First thing, happy world ostomy day to the 750,000 - 1 million people who have an ostomy!
Now if you are wondering what an ostomy is then that is what I want to discuss, along with what it is like living with one.
An ostomy is a surgical opening in the abdominal area that can be temporary or permanent. During surgery, and depending on which organ is used, they take one of three organs and surgical make a incision in your abdomen and stitch that piece to the outside. That piece the ostomy bag covers is called a stoma. Organs used is your small intestine and that is called an Ileostomy, this is what I have. The large intestine a.k.a. the colon is another and is called a Colostomy. Then there is also the urostomy, which are the ureter tubes that run from the kidneys to the bladder.
An example of how an ostomy works. I am going to use an Ileostomy for this example due to the fact it is what I have myself.
To note: Ileostomy is the small intestine and I was a CNA and nursing student so you might get TMI here.
Say I eat something.. lets go Spaghetti, I am Italian after all.
In you mouth saliva helps to break down that spaghetti I am eating to turn them into enzymes to help breakdown things like starches . Now in the esophagus the broken down food moves by a process called peristalsis, a wave like motion that helps push food along by the muscle relaxing and tightening. All that happens for the food to land in the stomach where food sits and waits for its turn to be broke down further and absorbed with the help of acid and those and other enzymes. Once in the small intestine they don't have long to be absorbed more like they would in a normal person because there time in the intestine is cut sort due to the surgeries I had, same for others. After going through what part of the small intestine we have it goes out through the stoma, which you do not feel, and into the ostomy bag that is worn over it. That is how we go to the bathroom and how our digestive tract works.
Now think for a Colostomy It goes all the way to the large intestine before going into the bag.
Then the Urostomy is for drinking, or absorb any thing with fluid in it, it goes from your kidney into your ureters into the bag.
Everyday life varies from person to person. An ostomy shouldn't interfere minus emptying the contents of the bag. Yes we can lay on our stomach, yes we can wear tight clothes and that crop top you are in love with at the store. A two piece bathing suit, bring it on, No reason why you do not wear them and people with ostomies workout to be fitness competitors and are football players. A few years back, I didn't think "oh my 18 surgeries and ostomy is going to stop me" No I got in a wrestling ring and learn Jujitsu. Yes, my trainers both had a hard time with it but you keep going or find a new trainer. Now unfortunately my Crohn's got worse to the point some days I can't get out of bed. But if you love something, do it. Don't let anything stop you.
