My color should be a healthy red; I am the same color as the inside of your intestine. If my color darkens, the blood supply might be pinched off. First, make sure your pouch is not too tight. It should fit about 1/16th of an inch from the base of the stoma - although the new extended wear barriers like the Hollister Flextend and the ConvaTec Durahesive may touch the stoma. If I should turn black - very unlikely but it does happen occasionally - seek treatment at once. Go to your local hospital emergency room if you cannot readily locate your doctor. Be sure to remove the pouch and the skin barrier for them to examine the stoma and peristomal skin. Always take at least one extra pouching system along.
I might bleed a little when cleaned. This is to be expected. Do not be alarmed. Please, just be gentle when you handle me. If I am an ileostomy, I will run intermittently just about all the time and stool will be liquid to semi-solid.
If you should notice that I am not functioning after several hours and if you develop pain, I might be clogged. Try sipping warm tea or taking a little mineral oil and then try walking or getting into a knee-chest position on the floor. Sometimes a hot shower with your barrier removed will relax you enough to loosen the obstruction. If I do not begin to function after about an hour of this, call your physician. If you cannot locate him/her, go to the emergency room. In the meantime, I might have begun to swell. Remove your skin barrier and put on one with a bigger opening.
If I am a colostomy located in the descending or sigmoid colon, I should function according to what your bowel habits were before surgery. I can be controlled in some cases with diet and/or irrigation. This is a personal choice. There is no right or wrong to it, as long as I am working well, my stool will be solid.
If I am a urinary diversion, I should work constantly. My urine should be yellow, adequate in amount and will contain some mucous. If my mucous is very much more excessive than usual, I might have an infection. I will probably also have an odor and possibly a fever. Consult your physician if that is the case. If at any time, you doubt that your stoma is functioning normally, please seek help . . . call your WOC nurse. The cause needs to be evaluated. If your problem is a serious one, it needs correction. If it is not, you will be relieved to know your stoma is alive and well.
Note: If you do not have a WOC nurse, find one before you ever need help. Have his/her phone number in your wallet at all times - just in case. In addition, you should see your WOC nurse every year or two or three to have your stoma examined.
