'My Favourite Selfie Ever'
- Radio broadcaster and reality TV star Adele Roberts celebrated being dismissed from the hospital after her bowel cancer surgery by posting a selfie with her new stoma bag.
- A stoma bag is a plastic container that collects waste from the intestine through an opening in the belly.
- Roberts was diagnosed with bowel cancer in early October after she visited her doctor for digestive issues. Her tumor has been removed, but she is waiting for more information about her tumor and whether the cancer spread beyond her bowels.
The broadcaster and reality TV personality is best known for appearances on Big Brother and I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! In her post, she expresses pride in her "new little friend." A colostomy bag (also called a stoma bag) is a plastic container that attaches to the front of your belly and collects waste from the intestines through an opening in the abdominal wall.
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In the caption of her photo with her stoma bag, Roberts wrote, "I think this is my favourite selfie ever. I'm rubbish at selfies but I loved taking this one." Roberts acknowledged that life with her stoma bag will be an adjustment, but she is grateful that her "new house guest" is helping her soldier on. "I'm recovering and this little stoma bag helped save my life. I'm still learning to look after it. It's been a rollercoaster so far. I feel like I need a trainer to help me tame it. It's wild!" she wrote.With a colostomy, bowel movements will go into a bag instead of out the anus.
Roberts was diagnosed with bowel cancer in early October after visiting her doctor for digestive problems. She had her tumor removed, and now she is waiting for more information on whether further treatment will be needed and whether her cancer has spread throughout her body.
In her Instagram post announcing her diagnosis, Roberts warned her fans, "PLEASE make sure you get checked out if you have ANY concerns. The sooner you're able to see your GP or talk to someone the sooner you can get help. If I hadn't I might not be so lucky. As I've learned over the last few weeks, there's no 'normal' with cancer. Sadly it can affect anyone, at any age, anytime. It doesn't discriminate. Early detection can save your life."
Whether or not Roberts gets the news she wants to hear, she says she's grateful for one thing that has come out of this. "It's reminded me to LIVE LIFE," she wrote.
What Is A Colostomy (Stoma)?
When considering colon cancer surgery, many patients will often hear the word "ostomy" during treatment. This refers to part of your intestines being hooked up through the front of your belly, where you'll go to the bathroom through a bag that attaches to your skin. According to Dr. Daniel Labow, the chief of the surgical oncology division at Mount Sinai Health System, this procedure is much less common now than it used to be. However, for patients who do need an ostomy, there are many resources and supplies available that make them very discreet. A plastic bag covers the ostomy so it doesn't smell, and if it gets full, you can just go to the bathroom and empty it. You'll get in a routine so it doesn't feel like a big deal at all.
"Once you get over sort of the psychosocial effects, you can lead a totally normal life," Dr. Labow tells SurvivorNet. "It's not painful. It's just getting used to a different way."
Colon Cancer Survivors Embracing Stoma Bags
Life after stoma surgery can certainly take some adjusting, but cancer survivors have spoken to SurvivorNet about how they have embraced their stoma bags despite being apprehensive at first. Francine Susco, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2016, spoke to SurvivorNet about adjusting to life with a stoma bag.
Francine Susto didnt think she would ever be able to cope with a colostomy bag after surgery for colon cancer but she did more than cope, she thrived.
"I started to embrace her and rub her," Susco said about her stoma bag. "And I used to talk to her when she wasn't behaving, when she was squirting too much. And I would say, come on baby girl, come on. We'll try again. Let's try again. And I'd clean her up and she'd behave…The fact that I was able to handle it, and dress with it, and cover it. I began to embrace it."
Contributing: SurvivorNet staff
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