Ostomy gas Gas can be caused by the foods you eat. It can also be the result of swallowing air. Drinking carbonated beverages, smoking, chewing gum and chewing with your mouth open can all increase the amount of air you swallow. If you are concerned about gas, you can use a pouch with a filter.
Food and drinks such as carbonated beverages, beer, onions, milk, melons, cucumbers, chewing gum, or drinking through a straw can cause gas in the bag. Try to avoid having more than one of those during a single meal.
Ballooning occurs when your stoma bag blows up with wind. This is usually due to the filter becoming wet or blocked from stoma output. This can cause the bag to come away from the body. Please note: Stoma ballooning can happen with a colostomy or occasionally with an ileostomy.
Air from the stoma causes the bag to expand and detach from the skin (ballooning) Ballooning occurs when air from the stoma inflates the bag and cannot escape through the filter. The resulting air pressure can cause the adhesive to detach from the skin.
Emptying your pouch before going to bed:
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.
The dry air can make your airways produce mucus. The mucus can collect around your stoma and get crusty. To protect your stoma and your airways, try to avoid: extreme temperatures.
Stomata open to take in carbon dioxide, and during that process, oxygen gas is released out as waste. When the weather is sunny and hot, the stomata are more likely to open to let carbon dioxide in for more photosynthesis, while oxygen will also escape.
Try several different body positions, such as a knee-chest position, or lie on the side of your stoma with knees bent, as it might help move the blockage forward. Massage the abdominal area and the area around your stoma. Most food blockages occur just below the stoma and this may help dislodge the blockage.
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. This should start to improve as your bowel recovers from the effects of the operation.
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.
Accumulation of gas in the ostomy pouch occurs due to two main factors. First is the swallowed air and second is the gas formed by the bacteria in the colon (which depends on individual's eating habits and the motility of the bowel).
Avoid drinks that cause bloating
There are certain alcoholic beverages which can cause bloating and ballooning of stoma bags. These include lager, beer, prosecco and any other fizzy alcoholic drinks.
It involves washing out your colon with water either every day or every other day. To do this, you gently insert a small device into your stoma and attach it to a bag full of water. You slowly move water into your colon so it washes it out.
The best position to sleep in when you have a stoma is on your back, or on your side. If you prefer to sleep on your stomach, this will be fine at the beginning of the night but increases the chances of leaks as the night progresses and your bag fills.
You can bathe or shower with or without wearing your pouching system. Normal exposure to air or water will not harm or enter your stoma. If you're showering without your pouch, remove the skin barrier too. Try to create a routine that coincides with when you're due for a pouch change.
Many people enjoy leaving their skin uncovered for 15 to 30 minutes after taking their pouching system off. This is called a skin break. Taking a skin break can help with irritation or keep it from happening. You can decide if you want to take a skin break.
Sometimes carbonated drinks may help. Massage your tunny around the area and also your stoma to try and encourage the blockage to work its way out. Lie on the floor, on your back and roll from side to side with your knees up to your chest. Try a hot bath for 15-20mins to help relax the muscles in your tummy.
Burping the bag
Burping your ostomy pouch to let the gas out is one way to prevent ballooning. It's best done in the bathroom since the smell is more prominent. You can also use an ostomy deodorant or lubricator if you tend to burp your bag a lot, together with an odor-reducing spray.
Issues or problems with the skin around the stoma is probably the most common complication for ostomates. Not only is having sore skin extremely uncomfortable for the patient but it can also compromise the attachment of the bag to the skin causing leaks and leading to further skin damage.
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.
When you are first discharged from hospital after your stoma surgery, you will feel tired and find everyday tasks such as having a shower exhausting. This is normal and will improve over time.
You can swim or be in the water while wearing your pouching system. Remember, your pouching system is water-resistant and is designed not to leak with the proper seal. Water will not harm or enter your stoma. Prior to swimming, make sure your seal is secure.