Tag: Ostomy Surgery

How to Care for Your Skin After an Ostomy

Your medical situation has required you to have an ostomy. Ostomy surgery is often a life-saving procedure. It allows bodily waste to pass through a surgically created stoma. A stoma is an opening in the stomach that the surgeon creates so that waste goes through it instead of through the rectum.

After surgery, whether the stoma will be temporary or permanent, there are certain requirements to keep the area clean and healthy. By doing so the patient may be able to carry out everyday life and its functions.

Caring for the stoma and keeping the adjacent skin healthy and clear does not have to be a traumatic experience. There are specific steps that a patient and their family and caregivers can do to keep the stoma and surrounding area clean, clear and healthy.

Normally the area around a stoma should be clear after its creation but there are times when that is unfortunately not the case. The ideal goal is to keep the area clean and healthy. However, waste products and excretions through the stoma can cause redness and irritation. In most cases there is a skin covering of some kind over the stoma. Which kind of covering depends on exactly which kind of surgery a patients has had. If a patient has a plastic bag, it needs to be emptied often and the patient gently cleaned each time. 

A frequent occurrence may be an unpleasant odor in the area of the stoma. This can be ameliorated by the diet of each patient. The diet a patient consumes can be individualized to provide a stool consistency that will work best. Caregivers and the patient can learn this process through trial and error and by consulting with nutritionists and physicians.

Sometimes despite all careful care the stoma and the skin around it can become unhealthy. In this scenario it is vital to consult with the medical tram that is familiar with the individual situation. They will be able to create a treatment plan specifically designed to address the patient’s case.

In many cases unhealthy situations have a specific cause. Among them are leakage from the stoma, incorrect size of the stoma bag used, sensitivity to products used in the care process, and not changing the stoma bag often enough. There are recommendations that patients use a specifically cut bag fitted to each patient. A “one size fits all” approach does not work.

If it occurs that the patient feels burning, itching, tingling, tightness, or any kind of pain or discomfort while wearing the ostomy bag, it is imperative that action be taken. Ignoring the situation will not make it go away and a more serious condition will develop. 

Early and specific treatment is absolutely the best solution. 

One way to maintain the health of the stoma is to use a product called stoma powder. It is available from many manufacturers. This powder is non-medicated and used to absorb moisture around the skin. This allows for a better hold to the skin. Do not use moist towelettes or baby powder, as they are specifically contraindicated. 

Healthy, clean and clear skin around the stoma are vital to living a life that is as close to “normal” as possible after an ostomy surgery. Diligence and care is required and necessary.

Ostomy Surgery – Recreating a lost body part artificially

The human body is formed systematically to perform various biological functions that keep it strong and sustain itself. A person is more productive when the body is well and operates in its natural manner. In the past, when an organ failed, it was a death sentence for the patient. Still, with constant study and research on the human anatomy and the modern, available solutions, we now have treatments that doctors and surgeons have tested and vetted.

These solutions include prosthetics fitted in place of the original organ, such as the ostomy bag. An ostomy bag is a prosthetic medical appliance that is surgically provided on the outside of the stomach to allow for easy passage of human body waste like urine and stool. Patients undergo this procedure when there is a defect in the usual way through which debris is channeled out of the body.

The procedure is done by inventing a stoma achievable by linking the end of the intestine to the patient’s skin on the lower or upper abdomen according to the surgeon’s preference. It can be temporary or irreversible, depending on the reason for the surgery.

One may get it to avoid excruciating pain or infection to the anus or colon, therefore, giving time for a smooth recovery. One can also get the procedure as treatment for a removed colon. Once this is done, an ostomy bag is fitted onto the stoma to collect the stool that comes from the intestines because, unlike the anus, the stoma has no muscles hence no control of the excretion. This bag is worn on the outside and can be replaced with a new one depending on the patient’s filling it.

The surgeries have worked well for many patients, even though some may develop complications like blockage where one cannot pass stool, thus leading to pain and discomfort. Some also suffer skin irritation which is mainly a result of the frequent changing of the ostomy bag, and some also get infections if there is a leakage. Still, luckily the challenges are all manageable with proper medical care.

There are two types of ostomy bags, namely:

1. One-piece ostomy bag

The one-piece usually is smaller and more compact hence harder to rip apart, causing leakage, which can be embarrassing and unsanitary. It is preferred by many due to the ease of disguise, which makes it easier to wear more fitting clothes because it does not show. The one-piece is also slightly more affordable than the rest of the appliances. However, it can cause the skin around the stoma to be sensitive because it is changed frequently as a whole set.

2. Two-piece ostomy bag

This bag goes separately with its flange, making it easier to change since it is only the detached bag once it is complete. The flange maintains its position for a few days in a row, thus helping to reduce skin irritability. It is also preferred due to the flexibility of selecting different sizes in bags and other types of flanges. However, the two-piece is more costly and can detach during movement, causing a leakage, which is the fear of every ostomy patient.

Overall, patients can lead an everyday life as long as they adhere to proper hygiene and healthcare.