Living A Different Life With Ostomy Appliance

By Sharron Cantu


Ostomy is a medical surgery that creates an opening in the abdomen, making a new passageway of waste products of the body. The one that surrounds the opening is called stoma. It is where the ostomy appliance is attached.

This appliance is a bag or pouch that collects the waste products. This bag is light, thin and odorproof. This will serve as a protection and a cover to the stoma to prevent further complications.

Stoma and the pouch that is attached to it needs to be taken care of to avoid unnecessary complications. This will need more time and patience, especially to the new ones. You might feel a little uncomfortable moving and doing things around with this around you.

In cleaning you will need to be patient. Prepare all the things needed beforehand. Remove and empty the bag. Flush the waste products right away. Clean it and the skin around the area with a washcloth and warm water. If you desire to use soap, use the mild one. Remove the soap by rinsing. Pat it dry. Make sure it is dry. The skin around should also be dry before attaching a new one to avoid irritation. Provide extra skin care.

Replace it as needed. Usually three to seven days. Everytime you replace the it check and measure the diameter of the stoma. There is a measuring guide in the appliance kit. Also, check for edema. Edema can affect its size. A little bleeding is normal when touching it but, you have to report to a health care professional if there is unusual discoloration, shape and size.

Apply some skin ointment or gel for comfort. There are times your skin can be irritated by the wafer adhesive. Make it sure it is placed in the center of the hole and very well fitted. Clip it gently in place and seal it.

Managing your pouch disposal is easy as counting one, two, three. Empty the pouch or bag in the by flushing it in the toilet. Throw away the pouch, wafer, waste but do not include the clip. You can always use the clip. Seal the pouch in a garbage bag and dispose it just as a normal household waste. Although, there are also kinds of pouches or bags that are drainable that can be emptied and lessens your burden of disposing many bags.

Points for better life, take less or avoid taking in some food during the night to minimize your output. Place a towel when changing to catch the waste. Pay close attention to your physician as he give you some special instructions.

Living with it for the first time may be very difficult. But that does not mean you are not going to have a life. Most patients like you were able to enjoy after surgery and lived normally.




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