I am having major shoulder surgery in a few weeks. I have had a continent ostomy for over 30 years, and besides the obvious stress about the surgery, pain, not being able to move or work, I am very concerned about handling my ostomy. It requires two hands to intubate and irrigate, and the doctor does not want me moving anything other than my wrist. I have yet to figure out how I am going to manage that! No one in the medical community where I live has any experience with my type of ostomy, so I am feeling panicky about the situation. I have to have the surgery - it is a major injury and getting riskier the longer I wait. I was also told that I will have even more pain if I have to move the arm for any reason, and it will be possible to prevent healing, resulting in the need to re-operate. So I am worried about many things - managing the ostomy, managing the pain, and being under anesthesia and having a problem that no one is prepared to handle. Any help out there?!
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Hollister
It's natural to feel stressed about possible relationship issues related to your ostomy.
Explore common concerns about new and existing relationships, and how to put your mind at ease.
Explore common concerns about new and existing relationships, and how to put your mind at ease.