Focus on Colorectal Cancer
It may take you a few weeks to become comfortable emptying and changing your pouch, but it gets easier.
Surviving – Even Thriving – with an Ostomy
by Dorothy Doughty, MN, RN, CWOCN, FAAN
Coping with a cancer diagnosis is a huge challenge for anyone – but if your cancer involved the bladder, rectum, or cervix, you may also be coping with an ostomy. An ostomy is an opening on the abdominal wall that provides for elimination of stool or urine. A person with an ostomy must wear a pouch to collect the stool or urine.
Summertime Tips for People with Ostomies
by Jan Colwell, RN, MS, CWOCN, FAAN
As summer sets in, the weather becomes warmer, the sun a bit hotter, and we may look forward to participation in sports, such as swimming, cycling, tennis, and traveling. However, people with ostomies may have some concerns about participating in summer activities. Some people may worry that the pouch seal may become compromised when they sweat or are physically active. You may need to make some minor changes to ensure that your pouch seal will remain intact, but having an ostomy should not prevent you from participating in the summer activities you enjoy.
Advances in Colorectal Cancer Research, Treatment and Prevention
The National Cancer Institute has published Colorectal Cancer Advances In Focus, a fact sheet collection designed to highlight the remarkable progress made in prostate cancer research, treatment, supportive care, survivorship, screening, prevention, and genetics since the National Cancer Act was signed into law in 1971. The fact sheet shows the progress made during the past 3 ½ decades against prostate cancer. The ultimate goal of reducing the burden of cancer in the USA and worldwide can only be accomplished through a strong commitment to further research.
