Your recent stoma surgery will change you physically and it might take some time for you to get used to your altered body and to feel comfortable. Initially you may feel more self-conscious wearing certain clothes or avoid taking part in activities you previously enjoyed.
This is all completely natural and it may help to speak to others who have been through or are going through a similar thing. As your confidence grows you will begin to discover that some things that you initially thought were impossible whilst living with a stoma, are not!
There are many products available that are designed to improve body positivity, such as stoma support wear and stoma bags in different colours, and many have features to make it easier to take part in physical activities. Here are a few top tips following your surgery. You should seek the advice of your Stoma Care Nurse prior to starting any exercise.
Dan Springett is a Physiotherapist, working as part of the Colorectal/ Stoma Nurse Team at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. Here he shares some tips for starting physical exercise after stoma surgery. Everyone is different, and what the body is capable of post-surgery will often depend on how much it was capable of prior to surgery.
In the early days it is important to remember a few main points:
Recovery is all about goal setting: set yourself a goal of where you want to get to, then work out how to get there. You will need to break it down into small steps to achieve your overall goal. Imagine you are climbing a ladder to get to your overall goal – each rung along the way is a small achievement and you can see these small successes along the way.
I would always recommend people avoid the following early after surgery:
Don’t be afraid to exercise! Yes, there is a risk of developing a hernia, but this could be greater if you DON’T exercise at all. Learn to listen to your body, and don’t allow yourself to over-fatigue. That’s when injuries can occur. Set those goals and get motivated with exercise!
Having a stoma is a major change in your life and it can take time to adapt to your new lifestyle. You may need support with learning how to cope with difficult emotions, how to get used to your altered body or support with building your confidence. We have various support tools and resources which are aimed to help improve your well-being. Explore these tools and resources below.
Confidence BE® has a range of features that may help improve self-esteem, body image, comfort, confidence and sleep quality by helping to reduce leaks, odour, ballooning, pancaking, noise and skin irritation.
Choice of three colours: black, white and stone. Available in closed, drainable, urostomy, flat and soft convex.
The filter is designed to ensure that a gas path can always be maintained to help reduce ballooning, and to help neutralise odour.
Urostomy hydrocolloid resists fluid and erosion for longer*.
* In comparison to Salts Confidence® Natural Advance Closed and Drainable stoma bags. 25% less erosion over a 24-hour period. Data on file. Salts Healthcare 2022.
Outlet tucks away and is securely fastened with premium VELCRO® hook and loop fastener material.
Outlet tucks aways and is securely fastened with premium VELCRO® hook and loop fastener material.
Soft outlet and bung are comfortable without compromising ease of use.
Rotating and detachable bung lanyard can be moved away from urine flow when draining.
We offer a wide range of one-piece colostomy bags and two-piece colostomy bags designed to make life easier with innovative features for greater comfort, flexibility and security. We have a range of colostomy supplies for you to sample from.
Our one-piece colostomy product range includes:
Our two-piece colostomy product range includes;
Both our one-piece and two-piece closed stoma bags are available in flat and convex.
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