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.