Back to everyday life with a stoma

Life with an artificial bowel outlet seems unimaginable to many, but for around 200,000 people, a stoma is part of their everyday life. It is usually the result of a serious bowel disease. To mark World Stoma Day on October 2, the Visceral Oncology Center at Helios Park-Hospital Leipzig is providing information about life with a stoma and insights into the emotional world of stoma patients.

A stoma does not mean the end, but the beginning of a new phase of life in which community, support and hope play an important role. The creation of an artificial bowel outlet becomes necessary when larger regions of the bowel are severely inflamed or affected by a tumor. Common underlying diseases include bowel disease, cancer, Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. At the certified Visceral Oncology Center at Helios Park-Hospital Leipzig, stoma surgery and care for stoma patients is part of everyday treatment. All specialist departments involved in the treatment of tumor diseases of the abdomen and digestive tract work hand in hand here.

Support from wound and stoma specialists

However, the treatment of stoma patients requires more than just excellent specialist medical expertise. Doctors and nurses as well as trained enterostoma therapists and self-help groups work together to help stoma patients fight their disease and live a good everyday life with their stoma. "My job is to support and encourage people who have a stoma. Through discussions, advice and sharing experiences, I hope that many fears can be overcome and that those affected can lead a life adapted to their illness," explains Kirsten Bornschlegel. As a registered nurse and trained enterostoma therapist, she cares for patients before and after ostomy surgery as a wound and stoma nurse at the Helios Park-Hospital Leipzig. Mario Kinski is also her patient. He is 55 years old. A year ago, a large part of his bowel tissue was removed due to rectal cancer and an artificial bowel outlet was created.

Back to everyday life with a stoma and against cancer

"A stoma is not the best thing in life, but you can cope with it. I was also unsure at first, but it was only important to me that I would get well again and beat the cancer. I accepted everything else."

- Mario Kinski, former stoma patient at the Helios Park-Klinikum Leipzig, looks back on the first few days he lived with his stoma after the operation.

With the help of nurse Kirsten, he quickly found his way around. In training courses, patients learn how to care for their stoma, change the bag and find their way in different situations. "I had to change my diet and could no longer cycle for 5 hours like before, but with a healthy balance you can still do a lot of things. My partner was also very understanding. Being open about the stoma is very important, especially in a relationship," reflects M. Kinski. In September 2023, one year after his stoma operation, he was once again an inpatient at Park-Hospital Leipzig. Once he had completed his cancer treatment and his bowel tissue had recovered, his artificial bowel outlet was repositioned last week.

5 tips for living with a stoma

• Knowledge is power: fears arise from the unknown. Discussions with doctors or a stoma specialist are therefore very important. The more you know about the stoma and the associated changes, the better you can deal with them.
• Talk about your concerns: Sharing feelings with loved ones, seeking professional help or joining a stoma support group can be supportive.
• Accept body image: The changes to your own body can cause self-doubt. Self-acceptance is the basic prerequisite for a new everyday life with the stoma.
• Diet and lifestyle: An appropriate diet, a healthy lifestyle and sufficient exercise and sleep promote physical and mental health.
• Realistic goals: Self-confidence grows over time. Small successes are important in order to gradually return to your habits.

Visceral Oncology Center at the Helios Park-Klinikum Leipzig

The Visceral Oncology Center bundles the complete expertise of all specialist areas involved in the treatment of tumor diseases of the abdomen and digestive tract. All employees coordinate their diagnostics and treatment in order to recommend an optimal treatment concept for patients. 

"Helios Park-Hospital Leipzig is a top address for the treatment of cancer because the hospital combines a wide range of medical treatment and care under one roof. Here, expertise is bundled in a targeted manner, with a comprehensive medical network and a very good organizational structure doing their part to provide the best possible medical care. Patients who come to us can rely on a solid and highly qualified team of experts whose knowledge is closely interlinked. Our ostomy patients also benefit from this. In addition to medical care, they come into contact with the wound and stoma nurse as well as the self-help group at an early stage so that they can cope with their new life situation in the best possible way,"

says Dr. med. Christina Klein, Senior Consultant in General and Visceral Surgery and Head of the Visceral Oncology Center, describing the special features and advantages of centralized medicine.

Read more:

• More information about Helios Park-Hospital Leipzig

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