You're having Surgery, so what's next?

There's so many reasons why a person may need a Urostomy yet Urostomy awareness is rarely discussed. Many people at any age, male or female may require a Urostomy due to many different problems such as cancer, trauma and long term illnesses.

Finding out that you need to have surgery to remove your bladder or part of the Bladder may come as a huge shock for a lot of people. For me I welcomed it with open arms as I just couldn't manage the pain anymore.

The best advice I can give you is 'You don't have to do this alone', I have included some tips below to help you prepare:

• Do your research on the surgery and the recovery.

• Write a list of questions you want to ask the stoma nurse.

• Join a support group online with others who have gone through the same.

• Research stoma products and bags, dont be afraid to order samples to try.

• Make an exercise plan (if you can) you want to be at your most fittest

• Write a hospital list (Below I have included a template to print)

• Discuss Stoma life and the surgery with your loved ones, having their support makes recovery a lot easier.

Once you have been put on the waiting list the Stoma nurse will book an appointment to discuss stoma life and the surgery. This is the best time to ask those questions and don't forget there's no such thing as a stupid question.

Support groups are a good idea but you have to remember not one persons journey is the same as another. There's closed/ private groups on Facebook to explore and also some really good Instagram profiles to follow.

Your Stoma nurse may give you some bags to try on and look at so you can make a decision on which you prefer. I would always recommend you look at the suppliers online as you can request free samples to try. It's a good idea to try them on so you can get a feel for them and also make sure your skin won't react to the base plate, some people put a little water in them.

You will be called into hospital to take part in a pre-surgery appointment, during this appointment they will check if you are fit enough to have the surgery. You normally have bloods taken, your heart rate and breathing checked but if you have any concerns reach out to your Urologist or stoma nurse there's no need to worry.

Dealing with a big surgery like this can really affect your mental health, it's important to know that you are not alone. If you dont have the support around you remeber theres always people you can reach out to weither it be a professional, a friend or a fellow Ostomate. Some people take to stoma life very fast where as some people struggle to accept that they have had to loose their bladder. Everyone's different and theres no time stamp on how long you have to grieve. Stoma life shouldn't prevent you living your life in fact you may find it gives you your life back.