Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week — Day 7

Townsending.


 

Feb. 2010

This was Steven’s first surgery. This is a diverting ileostomy, and is temporary. It’s the detaching of the small intestine from the colon, and pulling it to the outside of the body. This is/was done to try to give the colon a rest in hopes it could heal and repair itself so that removing the Colon would not be necessary. It didn’t work for Steven.

Diverting Ileostomy

March 2010

Steven’s colectomy—the permanent removal of the colon. This is his small intestine pulled and attached to his body. The small intestine dumps the food he eats into his ostomy bag, which is adhered to the outside of his body.

Colectomy

Supplies

These are the supplies needed when you have an ostomy.

  1. Garbage bag: for disposal of the used/worn materials.
  2. Benzoin Swab: this is rubbed around the stoma before adhering anything. It protects and preps the skin, removing any oils that would prevent the wafer from adhering.
  3. Ring: this goes directly around the ostomy to protect the skin from being irritated by the waste.
  4. Wafer: this goes over the ring and adheres to the body so that the bag can be attached.
  5. Bag: this is where the waste is dumped. The bag and the wafer attach to each other with a Tupperware–like seal.

Ostomy Supplies

All in place 🙂

And here are a couple of pics of Steven from this past summer, inspired by Bethany Townsend’s Colostomy bikini photos to reveal his own ostomy–wear.

 

Townsending.

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