was out of the house thinking about where the next bathroom was in case I felt an urgent need to go. It disrupted a lot of my fun/happy times. So even though I didn't have the bag I was still thinking of poop 24/7. I had to have a permanent colostomy bag put in on January because of recurrence. I cried. I thought it will really limited me on things. I was wrong. I have gone on road trips, ate out with family and friends, gone shopping, to the movies, etc. without having to worry about bathrooms, accidents, what can I eat, etc. As much as I would prefer not to have a bag, it is better than what I was going through this past year. Good luck in your decision.

Vickilg.....may I be so bold to ask your age.......
I am thinking the girls in the pics may be daughters of yours or maybe you yourself...I simply like to know for knowledge to maybe pass on to someone younger that may be struggling with this issue someday in the future.. it helps to know as much as possible...your feelings about it pros and cons.what ever you may be comfortable with talking about.....Thank you and yeah, even though its different, it allows us to live......Love to you and yours, buzz