Frequently Asked Questions Regarding your hospital care
Questions that patients and their loved ones have regarding appointments, contacts, questions about stoma surgery etc within Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospitals.
Useful information and links for hernia prevention/support.
Appliance and delivery companies support and education:
Coloplast changing an appliance instructional video
See videos demonstrating how to prepare, apply, empty, and remove ostomy pouching system. Before using, always consult the ‘Instructions for Use’ document included with the products received.
Coloplast useful advice for ostomates
Coloplast Care is a support programme for people with a stoma which offers advice and inspiration for daily life.
Translated information with helpful stoma advice brochures in several languages, which will help you in preparation for life with a stoma.
Fittleworth Living with a stoma and maintaining a healthy diet
Information on eating healthy with a stoma.
Dansac Hospitalisation and Recovery after stoma surgery
Following stoma surgery, you will be in the hospital for some length of time. Both physically and mentally, it is important to get used to your stoma. Even though you may be in pain while your wound is healing, it is important to follow the advice of the healthcare professionals who are caring for you. They are familiar with your situation, and they will be able to guide you and help you through difficult times. When you leave hospital, your new life with a stoma begins. Gradually, you will begin to understand how to cope with your stoma, and you will learn new skills that will allow you to enjoy life the way you did before your surgery. Click on Dansac link to find out more.
Dansac Learn about Life with a Stoma
Any period of illness, surgery, and recovery is stressful enough for your body and mind, but life with a stoma offers its own unique challenges. As a general rule, you will slowly be able to pursue the same activities after your surgery as you enjoyed before your surgery, but it’s important to listen to your body and not overdo it in the first months following your stoma surgery.Take control of your life and find ways of living with your stoma that suits your lifestyle. Click on Dansac link to find out more.
Coloplast Daily life with a stoma
Clinimed Bathing and showering with a stoma
For further information and video clip on how to bath and shower with a stoma, click on the link above.
Dansac Your sexual self after stoma surgery
Going through a life-changing illness or injury creates a significant imbalance to your
‘normal’ world. It affects your body and your mind and has an impact on those you love and who love you. How you respond and how you are supported may be influenced by many factors, including the presence of or absence of a partner, the family you grew up in (and whether they are close to you now), your personality, your religion, community or social network and your earlier life experiences. Click the link to find out more.
Securicare Sex and pregnancy with a stoma
Tips for intimacy when you have a stoma, includes contraception and pregnancy. Personal stories are shared. Click on the link for more information.
Hollister pregnancy and childbirth with a stoma
Besides giving general advice on keeping healthy during pregnancy, it covers special problems that may occur during pregnancy and childbirth when you have a stoma. Click on the link to find out more.
Returning to work after stoma surgery
With a little preparation, returning to work after stoma surgery should go smoothly. Click on the link to get tips for making your return to work easier.
Many people find that, once their stoma settles after surgery, they can continue life with few issues. However, there are a couple of less desirable outcomes of living with a stoma that you may experience and which are quite common.
The good news is that most of these can be helped, or even prevented, through a combination of product and diet or lifestyle choices.
Hollister Living with a stoma health and fitness
As your body begins to heal following surgery, you may wonder about a more active lifestyle — either to resume the sports and fitness activities you have already enjoyed,or whether you’ll be able to take up a new sport that you want to try. Click on the link to find out more.
Colostomy UK is a charity available to answer questions, offer support or just want to talk to someone who lives with a stoma. The aim of their day-to-day work, projects and campaigns, is to empower people with stomas to reach their potential.
The vision of the charity is to help sufferers of IBD with ostomies regain confidence through our Time for Me Grants. This is a tailor made service and is very much based on a relationship built between the person applying for the grant and those who work at the charity. It might be that a person really needs some ‘me’ time by relaxing at a spa, going on a shopping trip and attending a photo shoot for example.
Website and blog run by Rachel, who lives with 2 stomas. Her aims are to try and highlight having a Urostomy and educate the general public that Ostomy bags can also be because of bladder removal and contain urine. Ostomates are people sharing their stories and fabulous pictures and proudly flashing their stoma bags. The stigma surrounding stoma bags and Ostomy surgery is finally being addressed and changing the public’s perspective about stomas for the better; spreading a message of hope and acceptance to “be proud of your stoma bags and that you can still live an amazing happy life with one!”
OstoPals support Group:
A new support group for young ostomists. support@ostopals.co.uk Contact Oliver on 07768 024376. Join the facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/Ostopals/
Inflammatory bowel disease and ostomy show
Introducing the new show specially created for IBD and Ostomy sufferers.
Join fellow ostomates: Louise, Stephie, Rachel & Natalie to talk about IBD issues, Stoma care, Life with a chronic condition and a bit of banter. Show starts Live on Thursday 30th March and can catch up on Youtube after the event.
For Mental Wellbeing:
Birmingham Mind is the largest independent mental health charity providing services in and beyond the City of Birmingham’s boundaries. The website shows how they are promoting wellbeing and recovery, providing high quality support and challenging the stigma of mental distress. There is also a self referral form available.
APPS
Below is some app’s that can be downloaded to help with stoma care.
Salts Trainer App
The Salts Healthcare Stoma Training App gives you all the information you need whether you’ve just found out you will need to have a stoma, recently had your operation, or are living with a stoma. It is also a useful tool for those caring for and supporting a relative or friend.
You can download the app for free via the following links:
Android devices – Google Play
Apple devices – app store
Introducing the “Me, My Bag and I” podcast
More and more people want to get information and advice from a variety of sources and be able to choose when and how they get it.
Our monthly Ostomy Podcast, “Me, My Bag and I” provides an informal insight into living with a stoma and is available to download or subscribe to now.
We’ll be covering topics including getting back to work; sex and relationships, mental health and mindfulness; the importance of support from family and nurses; common issues and complications; and some of the challenges young ostomates face from going away to study, to partying in Ibiza!
