How To Take Care of Your Stoma

If you’re like me, then you hate the everyday pain of having to clean and take care of your stoma. It can seem like such an annoying addition to your already busy day - after all, it seems like it's just another thing you have to worry about. Well we’ve all been there; in fact, I feel like it gets harder and harder for me to have the motivation to take care of my stoma. I am usually pretty motivated in all aspects of my life, especially when it comes to working out and taking care of myself. However, some days I feel like my quality of stoma treatment just goes way down. Taking care of my stoma has been an everyday thing for me since getting a colostomy, and so I’m no stranger to the whole process. And some days, it really does feel like a whole process. Fortunately for you, I am going to impart some of my knowledge surrounding the care of your stoma and how you can hopefully cut down on the time it takes to take care of it.

Getting a stoma put in is kind of like getting a new body part in some ways. At first you’re like, “woah! That doesn’t belong there”. But eventually you get used to it, and it becomes just like any other part of your body that you have to deal with every waking second of every day. When cleaning your stoma, it’s important to know that a little blood is not unusual. After all, it is literally inside your body and therefore has that mucus membrane surrounding it or whatever, so it’s totally okay that it’s a little bit red. It’s also not painful to touch when cleaning it because there is no sensation in the stoma. Only sadness. Anyways, don’t be afraid of a little blood here and there when you’re cleaning out your stoma. When you’re cleaning it, don’t be afraid to really get in there! Obviously you want to be careful with it, but it is definitely not going to get messed up just from a little cleaning. The best things to use when cleaning it is honestly just some medical wipes and water, and make sure to dry it with a cloth and some soft cotton wool. 

Soap will likely be irritating to your stoma or the skin surrounding your stoma, so it might be better just to use baby wipes or something like that! Skin around that area can be sensitive, so make sure to treat it carefully in every way that you can. If you are trying to decide if it’s better to take a bath or a shower with your stoma, there is good news; either one is fine! Your stoma and ostomy gear will handle either a shower or a bath just fine. Just make sure to keep all creams, soaps, oils, and whatever else you have away from your stoma. Personally, I enjoy showers a lot more than baths. I think baths are not very productive for cleaning, but I can understand people who like baths just for relaxation purposes. In some way I can see how baths are relaxing, but I usually end up getting really overheated in a bath and can’t be in there for more than 10 minutes or so.

 

Has Your Ostomy Bag Been Limiting You?

I have always been a huge fan of the outdoors. Growing up in rural west Michigan has given me plenty of opportunities to go out and explore the outdoors and to really get in touch with nature. I really enjoy backpacking across the state on different trails and paths, as well as taking day trips to the sand dunes bordering Lake Michigan. Truly, some of my favorite memories are ones that were made on the beautiful west side of the state; sleeping bear dunes, traverse city, camping on Lake Michigan - you name it. 

After some complications with my colon related to a cancerous tumor, I found myself sitting in a doctor's office waiting for some critical news. I came to find out that I would need to be wearing an ostomy bag for the foreseeable future. My friends and family were very supportive during this time, and even sat with me over long periods of times in the waiting room while we were still waiting to hear back on everything. Immediately after getting the news about my ostomy, I was concerned with how my life would change going forward. Am I going to be able to eat the same foods that I normally eat? How will this affect my social life and my interactions with others? Will people be able to tell I have an ostomy simply by looking at me? My worst fears and nightmares all began to rush through my mind at once. I was not ready for this change and I did not ever think I would find myself in this position.

Another huge concern of mine was how my ostomy would affect my love of the outdoors. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to go on hikes like I used to, especially overnight backpacking trips in more remote areas. What if there were complications related to the ostomy bag and things went poorly? I also really enjoy the beach, and I began to think about how maintaining my life as a beach-going Michigander might become much more difficult with the addition of my new medical status. Sand and water do not seem to be a good combo when one has a stoma in their abdomen. I spent many months in distress and disarray about the way this procedure would affect my life and how difficult it would be to adjust to this new lifestyle.

I decided that I would like to continue my hobby of enjoying the outdoors as much as possible. Sure, I might be limited in some ways, but I was determined to adapt my lifestyle in a way that made it possible for me to spend more time outdoors. I looked for activities that were doctor approved and would not have a negative impact on my ostomy bag. Simple things like walking and biking are very doable and do not cause any strain on my stoma. I have also discovered a new love for water activities like canoeing and kayaking, which is something that I had not been super interested in before my procedure. I also began to spend more time fishing, wood working, and whittling as a way to further connect myself with nature. Sure, things have slowed down a bit, but I have found that life with an ostomy is not so bad. In fact, I still very much enjoy all of what life has to offer me.

Eating With an Ostomy

So you’ve gotten surgery and now have a stoma, huh? This is a confusing and scary time, I’m sure, but you won’t be finding any sympathy from me. You’re going to be fine! I’m going to put together a short article on how you can approach eating with your ostomy bag life and how to best handle your day-to-day activities. Just remember to take things slow and be patient with yourself; many of us have had the same questions, fears, and concerns that you are having right now, and we all turned out just fine! Trust me and trust the process. Without further adieu, here are some tips for eating after your ostomy.

The first few weeks after surgery are going to be a little bit different than your normal day-to-day eating habits once you have recovered from surgery. Your body is still very sensitive and you are adjusting to the new whole that the doctors so lovingly cut out in your abdomen. This means that your approach to food is going to be different for a few weeks. I suggest that you try to eat small meals more frequently throughout the day. While I was recovering from surgery, I made sure to eat small meals about six times a day instead of 3 larger ones. I think this is overall better for your body anyways, so maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that you will be eating smaller meals more frequently rather than large ones. Also, make sure to chew your food very thoroughly and eat slowly. Why are you going so fast? There’s no need to rush your food down, after all, it’s not going anywhere except for into your fancy new pouch. You’ll also want to eat mostly bland and low fiber foods to avoid any further complications with your ostomy.

It’s important that you talk to a nutritionist before you’re discharged from the hospital about what you can and cannot eat following surgery. Let’s face it, I’m just some random guy on the internet that has absolutely no experience or knowledge regarding ostomy bags, so I would take their word over mine. Your doctor and nutritionist can help come up with some guidelines about what you should and should not be eating, and can talk about when it is time to start introducing new foods to your system again. My advice is to try things very carefully and slowly. You will eventually be able to eat most if not all of your favorite foods again, but it will probably take some time to figure out what your body can handle on a regular basis. So introducing newer more complex foods to your body slowly is beneficial to figuring out what you can and can’t eat.

Going forward, it is important to remember that everyone’s body is different. Not all foods will have the same reaction for everyone and some people have a harder time digesting food than others. Remember that having odor coming from your ostomy pouch is normal and should not be ashamed of; just make sure to carry around a small air freshener container when you go over to visit friends and family, that way you don’t stink up their bathroom. I hope this article was helpful for you in recovering from surgery and I hope that you can attain everything in your wildest dreams before you die from complications related to your stoma!