It’s hot, keep your stoma safe

Boy has the weather changed.  In my neck of the woods the weather just jumped about 20 degrees and it is toasty outside.  So this means lots of new changes have occurred and should probably happen if you have a stoma.  It really just means that I am going to be wearing slightly tighter clothes and also that I may be sweating a bit more than normal.  So there are a few  good things you can do to make sure that your stoma is fitting in with your fashion style and allowing you to live your best life.

The first thing I like to make sure is that my ostomy care is coming first.  There is nothing worse than actually being in trouble for not planning ahead and taking care of an area that I know I should. So for me I like to make sure I have the right equipment on when I know I am going to be outside a little more or it's going to be a little hotter.  

This means for me that I will likely put a bag on that has belt loops.  This allows me to then get an ostomy belt to go around the bag and hold it tighter to my body.  It may sound a bit strange but to me there is nothing better than knowing my body is looking sleek during the summer.  Being able to strap my bag down helps it from moving around and allows me to wear slightly tighter fitting clothing.  Not that is not the most important part but making sure the my ostomy care gear is also water moisture wicking is a big deal.

I really don’t like my skin sweating and feeling gross all the time.  So It really matters to me to get some really good moisture wicking gear. This has always mattered to me though way before I had an ostomy.  Being able to be comfortable in warmer weather is important and you don’t want rubbing to occur in areas causing extra friction, especially if you have a stoma.  So rock the summer body and find the right gear that fits your body. 

If you don’t have good moisture wicking gear and are getting rashes, you need to contact your healthcare provider to figure out a better solution. Also maybe contact your local pharmacy and ask for their advice as well. The pharmacist I have talked to have been amazing on advice.

Road trip with an ostomy

Do you remember your first road trip.  Boy I sure do. My family used to drive from the top of the country down to Florida every single year.  We have lots of relatives down there and in the great and hot state of Alabama.  Road trips are really interesting when you are going with family.  The vehicle you travel in can really impact how that trip is enjoyed.  I have gone with a family of five in the smallest ford car ever made. Or so it seemed. I have also ridden down in luxury with a nice minivan.  Sometimes there are dogs and sometimes there are cats that come along.  Now there is an ostomy bag that comes along and I have to worry about my ostomy care along with a family. So there are a few tips I have learned over the years about roading tripping and now road tripping with a stoma. 

It is important to plan ahead for your ostomy care needs.  Planning a road trip is simply more than picking a route to go on.  Well let's face it now we simply pull out our phones and put the address into an app and set off.  No more pulling out an actual map and writing down a real plan.  Or if you are old enough to remember mapquest when you would print out step by step directions.  Oh lord help you if you missed a turn, now you are lost forever! But what I really mean is pan out some extra stop along the way.  Or if you see a rest stop, me more affirmative about taking it instead of waiting for the next one. 

Now part of planning out a successful road trip is making sure you have the supplies you need.  I know what I need for every week as for getting the correct amount of ostomy gear I need.  So make sure you bring a little bit of extras.  When packing a road trip things just go wrong.  I find when things get thrown around in a car or may get in an accident that things get destroyed.  So take some extras and pack the amount needed in your  main pack which usually goes in the back. 

Now also pack some that are easily and readily available.  Just in case something goes wrong or you need some extra supplies. Keep some on hand!  There is nothing worse than not being prepared on a road trip where tempers can flair and emotions run high! Being prepared helps to keep stress levels down and fun levels up!

Staying on Top of your Stoma

So the title is a little bit cheesy but what do I mean when I say, staying on top of your stoma.  No I don’t mean push down on it or do a belly flop in the pool.  What I really mean is that if you just got a stoma and went through ostomy surgery then you need to be alert and on top of the situation.  Get into learning mode and put on your thinking cap. 

Now your body has a new way of doing things and you may have to relearn and replan your average day.  It really just means you have a few extra steps to take care of each day and maybe a few wardrobe changes to make.  Don’t worry it really isn't that different and you can still look stylish. So here are a few things you should look into and learn more about when you start out in what I am calling true ostomy care.

Become a dermatologist! Ok, you really do not need to become a dermatologist, but you do need to learn about taking care of your skin.  My wife is an expert on all things skin care and I don’t even wash my face at night.  So you see I had a lot to learn.  So pay attention to your ostomy nurse and surgeon when they are talking about how to care for your skin.  The skin around your stoma is really important and you don’t want it to get infected, or get a rash.  


You have probably rubbed the skin on your body too much at one time or another and it blistered up and ended up basically being an open wound.  Well now think about touching that open wound every single day and making the healing process take much longer than anticipated. Yikes, not fun!  So don’t worry, you can prevent that from happening.  Just follow instructions, and learn about proper techniques to care for your skin.

Become a friend with YouTube.  Yes there maybe lots of political reasons not to love a censoring platform, but there are lots of amazon videos on people who live and have a stoma.  I suggest starting with fashion videos.  If you are a guy or gal there are hundreds if not thousands of videos of people who are literally experts on how to dress with an ostomy bag.  You may not fit all their styles but there are probably a few that can lead you through similar clothing styles and how to stay fashionable and comfortable in lots of different situations! So take your ostomy care seriously and give these few tips a go

Does Crohn is Common after a J-Pouch Surgical Procedure?

 The patients who are suffering from IBD. In most cases, the treatment of this disease is done through a surgical procedure. Two major types of IBD are referred to as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Crohn's disease would affect both intestines, either small or large. For the eradication of inflammable sections, a surgical procedure is being conducted. For most cases, especially for Crohn's disease, the surgical procedure of Ostomy is performed that could be the temporary or persistent period.

In the case of ulcerative cells, it will be affecting the larger intestine. For this type of IBD, a surgical procedure is performed known as IPAA. This surgery is also referred to as J- pouch surgical procedure. According to the research, almost 30% of the patients have ulcerative colitis, and it will suddenly be required to associate this surgery.

What do you mean by the term J- pouch?

In the surgical procedure of J-pouch, there is the eradication of a larger intestine, and the ending portion for making our pouch, the intestinal mucosa is modified.. The pouch is something like J-shaped. This pouch is directly interlinked with the anus. These types of patients can typically evacuate. The Surgical procedures of J-pouch are fundamentally not performed in the case of Crohn's illness. Because it is critical, this disease could influence your pouch after its creation because it is already made up of ileum. Suppose the J-pouch of an individual is inflamed, then it could lead to severe complications, and there are high chances of pouch failure. A pouch failure typically means that these patients would require surgical treatment for its removal and the creation of Ileostomy. A lot of surgeries will only be made the patients weaker and affect their standard of living.

How Crohn’s disease is detected after the surgical procedure of J-Pouch?

In certain circumstances, individuals diagnosed with severe irritable bowel syndrome are subsequently found to encounter Crohn's disease. So it does occasionally happen pursuing j-pouch surgical procedure but is not prevalent. Although Crohn's condition was not initially diagnosed, some patients might have it from the start. The explanation of Crohn's is a good example of this. Often can affect the only large intestine, almost appearing as the precise diagnosis. When time passes, and much more signs and Crohn's disease symptoms will emerge, the treatment might well be modified. Inevitably, many individuals suffering from IBD will be contemplating as one, two, or even three procedures to establish a surgical procedure of a pouch that may be concerned about the prospect of a shift in diagnosis between peptic ulcer diseases toward Crohn's disease.

What Is the Frequency of Diagnostic Modifications?

Many researchers have analyzed the proportion of individuals who were treated with the disease are undergoing j-pouch treatment. In one research, the percentage of the population rediagnosed increased from 1% to 13%. The researchers of a study with the highest percent remark that their findings appear to be high as well. Researchers choose to state that they acknowledge that it will not correspond adequately with many other experiments, which have a 10% of overall or lower success rate. The statistics vary depending on the specific hospital that conducts the operation.

Is it possible to predict who will develop Disease?

There seems to be no clarity on how and where to distinguish individuals afflicted having ulcerative colitis who later turn out to have the disease. According to the study, individuals who had been diagnosed with a peptic ulcer at an early age and had extra intestinal difficulties were more susceptible to having their diagnostic changed to Crohn's subsequent j-pouch operation. Individuals who have Crohn's disease frequently have pouches "failing" may finally have the j-pouch evacuated. It doesn't appear to work as a distinction in living standards between people who can maintain their pouch and discover that it works well on those who are interested have IPAA treatment and have proven ulcerative disease.

CONCLUSION

It's understandable to be concerned about someone being detected having Crohn's disease despite a gastrointestinal symptoms treatment and J-pouch surgical procedure. Before undergoing surgery, the option should be thoroughly explored with the gastroenterology and colon surgeon, particularly for persons detected at an early age, including those who have other intestinal issues. Individuals should inquire about the percentage of participants who were rediagnosed following surgery from their surgeons. Nevertheless, it's crucial to emphasize that it's not a frequent thing IBD diagnostic procedures improve; the likelihood of a modification in diagnosis is decreasing.

Stoma Fashion and how to look good

There are a lot of things that end up being a bit different when you learn that an ostomy is happening.  One of them and a big part of the change is simply the phsyical look. You are going to look different and you are also going to have to change how you deal with clothing and all the things of that sort.  When you find out you're going to be getting an ostomy your whole world changes.  Information is thrown at you at a lightning pace.  More information than most people want to hear is what comes at them all in a rush.  Now many people are happy to have this happen because it truly makes their life better and less painfull.  The life-changing information and the education is simply a lot for the average person and in the end, most of us all go to the same spot.  What on earth am I going to wear when this is all said and done.  Don't be ashamed or talk down on yourself for thinking this for a single moment.  You are human, and so am I and let's face it we all thought of this early on instead of the actual health issue that was happening.  It's a natural response and when it comes to shopping it is important to look good especially if you have a stoma! 

Looking good is not all vanity and about being vane.  There really is so much more to it than that.  So there are a few things to keep in mind for your stoma health and one of the biggest things is to make sure you look and feel good.  Your psychological health is just as important as your physical health.  So yes, listen to your ostomy nurse and surgeon.  They will most likely give you incredible and very noteworthy information that you need to know to get through your day to day life.  But also make sure you are paying attention to not change your life so that you look and feel like a medical case.  That is the last thing you want and I am pretty sure that some of us end up feeling that way.  Just keep learning as much as you can to overcome any issues.  The jokes about being half man half machine seem to start rolling in and that is all good and fun, but seriously make sure you are taking care of yourself.  

Now another thing to really be thinking about is style and fining one that works for you.   Social media influencers can actually help in this area.  Especially, if they have a stoma as well.  Looking great is just as big a deal in stoma health as having the right seals and bags for your specific type of stoma.  So I suggest checking out lots of online tutorials about fashion.

There are tons of them out there for people who have stomas and it is really important to find a few good ones that seem to fit your lifestyle.  Make sure you are getting the right activewear and gear for your lifestyle and that it fits the way you like to dress on a regular basis.  Some things will have to change a bit, but not everything and certainly not an entire style. Search well and look like you want to feel. 

Staying Fit with a Stoma

There is so much trouble and problems with the world that it is mind-boggling.  I am also shocked at how the world has changed in 2021.  Going to the gym a year ago was a normal thing, but now especially if you have a medical condition it is supposed to be tabo.  A few years ago I was having a conversation with a friend who was set to get ostomy surgery.  He was scared, just like we all are when we find out that surgery is on the horizon. I didn't blame him at all and thought it funny that his first thought was that he would never find a gym to work out in with an ostomy.  His first thoughts were that he would be too embarrassed to work out in front of people or that they would not let him work out. I totally get it.  I actually laughed at him and with him and said that if that is really your only problem then life is pretty good.  He is a huge fitness enthusiast and eventually started to laugh as he grasped the reality of the situation that life was still good.  Indeed, I was able to let him know that working out was not going to be a problem just because he had an ostomy.  Now in today's age, he would be a bit more scared because of the ability to get COVID-19 in the gym.

But it is ok to hit the gym and to work out even with a stoma.  There are a few things to know and one is that if you have a stoma now that you are more prone to getting a hernia.  Common knowledge I know, but it is good to get it out in the open just in case.  It also means that for most people their life pretty much stays the same.  I was able to let him know that just a few years ago a person who had an ostomy ended up doing an iron man competition.  If an individual can actually train that hard and be able to accomplish such a task then, he was going to be able to find a gym. The biggest fear was rather normal.  He was afraid that having a bag with his waste attached to him would get in the way and would end up causing an accident.  His greatest fear was being that guy who drops the weights, but not just that but dropping the worst-case scenario possible on the weight lifting floor. 

Gear is the key to it all.  The technological boom did not pass the ostomy gear selection in 2021.  Instead, there are amazing companies that are thriving and getting lots of innovation in the stoma world.  Now you can enjoy a beach trip and do the hard lawn work without having to worry about the gear failing.  Now each person has a different body and something works better for others. So finding the right products for you is a journey.  Listen to your ostomy nurse and surgeon.  Then go and call up the big online manufactures and let them know what you do on a daily and ask what has worked well for others who do the same.  Then go ask your local pharmacist.  These people buy products that work for their customers and have heard lots of feedback over the years.  Just go looking and you will find what you need.

Get online. I try to find people who live lifestyles like mine or that I aspire to live and see how they deal with situations.  I have learned many little tips and tricks and habits from watching others live and fail.  Learn from others and thrive.