Having major bowel surgery and ending up with a colostomy or an ileostomy can have major psychological effects on the sex life of the individual and his or her partner. As well as this there are often very real neurological problems caused by the removal of key nerves along the bowel. Impotence and sexual dysfunction are very common after the removal of lower bowel cancers but surgery for non-malignant conditions produces far fewer problems.
An American study found that men were more supportive of their wives after such surgery than the other way round, but that women are more afraid of being unacceptable to their husbands. There are now ‘ostomy’ (stoma) nurses in most large hospitals who can advise those about to undergo such surgery about the problems and how to overcome them right from the beginning. There are also ‘ostomy’ clubs in most Western countries whose members have seen and heard it all before and can be very helpful and encouraging.
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