Taking care of a stoma after surgery involves gently cleaning the skin with warm water, ensuring a snug fit for the pouching system (bag and barrier) to prevent leaks, and monitoring the stoma's color (should be pink/red) while slowly reintroducing foods and avoiding heavy lifting for the first few weeks. Regular changes, proper appliance fitting, and consulting a stoma nurse are key for healthy skin and comfort, with patience needed as the stoma changes size.
Keep the area around your stoma clean and dry. Follow all instructions from your doctor or ostomy nurse. Empty and replace your colostomy bag as often as directed by your doctor or ostomy nurse.
You may feel tired after surgery but you could try gentle exercise like a short walk when you feel ready. Avoid strenuous activities or heavy lifting for 8 weeks while your tummy muscles heal. Wait until you've recovered from your operation to drive.
Stoma Care
How often should a stoma be cleaned? A stoma should be cleaned each time the stoma bag or pouch is changed.
Water will not enter your stoma while enjoying a soak without your pouch. A well-secured ostomy pouching system will not be affected by water and dries quickly, so showering and bathing can still be completed with or without your pouching system. If you're showering without your pouch, remove the skin barrier too.
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. You often need to empty them during the night too.
Normal exposure to air or water will not harm the stoma, and water does not enter the opening.
You may wish to keep your clothing loose for the first couple of weeks, because your tummy may feel uncomfortable. But the good news is that in a few weeks, you should be able to wear your usual clothes. Wearing tight-fitting clothes will not affect your stoma.
Having a stoma shouldn't stop you from enjoying most sports or physical activities. You should avoid any extreme contact sports. There are special supports, bags and caps you can use to cover your stoma when swimming and playing sport.
Your belly may be sore, and you will probably need pain medicine for a week or two. Your stoma will be swollen at first. This is normal. You may have very loose stools in your colostomy bag for a while.
It's worth taking time to find a mattress that will give you the right support especially as your sleeping position may well be different with a stoma. Generally the advice is to sleep either on your side (the opposite one to your stoma) or on your back.
Clean the skin around your stoma with warm water and let it dry. You don't need to use soap or any special wipes. This is a good time to check the stoma and your skin. A healthy stoma is red and moist.
Your nurse will teach you how to care for your ostomy pouch and how to change it. You will need to empty it when it is about 1/3 full, and change it about every 2 to 4 days, or as often as your nurse tells you. After some practice, changing your pouch will get easier.
If you are worried about your stoma when you are showering, a good tip is to use a stoma cap to cover it, to prevent irritation. If you are bathing, you may prefer to keep your bag on, in case your stoma is active when you are in the bath and leaks stool into the water.
If you are still unsure, you can simply leave your pouch in place to keep the area dry. Your ostomy appliance is water-repellent and can be taken into the shower or bath without any problems.
A stoma bag ballooning can be a real nuisance.
We all experience wind – which is perfectly normal – but for some ostomates, it can really cause havoc when the wind is either excessive or cannot escape via the filter on your stoma bag. This results in the stoma bag becoming inflated and pulling away from the body.
Skin irritation around your stoma is usually caused by leakage from your ostomy pouch and the output from your stoma getting underneath the adhesive and onto your skin. It is uncomfortable and can stop your pouch from working well. The skin around your stoma should look similar to the skin on the rest of your body.
Having diarrhoea will often mean that the stoma bag needs to be changed much more regularly than usual. This can mean that you go through supplies much quicker and also lead to irritation of the peristomal skin.
A warm bath may help relax the muscles surrounding the stoma. Experiment with movement and positions, such as bringing your knee to your chest, to potentially dislodge the blockage. Gently massage the area around your stoma and abdomen. Drawing your knees to your chest can increase pressure behind the blockage.
The opening is called a stoma. You will no longer poo from your bottom – it will come out of the stoma into a pouch or bag you stick on your tummy. It's usually done because your large bowel needs to be removed, or rested after surgery.
Taking a shower is probably part of everyone's daily routine, and your stoma should not prevent you from enjoying this ritual. You can even choose whether you prefer to shower with or without a bag, both are possible and you will see that a shower cover or shower guard may not be necessary.
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!