Living with a colostomy: A phenomenological study

Purpose: This study was to explore and describe their experience of living with a colostomy. Methods: The data were collected by in-depth interviews with eight patients with colorectal cancer. The individual interviews lasted from 45 minutes to one hour each time, up to two times. The main questions were "How do you cope with the distress related to your colostomy?" The interview data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. Results: Of the eight participants, five were men and three were women. Mean age was 60.6 years. Three theme clusters were identified; 'overcoming adversity of ostomy', and'adjustment to ostomy' and 'new life through self-transcendence'. Conclusion: These results showed that participants try to overcome their negative images and distress of having an ostomy by themselves, or with support from neighbors, families, religious persons or health professionals. The results from this study can help nurses to develop effective colostomy-caring interventions for patients living with a colostomy.