Most people will be aware of the smell of their colostomy because it's their own body. But someone standing next to you will not be able to smell the stoma. You'll have more gas than usual immediately after having a colostomy, but this will slowly reduce as your bowel recovers.
Many ostomates worry about odour. 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.
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.
If you allow it to get too full, the weight of the stool may pull the pouch away from the skin. 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.
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.
After ileoanal pouch surgery is complete, the temporary stoma is closed. Stool and gas will leave your body through your anus, as they did before surgery. At first, you will have more frequent bowel movements, up to 15 per day. You may have mild bowel control problems and may need to wake up from sleep to pass stool.
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.
You can drink alcohol. Alcohol can cause dehydration, so make sure to drink enough water. Remember to consult with your physician before using alcoholic beverages as alcohol may not mix well with your medication.
A colostomy is an operation to divert 1 end of the colon (part of the bowel) through an opening in the tummy. The opening is called a stoma. A pouch can be placed over the stoma to collect your poo (stools). A colostomy can be permanent or temporary.
If you notice bad odours from your ostomy pouch, note which foods cause odours so that you can limit them. Eggs, dried beans, fish, garlic, onions, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, and alcohol may cause odours. Very spicy foods and some vitamin and mineral supplements also cause odours.
You may notice more odor when you empty your pouch after you eat certain foods. Some of these foods are onions, garlic, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, fish, certain cheeses, eggs, baked beans, Brussels sprouts, and alcohol.
The studies revealed the average age of a person with a colostomy to be 70.6 years, an ileostomy 67.8 years, and a urostomy 66.6 years.
Make sure your clothes are not too tight around the bag.
You may need to be careful that waistbands do not rest below the stoma restricting ability to drain into your pouch. Depending on stoma placement, you may feel more comfortable with high- or low-rise waistband items, like underwear, jeans, or activewear.
It's best to eat mostly bland, low-fiber foods for the first few weeks after your surgery. Bland foods are cooked, easy-to-digest foods that aren't spicy, heavy, or fried. Eating bland foods will help you avoid uncomfortable symptoms, such as: Diarrhea (loose or watery bowel movements)
A small stoma bag during their waking hours, when it can be changed as needed. For example, one which can hold around 400 ml of waste.
Gas and constipation are two common issues that you may experience after your colostomy surgery. Of course, diet has a big impact on both. As your bowel recovers after surgery and begins to function again, you will notice gas in your pouch. The amount can vary.
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. In June 2022, Adele announced she was now “cancer free.”
It's common for an ostomy and pouch to go undetected. No one will know that you have an ostomy and pouch unless you tell them. You may choose not to tell many people.
Some common complications of stoma include poor siting, parastomal hernia (PH), prolapse, retraction, ischemia/necrosis, peristomal dermatologic problems, mucocutaneous separation, and pyoderma gangrenosum. Each will be discussed separately in further detail.
You can normally start bathing or showering two to three days after your operation, but your Stoma Care Nurse or ward staff will give you more specific advice.
For many people, having a bag or pouch attached to their body is a huge emotional adjustment. It might feel odd or even scary at first. Those are completely normal feelings, says colorectal surgeon Amy Lightner, MD. But know that you can be active, wear fashionable clothes and live a happy, full life with a stoma bag.
Keeping hydrated with an ileostomy, colostomy and urostomy
You should try to drink 6-8 glasses of water each day along with any other drinks such as tea or coffee.