Gettin a colostomy and need advice

[cianw33]

hi my name is cian, and i have crohns for 10 years now. I recently had a seton put in for my fistula and after the surgery i was told by the doc that i will need a colostomy, and more than likely it will permanent.

honestly im scared to end up on a stoma but most of that is due to the fact that i dont know too much about it and im an active guy. i love playin basketball and gaelic football.

the main reason im writting this is because i would like to hear from people who have a stoma and what their view on it is and what the recovery time is like and what i can and cant do. i would really appreciate any advice and stories from people who went through this.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

It's very hard to adjust to a stoma, it really does change the quality of your life and to some degree for the better and others for worse. It will likely take several weeks to heal and be able to resume sports. If you play sports you should get a stoma guard to make sure you don't injure the area or create a hernia or prolapse.

 

[UnXmas]

I love having a stoma - I didn't find hard to adjust to at all. I have a permanent ileostomy. A stoma should not affect your ability to participate in sports, besides the time you have to spend recovering from the surgery.

 

[DJW]

Hi Cain.

Sports have always been of my life. I enjoy cycling, ice hockey, softball, etc. There are stoma guards available. I always use one for sports.

As mentioned it takes time to adjust.