I have a friend who is age 53 and has a colostomy. She lived with me until this past week when staff showed up to take her off the bottom bunk. She was placed in my room months ago post hospitalization, when her colostomy had a blockage. They finally moved her upstairs to a vacant bottom bunk. However, she now is in peril of being moved to a top bunk. She wears an ostomy bag, and has continual issues with sickness, since it appears that her bowel they may need resection.
This morning she went to medical to request a bottom bunk pass and staff informed her that an ostomy does NOT meet the criteria for bottom bunk. People with abdominal hernias qualify, but an open bag system does not? She reported the nurse was next to rude. This is a German lady who is very private. They already make her sit for two to three hours weekly to get her ostomy bags vs. simply having them ready to pass to her so she does not sit on the steel ledge in medical waiting for a nurse to realize she needs replacement bags.