PERCEPÇÕES DOS ESTOMIZADOS INTESTINAIS SOBRE O ESTOMA APÓS CIRURGIA

The purpose of this study was to understand perceptions about stoma of ostomized patients after after surgery. This descriptive study with a qualitative approach used three guiding questions and the testimonies of 13 ostomized patients cared for in a coloprotoctology outpatient clinical of a university hospital in the interior of Sao Paulo, Brazil were submitted to Andre’s Prose Analysis. Four themes emerged: experienced feelings, difficulties experienced after the stoma, sexual life after stoma, and future expectations. Another ten topics were identified: anger, resignation, faith, difficulties faced to self-care, social re-insertion, apparel changes, sex with loss, support from family members, healing, and improved quality of life. The studied perceptions led to the conclusion that the teaching-learning process of self-care and stimulus for social re-insertion enabled by the nurse and team consists the central focus of care provided to ostomized patients.