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The average length of stay after open bowel surgery is between ten and fourteen days. As you can imagine it is very much up to your own healing speed, there are no set rules for this. Usually your stitches are removed before you go home, however if they are not the district nurse will call to your home and remove them.

The average length of stay after Key-hole bowel surgery is around five to six days or so. Again this could be more or less, depending on how you progress. In my case the surgeon was happy for me to return home the day after the operation, but he was aware that the Stoma Nurse would say otherwise.

You'll be given the okay for discharge so long as you can walk around freely without too much trouble, you are eating as per normal and the stoma is working, and most importantly, that you are not suffering any pain or discomfort from the stoma.

When you are discharged you'll be given numerous items from the staff.

1. Your prescription. It is most likely that you'll be given a bottle of pain killers in case of any discomfort. As soon as you "over-do-it" your wounds will tell you. These will probably be paracetamol and either Voltorol or Diclofenac (these two are in fact the same thing, the only difference is the brand name). Both of these are surgical pain killers and designed to kill pain from wounds that are moving etc.

2. A letter for your doctor. This is just a copy of the discharge form which you may or may not have been asked to sign. It depends on the bureaucracy of the individual hospital. Give this to your doctor as soon as possible when you get out. It is often a good idea to arrange an appointment to see you doctor as soon as humanly possible after the discharge, as the Doctor will want to know how things progressed and it is an ideal opportunity for you to get a top up prescription of appliances and other necessities.

3. Out-Patients appointment. One will be made for you by the ward nurse usually for between four to six weeks after your discharge. By that time you will be feeling so much better that you'll be wishing you had the operation earlier! By this time you may well have a list of questions that you'd like to ask, such as "Is this normal?" and so on.

The hospital will arrange for you to be visited by the District Nurse upon your arrival at home if it is necessary. If you are a key hole patient this will be essential as you'll be observed while you clean and dress the stoma for maybe two weeks. (Open Surgery patients have had this already catered for by the daily ward rounds of the Stoma Nurse.)

The most important item given to you at discharge is your discharge pack from the Stoma Nurse.

Inside you'll find enough appliances and supplies to last about two weeks after you leave hospital. You'll also be given a supply card which lists all the items you are currently using and their appropriate prescription order number. You need to get a top up prescription from your GP immediately.

You could also be given a whole host of literature to read. The most important booklet will be your prescription exemption form. Now you are a Colostomist you qualify for free prescriptions whilst you have a Stoma. If you are under 16 or under eighteen and in full time education you'll qualify anyway but other than that you'll need to fill this in and get it sent to your local health authority who on receipt will forward to you an exemption certificate. Again this is a job for your GP. You fill in the name and address part and type of exemption but he needs to sign the declaration to confirm you have a Stoma. The practice will most probably send the form off for you.

Other leaflets for you will be details of the British Colostomy Association and any local support groups. Appliance manufacturers may well ask the Stoma Nurse to give you literature on their products too.

Finally you'll be given a supply of cleaning wipes and disposal bags for used appliances. These are given to you complementary by a Ostomy Supplies Home Delivery Company, such as Dansac, Salts or Hollisters and they will make sure their registration form is in the pack..