27 years post injury. C7 quadriplegic. Been fighting bowel issues for several years. Thinking of getting a colostomy. What do I do! I'm 54 and active. I want the ability to swim and use my handcycle. Is this possible after ostomy/colostomy?
Thank you
Only you can decide whether to have a colostomy or not, but if it's to improve your quality of life, there's only 1 option in my view!
Anything you can do now, you will be able to do with a colostomy.
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Hi Crossley. Ya know, I think it’s all about feelings. I don’t mean the pain feelings which could control everything. I mean the feelings inside our heads, our hearts and even our souls. I mean the feelings of who we are now compared to who we were; how we accept our situation or maybe we don’t. My wife asked how I felt and I said, “like crap”. She asked what hurt and I answered, “Nothing hurts, well, everything hurts, I don’t know, It all sucks.” That was a long time ago. You question if your feelings are normal. How normal is it to relocate your butt hole to your belly where it’s usually in the way of your belt and, you know. But that’s where we are and for lots of us we are so much better off than we were before, physically. Emotionally, psychologically, well, that might be a different story. I believe talk therapy is wonderful if we could find a real empathic or sympathetic listener. So guess what! I found MAO and began “talking” with a keyboard with some of the wisest, kindest most sympathetic and compassionate folks on the planet. Regardless of where we’ve been, lots of folks here have been there and worse places and found their way back healthier and happier. We really do help each other.
Keep “talking”,
Mike
I'm a plumber and do everything: swim, bike, fish, work, ski, 4-wheel, camp, eat
I do it all
Assuming you have sufficient finger and hand dexterity, it is a reasonable thing to do.
Where is the best location for stoma. I don't have any type of disease. Just a slow-moving gut.
Thank you
If you are asking about the location on the body, they usually do an assessment on you before the surgery happens at your pre-op appointments. They ask where you wear the waist in your pants, they will have you sit, stand a few times, and totally assess looking for dips in the belly, etc., and then mark you with a marker in the spot they know will work best for you.
If you're asking about the location in terms of hospital or surgeon, then I would suggest the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Colorectal Surgery Department in Cleveland, Ohio if you can get there.