Destigmatizing Ostomy Surgery: A Personal Story of Cultural Difference While Facing This Life-Altering Surgery

In 2008, I was faced with the decision to have a temporary stoma made permanent or to opt for a J-pouch continent diversion to treat my inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As someone who struggled immensely with the decision to have ostomy surgery, there were many things I believe my medical team coul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inOstomy/wound management Vol. 67; no. 6; p. 1
Main Author Omprakash, Tina Aswani
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Malvern HMP Communications 01.06.2021
Subjects
Asian Americans
Colorectal surgery
Cultural differences
Inflammatory bowel disease
Ostomy
Patient education
Stigma
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Summary:In 2008, I was faced with the decision to have a temporary stoma made permanent or to opt for a J-pouch continent diversion to treat my inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As someone who struggled immensely with the decision to have ostomy surgery, there were many things I believe my medical team could have included in my care that would have aided in destigmatizing what my life would be like with an ostomy. Stigma can be present in many ways when it comes to IBD and ostomy surgery. However, being a member of a minority community, whether it be race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, or gender, adds a whole other layer of challenges that many may not realize. Medical professionals can play an instrumental role in destigmatizing life-saving ostomy surgery and helping patients make the best decision for their quality of life. In this article, I share the patient perspective on how my experiences as a South Asian American woman opting for an ostomy could have been improved. Additionally, I also sat down with Madhulika Varma, MD, Chief of Colorectal Surgery at University of California in San Francisco, to understand how she considers cultural differences in her work helping patients face ostomy surgery. In my experience, the biggest barriers to ostomy surgery were cultural. It felt to me as if my family’s concerns were never addressed or understood by the health care professionals I encountered.
ISSN:2640-5237
2640-5245