Yes, people with a stoma still use the toilet, but differently: waste exits through the stoma into a bag, but you still go to the toilet to empty the bag (or pee/poop if your system allows) and can feel urges to go through the anus, which might be mucus discharge. You'll use the toilet to empty your pouch, but not for its original function of defecating or urinating in the traditional way.
After the operation, you will not pass urine in the same way as before. Instead, urine flows from your kidneys through the ureters and the piece of bowel and out of your body through the stoma.
The bowel is cut and one end is brought out onto the surface of the abdomen as a colostomy. The other end is the sewn or stapled closed and the anus is left intact.
Can you still poop with a colostomy bag? Pooping will be different with a colostomy bag. After your surgery, your anus may continue to expel small amounts of poop and other fluids that remain inside (even weeks to months after surgery). But new poop will now exit through your stoma.
Some foods can cause farting or bad smells from the stoma so you may want to avoid those. Eating regularly without long breaks between meals and chewing your food well will stop your stoma getting blocked.
After a colostomy, the bottom part of the bowel no longer has poo passing through it, but it still produces mucus. Dead cells from the lower bowel or rectum may be mixed in with the mucus. The mucus may leak out of the anus, or you may feel the urge to go to the toilet.
Stoma bag smells
There shouldn't be a noticeable smell if the stoma pouch is intact and sealed. Getting the right product is key in managing any odour. If there is a smell, this could be because the filter on the stoma is blocked, or the bag isn't stuck down properly.
It is fine to have a bath or shower with your stoma bag on, if you prefer.
If the stool is loose and watery, it means that the bowel is moving too quickly. As a result, you will not be absorbing valuable nutrients from your food and may also become dehydrated. Loose stools may also increase the risk of leakage from the appliance which can lead to sore skin around the stoma.
A colostomy is an operation where the large bowel (colon) is brought onto the surface of the abdomen to create an opening. The opening is also known as a stoma. You wear a colostomy bag that sticks onto the skin over the stoma to collect your poo.
You may want to avoid certain foods that are difficult to digest and may cause blockages, such as nuts, fruit and vegetable skins and corn. Most people can return to their normal diet. If you have any concerns, speak with your doctor or stomal therapy nurse and they can refer you to a dietitian.
Your stoma itself doesn't have any nerve endings or feel any sensation. After your new ostomy heals, you shouldn't feel it at all. But you might have feelings about having one. A stoma is a significant change in how your body works and looks.
How often you need to empty or change a stoma bag is affected by what you eat and drink. Closed bags may need changing 1–3 times a day. They should be put in a rubbish bin, not flushed down the toilet. Drainable bags have to be emptied in the toilet when they are about one-third full, and replaced every 1–3 days.
You cannot control when the stoma empties into the bag. Most people with an ileostomy use drainable stoma bags that you empty down the toilet. You empty them when they are less than half full. This is usually around 4 to 6 times a day.
Certain foods may get stuck in the narrowed part of the colon or ileum and cause an obstruction (blockage). These same foods could also make the stoma swollen and irritated. An obstruction is more likely to happen with an ileostomy than with a colostomy. Drinking extra fluids can help prevent an obstruction.
Tips for eating with a stoma
Even though it is being bypassed, the lining of the bowel continues to secrete mucus, which is something the intestine does to help stool pass through more easily. Mucus can build up, and create the feeling of needing to pass stool through the anus.
How often should a stoma be cleaned? A stoma should be cleaned each time the stoma bag or pouch is changed.
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YEP you absolutely can still fart with a stoma bag. Nothing has changed other than I don't pass it like I could before out my bum as that's not there anymore 🙅🏼♀️ Instead I pass it through my stoma. The only difference is normally the bowel is inside you but mine is on the outside poking through my abdomen!
You will be given a long-acting antibiotic in the anaesthetic room and an injection of local anaesthetic before you leave the operating theatre. The whole surgical procedure takes 30–60 minutes, depending on complexity and patient factors.
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