Change or empty your stoma bag before you go to bed Always make sure you're going to bed with either a fresh or an empty stoma bag, depending on the type of stoma bag you use. This can help to reduce any anxiety you may have about leakages, as well as making sure your ostomy bag doesn't overflow throughout the night.
Always change or empty your bag before going to sleep. If your bag overfills at night you are at risk of a leak. Going to bed with an empty bag can reduce anxiety about leaks and significantly improve the quality of your sleep.
It's always a good idea to empty or change your stoma bag before you go to bed as it will help to prevent your bag from filling up too much overnight and disturbing your sleep. A full stoma bag is always at risk of leaking and that's not something you want to experience during the night.
A person with an ileostomy will need to empty the pouch about five or six times in a 24-hour period. If you have a colostomy, you will need to empty the pouch two or three times in a 24-hour period.
Wear an ostomy belt or wrap to keep your pouch snug, but not too tight, on your abdomen during the night. Don't wear tight-fitting pajamas that will restrict the flow into the pouch. If you find your nighttime output is heavy, ask your ostomy nurse about a nighttime drainage bag. Prevent Leaks.
It is also important that you dry your skin thoroughly before applying your stoma bag. If the skin is too moist then this can also cause stoma bag leakages. Leaks can also occur if the stoma protrusion has altered. It may mean you need to have an alternative product to help prevent leaks such as a convex product.
First things first, immediately before bed, empty your bag. In addition to that, stop eating and drinking a few hours before going to bed. Eating and drinking directly before bed can cause your stoma to be more active overnight and will result in a full bag.
The BBC Radio 1 presenter had a stoma bag, which she refers to as Audrey, fitted last October after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. The operation diverts one end of the colon, which is part of the bowel, through an opening in the abdomen called a stoma.
When the large bowel has been removed the small bowel must adapt to absorb more fluid, which it is not as effective at doing (this will improve over time). This means output from your stoma can increase.
About Your Wet Colostomy
After your surgery, your urine (pee) and stool (poop) will leave your body through your wet colostomy stoma. Your stoma will have 2 parts (see Figure 1): A urinary diversion. Your urine will flow from your kidneys, through your ureters, and out of your body through your urinary diversion.
Find a sleeping position that works for you
While sleeping on your front is considered the most comfortable by many, it can put pressure on your stoma which can cause problems. Therefore, it's a good idea to get used to sleeping on either your back or your side.
Once home, avoid strenuous activities that could place a strain on your abdomen, such as lifting heavy objects. Your stoma nurse will give you advice about how soon you can go back to normal activities. At first you will pass wind through your stoma and then, usually within 2 or 3 days, you poo through it.
In general, people with an ostomy can eat and drink what they want unless the surgeon or ostomy therapist has given counter-advice. But as before the surgery some food may be easier to digest than others – and right after surgery it may be helpful to pay some extra attention to the signals from your body.
For those with an ileostomy, output tends to be thinner and more frequent, prompting about six to eight bathroom trips a day. Some people who have an ileostomy may be looking for ideas on how to firm stool up a bit and decrease output and/or trips to the bathroom.
Colostomy bags and equipment
A colostomy bag is used to collect your poo. How often it needs to be changed depends on which type of bag you use. Closed bags may need changing 1 to 3 times a day. There are also drainable bags that need to be replaced every 2 or 3 days.
If you have higher fluid losses than the average person, it's best to drink the recommended 6-8 cups of fluid a day plus choose saltier foods and hydrating foods. Occasionally when someone has loose bowel movements, drinking more fluid can make them more dehydrated.
Roberts is a British broadcaster who gained fame in Channel 4's Big Brother series in 2002. Adele Roberts had a stoma bag after she underwent surgery to remove a tumor. She named her stoma Audrey. “I'm recovering, and this little stoma bag helped save my life,” Adele wrote on her Instagram in October 2021.
Rolf Benirschke is a former NFL player with the San Diego Chargers. His ulcerative colitis resulted in two ostomies. He became the first professional athlete to have an ostomy while playing. Jerry Kramer is a former NFL player with the Green Bay Packers.
Most people will be able to feel their bowels move and know when poop is about to come out. But you won't be able to control it anymore. Unlike your anus, your stoma doesn't have a muscle system that allows you to close it at will. So pooping won't be the intentional action that it used to be.
After a stoma, the bottom part of the bowel no longer has poo passing through it, but it still produces mucus. Dead cells from the lower bowel or rectum may be mixed in with the mucus. The mucus may leak out of the anus, or you may feel the urge to go to the toilet.
Spicy foods, some vegetables (onions, cabbage, peas, and beans) and fizzy drinks have been known to increase wind, so try to avoid these. Avoid drinking with your meal as this can cause you to swallow excess air. Eating regular meals will reduce the build-up of wind.
If the stoma bag fits well there should be no smell except when changing it. If you do notice a smell from your bag, you should check it as there may be a leak under the flange and the bag will need changing.
An ostomy bag that's too heavy with output can loosen that seal, which may cause odor and leakage. Talk to your doctor or a WOCN (Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse) regarding your personal changing and emptying times.