A colostomy is a major surgery that will first begin with a long hospital stay and then some major lifestyle changes once your loved one comes home. At first notice of needing a colostomy, it might seem overwhelming for you and your loved one to think about the care of her stoma (the visible opening through which her stools will now pass, created by a piece of her intestine being folded out).
While in the hospital, the doctors and nurses will provide your loved one and any caregivers with plenty of instructions on how to adjust to the new changes, but it still may seem overwhelming. You might consider hiring a post-hospital care provider to help with the transition time. A post-hospital care provider can answer questions on-site, help you know if anything is looking out of the norm, and get you and your loved one comfortable with the new care procedures.
What to expect when your loved one returns home:
Daily Stoma Care
Taking care of the skin around the stoma is important to avoid irritation and infection. It will need to be regularly washed using the approved cleaners, avoiding lotion, and always having the needed supplies on hand, such as properly fitting stoma products. A post-hospital care provider can help your loved one get adjusted to this new routine as well as monitor her stoma for any changes in color or shape. It is not uncommon for healing of this area to take around 8 weeks.
Clothing Adjustments
Your loved one may find that some of her old clothes are no longer comfortable now that she has an ostomy bag. If she used to wear fitted or tight clothes, belts, and anything else that constricted her waist area, she may find them very uncomfortable now. You can help her feel better about her new clothing styles by finding some new clothes that she thinks are cute or pretty but are also comfortable.
Diet Changes
With a stoma, your loved one may find there are foods that she can no longer tolerate. Some foods that naturally cause a lot of gas – like beans or cabbage – could make her very uncomfortable and spicy food may irritate the stoma. Your loved one should keep a food diary to start out with so she can pinpoint which foods are fine to eat and which cause her discomfort or pain.
While eating, she might find that big meals are hard to digest and need to change her diet to break her food into 5-6 small meals a day. She might also find it beneficial to rest for 15-30 minutes between meals and to chew her food thoroughly, enjoying the meal slowly.
It might be a slow adjustment, but over time with the help of post-hospital care, your loved one will become more comfortable with her ostomy bag and will adjust to the changes.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Post-Hospital Care in Omaha, NE, please contact the caring staff at Caretech today! Call (402) 697-5121
Caretech provides the best care services for seniors and families throughout Nebraska including Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Fremont, Norfolk, Hastings, Columbus, Papillon, North Platte, La Vista, Scottsbluff, South Sioux City, Beatrice, Lexington, Chalco, Gretna, Gering, York, and surrounding areas.
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