Recovering From Ostomy Surgery: What I Said I Would Share

In August of 2024 I wrote that I was 2½ weeks out from the surgery that made my colostomy permanent, and that I was healing fast. I ended that post with a promise: when I got closer to week 6, I would share all my tricks. I never wrote that post. To be honest, life got busy, and then it was two years later. So this is a late one, and I owe it to you.

I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. Every person is different, and your surgeon and your ostomy nurse know your body. Please let them overrule anything you read here.

What I wrote back then

Here is what I said in that August post. I was pain free from the second day and was not taking pain medicine. My JP drain was out, and I was cleared to go back to normal life, except for lifting or moving more than 10 lbs. I had read the stories of many people who had surgery like mine. They said it should take 6 weeks for the pain to ease and 6 weeks before I could sit. For me it was pain free and sitting with few problems by day three.

I do not know why my recovery went the way it did, and my doctors were puzzled too. So please do not read my story as a promise for yours. Some people need more time, and that is fine.

The one trick I keep coming back to

The main thing I said then, and still say, is to keep moving. “Things in motion tend to stay in motion. Things at rest will stay at rest.” I live by that, and by the other motto I wrote about, “Dreams are meant to bleed for.” It means you work for what you want.

Keep moving does not mean push through anything. This week I read what hospitals and ostomy nurses say about the first weeks, and walking comes up in most sources. Memorial Sloan Kettering encourages walking at a comfortable pace as you recover. The UK bowel and stoma charity says regular walking will soon build your strength, and it adds that you should not expect to go straight back to your normal routine.

The lifting rule matters

The part of my recovery I took most seriously was the 10 lb limit. Memorial Sloan Kettering and HealthLink BC both say not to lift more than 10 pounds for 6 weeks after surgery, and to avoid pushing or pulling heavy things. The reason is a hernia. Strain inside the belly can raise the risk of a parastomal hernia, which is a bulge near the stoma. The UK charity gives a tighter rule, about the weight of a full kettle for the first 8 weeks, and says it can take around 8 weeks to feel fully recovered. So the number you follow should come from your own surgeon. The Memorial Sloan Kettering page also says your ostomy nurse may talk with you about a support belt while your stoma heals.

I had an ostomy nurse, and I am glad I did. The wound, ostomy and continence nurse, often called a WOC nurse, can help with the pouch, the skin around your stoma and what to do when something looks wrong. If you do not have one, ask your surgeon for a referral.

Heavy days and light days

I wrote about the 6 weeks before I could sit, and I will say again that the first weeks can be a lot. You are healing, learning a new body and still living your life. My wife and I joke about it all the time, because finding the positive helped me get through the hard parts. I will not tell you humor works for everyone. I can say that I found the positive in all of it, and that it kept me moving.

If your mood drops hard, or you feel hopeless, tell your care team. In the US you can also call or text 988, any time. If you are in danger right now, call 911.

When to call your team

Call your surgeon or ostomy nurse if you have a fever, pain that is getting worse, a wound that looks red or leaks, a stoma that changes color, or a pouch that will not stay on. They know best what applies to you.

Two years later, my colostomy is for life, and I am doing better than I was before the surgery, with no issues at all. I am not saying you should go out and get surgery. I am saying that a hard recovery can lead somewhere good.

The moral of the story is that recovery is a mix of moving, resting and following your team. Keep up the fight, day by day. If you have had ostomy surgery, what helped you most in the first weeks? Tell me on the contact page and I may share the best tips.

I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. Always talk with your care team about your own surgery and recovery.

Cover photo by Neil Bates on Pexels.

Related posts: Remarkable Fast Recovery After Surgery and Finding Yourself.

Sources

• Memorial Sloan Kettering, Safe Movements and Posture With an Ostomy (10 lb limit for 6 weeks, hernia risk, abdominal support, walking)
• HealthLink BC, Living With an Ostomy (10 lb limit for 6 weeks)
• Bladder & Bowel Community (UK), Straight after your stoma operation (8 weeks, walking, WOC nurse)
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (SAMHSA)