Stoma surgery

If your stoma surgery is planned, you’ll usually meet your Stoma Care Nurse soon after your surgery date has been confirmed. This is your chance to ask any questions you have about your surgery and living with a stoma. Your Stoma Care Nurse will also advise you about your stoma care routine, so you’re prepared to care for your stoma when you return home.

If you’ve had a colostomy or ileostomy your stoma will normally begin to be active anywhere between a few hours and a few days after surgery. The stoma will be swollen at first and the stoma bags used initially are large and often transparent. The swelling will soon begin to go down and the stoma will become smaller and neater.

Before you go home your Stoma Care Nurse will make sure you or your carer feel able to look after your stoma. The stoma may continue to change in size during the first few weeks following surgery and you’ll need to check that your stoma bags are still a good fit.

You’ll be advised at the time of your surgery whether your stoma is temporary or permanent. It’s relatively common for reversals to be performed on colostomies and ileostomies but urostomies are always permanent. There is no norm when it comes to how long someone might wait between stoma formation and stoma reversal, it could be as little as a month or more than six months. Sometimes ostomates who’ve been given a temporary stoma decide to keep it because of the improvement in their quality of life. If you are deciding whether to have a reversal or make your stoma permanent the best people to speak to are your Stoma Care Nurse and your surgical team. They can provide advice that will be tailored to your situation.