Sense about the body in people colostomized by colorectal cancer
Body, sense, colorectal cancer, speech
Cancer is one of the diseases that most affects people around the world. With high incidence rates, it becomes necessary to bring up the topic for discussion. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common among men and women, and it can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, including the temporary or permanent use of the colostomy bag. In order to understand the meanings about the body in people who use the colostomy bag due to colorectal cancer, we conducted interviews with 5 people who use it to understand the meanings they attribute to the body, illness and the use of the colostomy bag, considering their contexts class and gender specific. Thematic analysis (BARDIN, 2011) was used, supported by discursive theories, especially in the concepts of truth games and language games (FOUCAULT, 1990; WITTGENSTEIN, 1984). The results indicate that people who use a colostomy bag go through adaptive processes and the rediscovery of their bodies, in this process they encounter difficulties but also forms of resistance and to continue living. Events related to class and gender were evidenced, especially with regard to sexuality, reproductive rights and the impact of class differences on the adaptive process.