I never take for granted how fortunate we are in this part of New Jersey to have incredible support in our Wound and Ostomy Nurses. As you know, I am involved in three Ostomy Support Groups, Overlook Medical Center in Summit; Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Somerset; and RWJ Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston. All three have nurses dedicated to the care and maintenance of good health of Ostomates, and without their dedication and knowledge, we would be left with little support.
Our surgeons are responsible for the creation of our stoma, and to ensure our return to good health. But they cannot be responsible for guiding us once we leave their care, and with the insurance regulations as they are, that is sooner and sooner, whether or not we are ready to begin our return to normal. Thank goodness, the three medical centers I have referenced recognize that our care is ongoing, and in order to assist us as we adapt to our new bodies, we need a great deal of support. And this support is not only for the new Ostomate. In fact, one of my dear friends has been an Ostomate for decades and is now needing help to deal with a skin issue she never had before.
So, let’s look at what Ostomy nurses do for us: they mark our abdomen prior to surgery, unless, of course, surgery is not planned and emergent. They educate us on what to expect with our stomas, what the process will be for appliance and supplies, and reinforce for us that we will be looking “normal” to the outside world. In the hospital, they visit regularly and help familiarize us with our new anatomy and appliance. They answer the same questions over and over again…what can I eat? What can’t I eat? Will I smell? Can I have sex? Etc., etc.
And when we leave the hospital, we still need support and care. They offer continued assistance in the form of an outpatient resource. We can have the fit of our appliance assessed since the stoma shrinks over the first few months; we can try new appliances, and if our output slows, be fitted for a smaller bag; skin conditions can be monitored and the correct powders and pastes recommended and tried.
Believe me when I say we are so very, very fortunate to have this service and level of support. My initiation into my first Ostomy Support Group was through Angela Natale-Ryan, my Wound and Ostomy Continence Nurses at Overlook, where I had my surgery. She encouraged me to attend, and the rest is history…I have been president for 6 years, and have gone on to help create two more groups. I am called constantly by those who have little support and have no idea how to cope with their fears, questions and concerns. I talk with and encourage them to participate in any of our groups, and that is a comfort, I believe. I visit and share their fears and worries. But I am a layperson, simply shooting from the hip as an Ostomate. Our nurses, well, they are the women who make the difference, and I am so proud to be able to reach out to them when I know it is they who will save the situation, and enable Ostomates to enjoy their lives.