November/December 2005
Page 3
Taking Care Of Your Stoma And Skin
Ostomates, thank goodness for stomas! Where would you be without one? For the new ostomate, the first look at the "stoma" can be a frightening experience. It takes
a while to get used to it, but when all is well, life goes on, and the ostomate learns to cope and return to normal life. There are a few "rules" the ostomate should remember:
- Protect your stoma from direct blows.
- Wear clothing that is comfortable and is not too tight.
- When you change pouches, check your stoma for color, swelling and narrowing.
- Check your stoma for cuts. Stomas have no feeling and can be cut without knowing it.
- For an ostomate it is important to take care of your skin: Skin should be totally dry and free of oily products when you apply your pouch.
- Bring your problems and questions to chapter meetings and don't be embarrassed to ask questions.
- Stomas shrink in the first few months after having ostomy surgery. So measure your stoma periodically to make sure your appliance opening fits properly.
- Gas - After surgery, it probably seems like you have gas all the time. As swelling goes down gas will appear less. The noises seem louder to the ostomate. If you feel gas coming on, fold your arm across the abdomen over your stoma and this will muffle the noise.
- Don't waste your time worrying about ostomy accidents that may never happen. When one does happen don't panic. Clean up and figure out what happened.
- Need to see underneath the stoma? Use a hand mirror.
- Don't let your pouch get too full. Empty it if it is over half full.
SOURCE: Evansville, IN website: Metro Halifax News, October, 2005, via Inside Out On-line Nov/Dec 2005.
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