[The importance of the Support Network for the stomized patient]

The purpose of the study was to learn about the social support stomized patients turn to, as well as their benefits in facing the changes a new way of life incur in. The methodological reference was oral history of topic lives. Ten half-structured interviews have been conducted with subjects with definitive intestinal ostomy It was used the technique of content analysis, which provided us with three important supporting networks: religious and spiritual beliefs, family and the Ostomy Association. Those networks worked as pillars that minimized the suffering of stomized patients. Health care professionals must value those supporting networks so as to enhance the lives of stomized patients.