Managing radical surgery: notes from the patient's viewpoint.
Based on a diary which was kept while preparing for and undergoing pan-proctocolectomy, the paper describes the process of coming to terms with an ileostomy. A number of stages in the process are identified: anticipation, reorientation, trauma, maintenance of selfimage and accommodation. The social-psychological strategies for coping with the process are elaborated.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003863:Depression; D006801:Humans; D007081:Ileostomy / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male