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6 Tips for Ostomy Care
Saturday, December 3, 2022
The skin around the stoma—anatomically speaking, it's any opening around the body like nostrils, anus, or mouth but in this case it's the colostomy bag opening—should be taken care of when using colostomy bags to flush down wastes and toxins.
1. Getting the Right Size Pouch and Skin Barrier Opening
The pouch should be the right size along with the skin barrier opening. A small opening can injure or cut the stoma, leading to swelling of the opening. A large opening, on the other hand, is irritating to the skin of the stoma. In either case, change the skin barrier or pouch to something that fits.
Prevent skin irritation and leaks by changing the pouching system regularly. It's crucial to get a regular changing schedule for your colostomy pouch. Don't wait for issues to crop up, such as leaks, a burning sensation, or leakages.
2. Use a Barrier Ring Ostomy
A barrier ring ostomy is something you use to caulk or fill uneven skin contours near the stoma to make a flat surface and avoid ostomy drainage from spilling over or under the ostomy barrier (hence the term).
These rings can be stacked together, stretched, or cut for the sake of optimizing the pouching system's fit when push comes to shove. You can use the ring to make a better fit of the colostomy system like you would put rings on a faucet-to-pipe connection.
3. Careful with Your Pouch System Pull-Out
Don't remote the pouching system more than once daily and be careful when pulling it away from the skin. If there's an issue, it's okay to change the pouch more than once daily though. Take off the skin barrier in a gentle manner.
Push the skin away from the sticky barrier. Don't pull the barrier away from the skin. Use water to clean the skin around the stoma. Dry the skin completely before replacing the pouch or skin barrier for good measure.
4. Watch Out for Allergies and Sensitivities
Be on the lookout for allergies or sensitivities to parts of the colostomy system, such as the pouch material, tape, paste, skin barrier, or adhesive. The allergic reaction or irritation can develop after weeks, months, or years of use due to you becoming sensitive to them.
You might need to get a pouch cover or a different pouch brand if your skin gets irritated by only where the plastic has contact with it. The nurse can give you suggestions on how to proceed if required. Supply manufacturers can offer pouch covers or you can make custom ones.
6. Irrigation is for Sigmoid and Descending Colostomies
Colostomy irrigation can be done to help move stool from your colon, but only if you have the descending and sigmoid colostomy types only. Irrigation involves putting water into the colon via your stoma for bowel movement regulation or management purposes.
On one hand, a descending or transverse colosomy is located in the upper abdomen. It's either toward or in the middle of the body. A sigmoid colostomy, on the other hand, is done inside the bottom part of your large intestine or the place where stool gets moved to the rectum.
6. Talk to Your Ostomy Nurse or Doctor about Irrigation
Talk to your ostomy doctor or nurse regarding irrigation. Whether you'll pick colostomy irrigation or not depends on your healthcare provider's advice as well as other factors you need to bring up, including:
- Activity level
- Lifelong bowel habits
- Skill and comfort level with irrigation
- Personal feelings about the colostomy
- If you have a sigmoid or descending colostomy
Issues to Keep in Mind
The stoma should remain as healthy as any other skin anywhere else in your stomach. Your ostomy output could make this opening sore or tender. You don't want that because it could lead to infection. The article outlines all the tips you need to keep this part of your skin and body healthy.