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.
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.
It is normal to empty your ileostomy bag 6-8 times per day when it is half full. Ostomy output of more than 1,500 mL, or about 6 cups of stool in 24 hours, is high ostomy output. High ostomy output can put you at risk for dehydration, poor nutrient absorption, and weight loss.
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.
Guidelines for Emptying a Colostomy Bag
Most patients empty the bag anywhere from 4 to 10 times in a 24-hour period. You will need to empty your bag more often following your traditional ileostomy surgery, while you are becoming used to the system.
You need to empty a drainable pouch when it gets to be about one-third full. Don't let it get more than half full. This keeps the pouch from bulging under your clothes. It also helps prevent leaking and odor.
The average daily output of an ileostomy is about 500 ml per day, but may be up to 1,000-1,500 mls in a day. The average daily output of a colostomy is about 500 ml per day, with a range of about 200-700ml. You should learn to monitor the amount and consistency of your bowel movements.
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.
The normal ileostomy output, when established, is 600–1200 mL/24 hours. Patients with an output greater than the oral intake are termed net 'secretors' and will need parenteral support, while those with an output less than the oral intake are termed net 'absorbers' and can be managed on an oral regimen.
A colostomy is an operation to create an opening (stoma) of the large bowel (colon) onto the surface of the tummy (abdomen). Your poo no longer passes out of your body through your back passage. Instead, it passes out through the stoma. You wear a bag that sticks onto the skin over the stoma to collect your poo.
Digestion, or transit time, is the time it takes the food to go from the mouth to the exit (be it the anus or the stoma). Transit time varies from person to person. On average, it takes 6-8 hours for the food to go from your mouth, through your stomach, and through the small intestine.
If possible, take a short walk or just walk slowly around your house, as long as it's not too painful. 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.
Pooping will be different with a colostomy bag. Immediately after your surgery, your anus may continue to expel poop and other fluids that were left inside. But new poop will now exit through your stoma. Most people will be able to feel their bowels move and know when poop is about to come out.
Dehydration. Having an ileostomy makes it harder to stay hydrated. If you notice signs of dehydration such as fatigue, dry mouth or lots of poo coming out of your stoma, speak to your stoma nurse or another healthcare professional to get advice.
Foods that are reported to help thicken the stoma output include apple sauce, bananas, buttermilk, cheese, marshmallows, jelly babies, (boiled) milk, noodles, smooth creamy peanut butter, rice, tapioca pudding, toast, potatoes and yoghurt.
If you normally eat later in the evening or soon before you go to bed, this could be increasing your night time output. If this sounds like you, then varying your meal times could help to reduce stoma bag leakages during the night as your stoma is less active.
Aim to eat your main meal before 7pm in the evening to allow your stoma to do all the work before you settle for bed. Another option is to eat a lighter meal of an evening and the heavier meal mid-day as this will help with the output slow down overnight.
The Stoma Appliance Scheme provides fully subsidised stoma appliances and products to people who have a stoma or fistula that facilitates the removal of urine and/or products of the gastrointestinal tract from the body.
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.
Well, elimination of waste is a major body function and your elimination of waste has changed; in fact you need to wear a prosthetic device (ostomy appliance) to manage this change. You have a record of an impairment of a major body function, therefore you are protected by the provisions of the ADA.
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. Top tips to keep hydrated would be: In warmer weather if you are perspiring more you will need to drink more water.
Everyone needs daily exercise to stay healthy and for the body to function well. An ostomy should not keep you from exercising and playing sports. In fact, people with ostomies are distance runners, weight lifters, skiers, swimmers, and take part in most sports.
When you have a high output stoma most of the fluid you take by month is not absorbed, so drinking will result in more fluid lost in the stoma. Food may have water and salts added to it in the small bowel but travels too quickly for nutrients to be absorbed and faeces comes out diluted.