Hi vcossy and welcome to the forum.

I had major surgery 6 months ago, and as part of that I had a colostomy and urostomy formed. Life is certainly different! It’s natural to be anxious, as it’s certainly life changing. You will need to take things easy after your op and rest a lot, and may well not have much of an appetite. It may take some time for your stoma to start working-mine took a week- as the bowel doesn’t like being handled during surgery and can go on a bit of a go slow. You should have a stoma nurse in the hospital to provide advice and show you how to change your bag etc. Please try not to be too disheartened if the bag leaks...it can take a while to find products which suit, and your stoma can change size as your body settles down. There are literally dozens of different stoma products and you can try lots of different types until you find something which is good for you. There’s a lot of trial and error involved! Six months out, I can eat and drink almost anything I want, with the exception of nuts, and I would recommend small, regular meals if you can. Some things you may have eaten before may now upset your tummy, so my advice would be to try small portions and chew well. I hope your surgery goes well, and if there’s anything I can help with, please just ask. x