Life without an ostomy bag is not much different when compared to life without one. Certain things are more easy without it, however. The ostomy procedure is not a difficult one. During this surgery, the patient will be under general anesthesia for the extent of the procedure. After the surgery, there will be some adjustments to be made as having a bag on your abdominal region may be odd at first. The difference between the two lifestyles is there, but there are not as many differences as some may expect there to be.
Life without an ostomy is not that much different from life with an ostomy bag. There are some differences, though. One example is pretty obvious; you will not have a bag attached to your abdominal area. The odd sensation an ostomy bab would take some adjustments like all things in life. When you do not have an ostomy bag, you can eat whatever you want whenever you want; as an avid food lover, this is surprisingly important to me as having restrictions on the foods I could eat would be sad. Any sport you want to play is also at your disposal, be it football to golf, you can play any that you wish and your abilities allow for.
A life with an ostomy bag has a few drawbacks, in my opinion. The first example is the fact that any sport with any physical contact of any kind is off-limits. This is because there is a risk that a bad hit or fall will cause the ostomy bag to rupture, letting all the fluids inside loose. Another example of some drawbacks to ostomy is the restrictions on foods that can be eaten. Doctors will advise their patients to avoid certain foods as they will cause indigestion or bad gas. With an ostomy bag, there are risks of other infections setting in that you may not be able to get with life without an ostomy pouch.
The two lifestyles have more similarities than differences between them. Both lifestyles can play sports, but ostomy patients are restricted to the kins they can play, whereas life without an ostomy pouch allows for any sport to be played if desired. Another similarity is both lifestyles allow for working out. It is always essential to work out as to live a healthy life regardless if you have an ostomy bag or not. When getting an ostomy procedure, you will not need new clothing as the clothes you wore before will work just as well, along with hiding the ostomy pouch.
The differences between the two lifestyles are not that great. In reality, getting an ostomy procedure and life after is no different than life without an ostomy bag other than carrying around the bag. Who you tell about your ostomy procedure is entirely up to you. You do not need to tell anyone; the choice is yours. Getting an ostomy can be a life-changing experience, but it does not have to change who you are, and I believe that is an important thing to remember as injuries can cause a person to change who they are, sometimes not for the better. Life with an ostomy does not have to be an entirely different life either, you can still do everything you did before the procedure, but there are some limitations, as discussed.
Ostomy Health Blog 