Choosing an Ostomy System
Before leaving the hospital after your surgery, it is important to consult with your ostomy nurse to help you choose an ostomy system that best fits your needs. Depending on the type of ostomy surgery performed, ileostomy, urostomy, or colostomy, the products needed at home can vary greatly. While many people leave the hospital with one particular solution and find that it works well for their needs, there are many solutions that can be geared for your specific situation and circumstances. Even with the cursory explanation of stoma care and ostomy supplies suitable for your immediate needs given at the hospital, we understand you may have more questions regarding your ostomy supply system and what options are available to you.
Over the next several articles we are going to breakdown some of these choices and go into more detail on the various One-Piece Ostomy Systems vs Two-Piece Ostomy Systems, Drainable vs Closed Ostomy Systems, and the multiple ostomy manufacturers available.
Your greatest resource will of course be your Wound Ostomy Care Nurse and your medical providers. Your WOCN nurse should have an understanding of all of the working ostomy systems and should be able to provide insight as to what is best for your specific set of circumstances. The specific needs for an ostomate that is an active outdoorsman is going to be very different from one who spends most of their time indoors at home. Your WOCN will be best able to navigate your specifics and help you to understand the systems available to you.
