A nurse or stoma nurse and other staff will teach you how to care for your stoma while you are in the hospital. When you are discharged from the hospital, you will be given a basic kit of supplies necessary for stoma care.
Who is a stoma nurse? This is a medical professional who has the appropriate certificates and education, preferably with the experience of cna: https://resumesbot.com/certified-nursing-assistant-cna-resume-example/ Since there is no special narrow-profile training in the specialty of a stoma nurse, a nurse who has undergone appropriate training and received basic skills for caring for patients with an ostomy, automatically becomes a dentist nurse. Ideal would be a certificate of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing.
During a postoperative visit, your stoma nurse or doctor will assess your stock of stoma care supplies and show you how to order them.
The stoma nurse will also make sure that the visiting nurse visits you at home after you are discharged from the hospital. They will teach you how to care for your stoma and adapt to it at home.
The Importance of Professional supervision
When is it necessary to seek help from a health professional? Even if you were operated on by the most famous doctor with a doctorate degree and awards on resume, even if you feel sick at 3 a.m., do not be afraid to disturb him. If you have any questions or problems at home, contact your stoma nurse or your social worker. Be sure to call your doctor or nurse if you have:
- vomiting
- having a colostomy, for 3 days there is no stool;
- having an ileostomy, stool is absent for 3-6 hours;
- there is an abdominal pain or dehydration symptoms (a more common occurrence for patients with ileostomy), including:
- increased thirst;
- dry mouth;
- loss of appetite;
- weakness;
- reduced amount of urine;
- urine of a dark amber color;
- muscle cramps, abdominal cramps or leg cramps;
- feeling that you will faint;
- greater than usual volume of the chair or its consistency is changed;
- more frequent emptying of the ostomy bag.
Medication
If you have an ileostomy, your body may not fully absorb certain medications. This is because your intestines are shortened and some drugs are absorbed slowly. Most often this happens:
• with enteric-coated tablets (a special coating that prevents the tablets from being absorbed until they are in the small intestine);
• with slow or long release drugs (involving slow release of the active substance in the body over a long time).
Ask your doctor if you are taking these medicines. If you see an insoluble tablet in the ostomy bag, consult a doctor.
Do not grind tablets unless your doctor or pharmacist has authorized you to do this. Taking crushed tablets can cause digestive problems.
Physical Activity
Talk with your doctor about what physical activity is right for you. For most people during the recovery period after surgery, walking and light stretching will be the optimal load. You should refrain from lifting or pushing weights greater than 10 pounds (4.5 kg) for 2-3 months after surgery. This also applies to housework, such as vacuuming or mowing the lawn. If this is problematic for you, talk with your doctor.
Do not do squats, push-ups, or any other intense exercise for 2-3 months after surgery. This will help prevent the occurrence of a hernia (disc protrusion of an organ or tissues) or weakening of any muscle near the stoma. It will also help prevent stoma hernias (protrusion of the stoma).