The “dog days” is a term that originated with the ancient Romans, used to describe the hottest days of the year that could also bring illness or catastrophe. Sound familiar? You are now in the “dog days” of your recovery and it’s not fun. You may be battling discouragement and perhaps struggling with some challenges around the mechanics of your pouch. There’s just no way to skip the dog days – you’ve simply got to get through them – one day at a time. There are hundreds of thousands of folks who have survived the ostomy dog days, and you will too. Hang in there – the dog days don’t last forever. You are stronger than you think.
Former NFL Kicker
Former NFL Kicker, Walter Payton Man of the Year, Grateful Ostomy Patient
Surviving the Dog Days
Rolf shares how you are getting a taste of the Dog Days of NFL training camp.
Roadmap to Recovery
Take a few more steps today than you did yesterday.
• In post-op week two you are likely focusing on improving your new skill of changing your ostomy pouch independently.
• The skin around your stoma should be healthy although you may still have stitches around the outside of your stoma. These may be dissolvable stitches or need to be removed by your ostomy nurse or physician.
• Your stoma will continue to decrease in size over the next 2-3 months.
• You may be dealing with leaks as you find the right ostomy pouch system (appliance) and application. If you are having problems with leakage from your pouching system, don’t give up. It can take a while to figure out why your pouch is leaking. Learn more about managing leaks here.
Tips for troubleshooting leakage from your ostomy pouch:
1. Make sure you are using the right ostomy supplies (your ostomy nurse can assist you with this. If you don’t have access to a WOCN you can find one here or here. There are many pouching options on the market and accessories that may help. Consider barrier rings or an ostomy support belt or wrap for example. Free samples may be available.
2. You should not have any odor coming from the bag except when you are emptying or changing the pouch. If you have an odor, you may have a little leakage under the wafer/skin barrier that is resting on your skin that will likely cause skin irritation and soreness over time. The skin can become raw and weepy if the leakage is not fixed. Another possible cause of odor can be coming from the tail of a drainable pouch that has not been wiped clean well enough after draining the output.
3. The opening in your wafer/skin barrier should fit snugly around your stoma. The opening should be no more than ⅛ inch larger than your stoma. Learn how to measure your stoma here. Shave hair with a safety razor if needed.
4. Try using a convex wafer if your stoma doesn’t protrude above the surrounding skin (flush or recessed stoma), stoma is in a skin fold or crease. A convex wafer curves inward toward the stoma and gently pushes down on the skin around the stoma causing the stoma to stick out and aim the drainage more directly into the pouch. An ostomy belt applied to a convex wafer can help apply additional slight pressure and stability. Click here to learn more about convexity.
5. Empty your pouch when ⅓ full and always before bedtime. Consider not eating or drinking several hours before your bedtime, especially if you are having leakage at night.
6. Change your ostomy pouching system or faceplate every 3-4 days (ideally before a leak occurs)
7.   Are you anxious about being awakened in the middle of the night by a leak? In the early days as you learn the rhythm of your digestion, consider using a “chucks” pad that can protect your bedding and help you reduce your anxiety so you can sleep. Watch video.
Food and Nutrition
When you begin to add more variety back into your diet, add only one new food every few days. If there are foods that bothered you before surgery, eat only a smaller portion size when re-introducing this food again. If a food causes any discomfort, wait a few weeks and then you can try it again. Keep a log of foods you try and how you feel after eating them.
Potential Complications
Be vigilant so you can stay out of the hospital
These potential complications may be preventable if you recognize the warning signs early and take the appropriate action.
1. Dehydration. One out of three ileostomy patients will be readmitted to the hospital for dehydration within 30 days of their operation. Learn how to stay hydrated here.
Learn more about hydration from our dietitian, Danielle.
2. Skin problems. Peristomal skin is the skin surrounding your stoma and should look and feel just like the skin on the rest of your abdomen (not irritated or red). Learn more about how to care for your peristomal skin and catch any problems early so they can be addressed.
3. Hernia. This happens when an organ or other tissue pushes through your abdominal muscles and creates a bulge. Since having ostomy surgery increases your risk of developing a hernia, you will want to follow these guidelines:
• Limit your lifting to 5-10 lbs. for the first 4-6 weeks post-surgery (or as directed by your surgeon) and always use proper lifting technique.
• Support the area around your stoma if you sneeze, cough, or laugh by squeezing a folded blanket or pillow.
Learn more about hernias and how to protect yourself here.
Hear Nurse Melody talk about hernias and how to prevent them here.
4. Problem Solving. You may encounter problems like skin irritation, leaks, no output and others. Click here for more details.
5. Medical Emergencies.Review this list so you will know when to call your surgeon/nurse or go to the nearest emergency room.
Embracing Ostomy Life Goals
Goals for Today
• Maintaining a leak free seal on your pouching system will increase your confidence to return to your everyday activities.
• Work toward independence on changing your pouch.
• Addressing problems with your ostomy early is critically important. Find a WOC nurse who can help you. Find a WOC nurse here or here.
Ostomy Terms you Want to Know
Convex/Convexity
A convex skin barrier (the side that goes against your skin) is curved. Adding convexity can gently push on the belly which helps the stoma protrude up and outward. This can help output go directly into the pouch and not under the barrier which can cause a leak.
• Re-entry anxiety is a term that became more popular when returning to normal life activities in the post-Covid-19 pandemic world. Although this process looked very different for everyone, an estimated 84% of adults reported increased, prolonged stress due to this type of re-entry anxiety in 2021 (APA, 2021).
• Currently, you may be facing your own, personal post-ostomy re-entry anxiety, whether you have already braved the external world or are anticipating it. With small steps, you will eventually work your way through those anxious feelings.
• The next few messages will discuss re-entry anxiety and share steps to work through some of its challenges.
How helpful was today’s message for your recovery?
We offer our sincerest thanks to Joan Scott — a kind ostomate and brilliant writer — for allowing us to include excerpts of, her book, “The Ostomy Raft”, in Alive & Kicking. To purchase a copy filled with tons of practical tips for living with an ileostomy or colostomy, click the button below.
Rolf Benirschke is a former NFL Man of the Year and All-Pro placekicker who played 10 seasons in the NFL for the San Diego Chargers. His career was briefly interrupted when he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease that required ileostomy surgery in his third season. Remarkably, Rolf returned to play seven more years with the Chargers, becoming the first ever professional athlete to play with an ostomy appliance. He has been an outspoken champion of the ostomy community for the past 40 years and created Embracing Ostomy Life™ to provide the hope, education and encouragement to ensure that no one goes through ostomy surgery alone.
Join Team HOPE
Do you wish you could connect with someone like you who has an ostomy and similar life goals? You can! Our Team HOPE (Helping Ostomates through Peer Encouragement) program can pair you with a volunteer who has an ostomy that will listen, empathize and suggest resources to help you along your journey.
