Ostomy Book: Living Comfortably with Colostomies, Ileostomies, & Urostomies: 3rd Edition - Softcover

Mullen, Barbara Dorr; McGinn, Kerry Anne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1933503130 ISBN 13: 9781933503134

Publisher: Bull Publishing Company, 2008

Synopsis

This invaluable reference discusses every aspect of an ostomy -- a surgical procedure that creates an alternative opening in the body for waste discharge from the kidney, colon, intestines, or bladder -- from the first shock of diagnosis through surgery and rehabilitation. The co-author's moving and motivational story of her colostomy experience is blended with information on the latest surgical techniques and equipment, providing prospective ostomy patients with both the medical and emotional know-how to confidently approach the surgery. This revised edition also contains up-to-date material on virtual colonoscopies and travel regulations related to ostomy pouches, as well as essential facts on how to safely handle sex, pregnancy, and sports after an ostomy.

About this title

About the Author

Barbara Dorr Mullen underwent colostomy surgery and was the author of two previous editions of The Ostomy Book. Kerry Anne McGinn RN BSN OCN, is a certified oncology nurse at the California Pacific Medical Centre. She lives in San Francisco.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Ostomy Book

Living Comfortably with Colostomies, Ileostomies, and Urostomies

By Barbara Dorr Mullen, Kerry Anne McGinn, Susan Klug, Ken Miller, Lois Stanfield

Bull Publishing Company

Copyright © 2008 Barbara Dorr Mullen and Kerry Anne McGinn
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-933503-13-4

Contents

List of Illustrations, 
Dear Reader, 
Chapter 1: I'm Going to Have a What?, 
Chapter 2: What Is an Ostomy?, 
Chapter 3: It's Your Body, 
Chapter 4: Before Surgery, 
Chapter 5: Surgery, and Just After, 
Chapter 6: On the Mend, 
Chapter 7: But How Do You Really Feel?, 
Chapter 8: That Strange Big World Out There, 
Chapter 9: Permanent Colostomies: Changes and Choices, 
Chapter 10: Ileostomies and Alternatives, 
Chapter 11: Life Without a Built-in Bladder, 
Chapter 12: Pouches and the Skin They Touch, 
Chapter 13: Pouch Skills, 
Chapter 14: Temporary Ostomies, 
Chapter 15: Eating Well, 
Chapter 16: Catnaps, Strolls, and Good Belly Laughs, 
Chapter 17: You're Looking Great!, 
Chapter 18: What About Sex?, 
Chapter 19: Work? Of Course!, 
Chapter 20: Swimming, Skiing, and Other Diversions, 
Chapter 21: The Other Side of the World, 
Chapter 22: Pregnancy? Yes!, 
Chapter 23: Children with Ostomies, 
Chapter 24: A Word to the Teenagers, 
Chapter 25: Checkups and Follow-ups, 
Chapter 26: Helping Hands: Ostomy Groups and ET Nurses, 
Chapter 27: In the Family, 
Resources to Know, 
Glossary, 
Index, 

CHAPTER 1

I'm Going to Have a What?

As my friend Tom says, you never realize how many yellow cars there are — until you buy a yellow car.

Until July 1976, I had no idea that hundreds of thousands of Americans had gained longer lives, thanks to a surgical change I'd barely heard of — an ostomy. Nor did I guess that I'd be one of the lucky ones who would receive such a bonus of time.

Nor that I would need it ...

Though the apple trees and primroses probably bloomed on schedule that spring, I'd been too busy focusing on black clouds and mud puddles to notice them. My work wasn't going well, my body seemed to have lost its bounce, and I'd been in a rut so long I felt bruised. If I could swing it, maybe a vacation — a week or two on Puget Sound — would help? What I needed was a change.

What I got were changes. Instead of two weeks moseying up the coast to the Sound, I got four weeks and two days in a pink hospital room in San Francisco with a distant view of Golden Gate Park. Instead of fresh salmon and wild blackberry pie, there were bland, hot cereal and jello on blue plastic trays.

Those changes were temporary. I also got a slight change in my plumbing — a colostomy — and that's permanent, but less trouble than I expected, and cause for rejoicing. No matter what I used to think!

It all started on a Wednesday in July, near the end of a long-postponed physical. That had gone well. The doctor, Michael Wise, and I were pleased at my rich blood, marvelous blood pressure, all kinds of good signs.

Until that undignified last lap. My body was bent like a tent on the examining table so Dr. Wise could look into my rectum through a special tube called a sigmoidoscope. He'd been talking to put me at ease. Then he stopped. After our banter, the silence was scary.

"There," he said, after a few moments. "Just relax a minute, Barb, while I get someone else to look at this." Someone else was a doctor who specialized in problems of the digestive tract. He agree

Edition details

• Publisher: Bull Publishing Company
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1933503130
• ISBN 13: 9781933503134
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 379