What questions should I ask the stoma nurse ?

[bizzey]

Taking my aunty to a stoma nurse appointment.
It has been decided that that is what is needed.

What questions would help my aunty ?

They think I am clever ....I am not !!

Try not to worry. It's such a big change that it's hard to take much in at the first appointment and the stoma nurse will talk your Aunt through the basics.
The main things your Aunt would need to know are what sort of support she will get with her stoma when she's in hospital and what support will be available when she goes home. I hope it goes well for her.

Thank you x

I am so worried I will mess up the appointment and not ask the proper questions .

They will show her how to manage it before she leaves hospital, you could ask if you could be there so you can help.

You could ask if there's anything your Aunt should avoid eating once she has her stoma.
You could ask the nurse where the stoma will be sited.
You could ask the nurse to show you some stoma bags. They might give your Aunt a practice kit to play with with!
They will probably give your Aunt some leaflets to read at her leisure.
I've had a stoma 2 months and questions arise for me almost every day.I've been told it takes a year to 18 months to really get used to it. There's lots of information online though - some good videos on youtube on how to manage a stoma. I'm lucky as I know there is ongoing support from the stoma nurses if I need it but I know not every hospital offers this.

Is it a temporary thing. In certain circumstances they can be reversed. You could ask about visits from district nurses.

I'd sy the most important thing to find out now, is how and from whomyour aunt will be able get help and advice in the weeks after the procedure. She will get support in hospital but it almost certainly won't over everything (at least this was our experience )and anyway she is likely to go on having questions and adjustments to make after she goes home.

There are all sorts of things different people need like different shaped bags, different adhesives, barrier creams etc and your aunt may not discover which of any of these she needs for a while after she gets home. So rather than trying to get all this info in advance, the most important thing IMO is having all the contacts ready to hand for help from for example the stoma nurses, district nurses etc, so you are pre-armed and can get help swiftly when you need it.

Also its worth knowing that the way her bowel behaves in hospital will be very different from what it will settle down to after a week or two. For one thing there may be little food in her system because of not eating before the operation, and for another bowels can 'sulk' after surgery. So as a result things might not really get going until she gets home - depending on the length of the stay in hospital.

(I have assumed you mean a bowel stoma not a bladder stoma. Bowel is the usual sort!)

Please tell your aunt not to worry. It sounds so scary but my mum, who was really worried about it, is absolutely fine with it and it's become second nature now. All the stoma nurses she's ever encountered have been amazing and they'll be really patient with her and make sure she knows exactly what she's doing. I'd say from what my mum has said, reading up about which foods can irritate it would be really useful. Other things like asking what foods she should eat to rectify it if becomes too watery or gassy.
A little funny story that might make her chuckle. The stoma end can fart! My mum's little dog was sitting on the arm of the chair when it happened the first time and it alarmed him so much he virtually took off (he doesn't bat an eyelid now, and it doesn't happen often!)

Gosh thank you for all replying.
It will be a permanent stoma .

Bowles are fucked basically !

Just want to ask. The important questions.

I really don't want this job...but don't want to get it wrong .