STOMA CARE

Racel Salvador
Guida Mae Lanayan
 Things to know about your stoma include:

Stoma is a Greek word meaning ‘mouth’ or ‘opening’. Stoma

surgery results in a small opening on the surface of the abdomen
being surgically created in order to divert the flow of faeces
and/or urine. It is estimated that over 13,500 people undergo
stoma surgery each year and the most common underlying
conditions resulting in stoma formation are colorectal cancer,
bladder cancer, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

A stoma looks like a small spout, deep pink in colour similar to

the inside of the mouth and, although it looks raw, it has no
feeling. Waste matter comes out of the stoma and is collected in
a stoma bag. The typa.
Types of Stomas Stoma Bag
Colostomy - coming from the colon (larger bowel) Closed Bags or Drainable Bags
Ileostomy - coming from the ileum (small bowel) Drainable Bags
Urostomy - coming from the kidneys and draining
Urostomy Bag
urine
 Things to know about your stoma include:

• Your stoma is the lining of your intestine.

• It will be pink or red, moist, and a little shiny.
• Stomas are most often round or oval.
• A stoma is very delicate.
• Most stomas stick out a little over the skin, but some are flat.
• You may see a little mucus. Your stoma may bleed a little when you clean it.
• The skin around your stoma should be dry.

The feces that come out of the stoma can be very irritating to the skin. So it is
important to take special care of the stoma to avoid damage to the skin.
 Stoma Care
After surgery, the stoma will be swollen. It will shrink over the next several weeks.
The skin around your stoma should look like it did before surgery. The best way to
protect your skin is by:
• Using a bag or pouch with the correct size opening, so waste does not leak
• Taking good care of the skin around your stoma
• Stoma appliances are either 2-piece or 1-piece sets. A 2-piece set consists of a
baseplate (or wafer) and pouch. A baseplate is the part that sticks to the skin and
protects it against irritation from feces. The second piece is the pouch that feces
empty into. The pouch attaches to the baseplate, similar to a Tupperware cover.
In a 1-piece set, the baseplate and appliance is all one piece. The baseplate
usually needs to be changed only once or twice a week.
POUCH

BASE PLATE
To care for your skin:
• Wash your skin with warm
water and dry it well before you
attach the pouch.
• Avoid skin care products that
contain alcohol. These can make
your skin too dry.
• DO NOT use products that
contain oil on the skin around your
stoma. Doing so can make it hard
to attach the pouch to your skin.
• Use fewer, special skin care
products to make skin problems
less likely.
If you have hair on the skin around
your stoma, your pouch may not stick.
Removing the hair may help.
• Ask your ostomy nurse about the best way
to shave the area.
• If you use a safety razor and soap or
shaving cream, be sure to rinse your skin well
after you shave the area.
• You can also use trimming scissors, electric
shaver, or have laser treatment to remove the
hair.
• DO NOT use a straight edge.
• Be careful to protect your stoma if you
remove the hair around it.
Carefully look at your stoma and the skin around it
every time you change your pouch or barrier. If the
skin around your stoma is red or wet, your pouch
may not be sealed well on your stoma.
Sometimes the adhesive, skin barrier, paste, tape,
or pouch may damage the skin. This may happen
when you first start using a stoma, or it may
happen after you have been using it for months, or
even years.
If this happens:
 Ask your health care provider about medicine to
treat your skin.
 Call your provider if it is does not get better
when you treat it.
• If your stoma is leaking, your skin will get sore.
• Be sure to treat any skin redness or skin changes right away, when
the problem is still small. DO NOT allow the sore area to become
larger or more irritated before asking your doctor about it.
• If your stoma becomes longer than usual (sticks out from the skin
more), try a cold compress, like ice wrapped in a towel, to make it
go in.
• You should never stick anything into your stoma, unless your doctor
tells you to.
When to Call the Doctor
Call your provider if:
• Your stoma is swollen and is more than a 1/2 inch (1 cm) larger
than normal.
• Your stoma is pulling in, below the skin level.
• Your stoma is bleeding more than normal.
• Your stoma has turned purple, black, or white.
• Your stoma is leaking often or draining fluid.
• Your stoma does not seem to fit as well as it did before.
• You have to change the appliance once every day or two.
• You have a discharge from the stoma that smells bad.
• You have any signs of being dehydrated (there is not enough water
in your body). Some signs are dry mouth, urinating less often, and
feeling lightheaded or weak.
• You have diarrhea that is not going away.
Call your provider if the skin around your stoma:
 Pulls back
 Is red or raw
 Has a rash
 Is dry
 Hurts or burns
 Swells or pushes out
 Bleeds
 Itches
 Has white, gray, brown, or dark red bumps on it
 Has bumps around a hair follicle that are filled with pus
 Has sores with uneven edges
Also call if you:
 Have less waste than usual in your pouch
 Have a fever
 Experience any pain
 Have any questions or concerns about your stoma or skin
Colostomy Care
 Eat a well-balanced diet including vegetables and fresh fruits. Eat on a regular schedule. Drink at least 6 to 8
glasses of fluids daily.
 Eat slowly in a relaxed atmosphere. Chew your food thoroughly. Avoid chewing gum, smoking, and drinking
from a straw. This will help decrease the amount of air you swallow, which may help reduce gas.
 Eating yogurt or drinking buttermilk may help reduce gas.
 To control gas at night, do not eat after 8 p.m. This will give your bowel time to quiet down before you go to
bed.
 If gas is a problem, you can purchase Beano. Sprinkle Beano on the first bite of food before eating to reduce
gas. It has no flavor and should not change the taste of your food. You can buy Beano over the counter at
your local drugstore.
 Foods like fish, onions, garlic, broccoli, asparagus, and cabbage produce odor. Although your pouch is odor-
proof, if you eat these foods you may notice a stronger odor when emptying your pouch. If this is a concern,
you may want to limit these foods in your diet.