You shouldn't feel anything in the stoma, and it shouldn't be painful. Over time, bodily waste and gas will pass out through the stoma instead of your anus or urethra. Living with a stoma can seem daunting at first — but you're not alone.
It has no nerve endings and doesn't have any sensation. Once the surgery wound heals around the stoma, you won't feel it. You might have a variety of emotional feelings about having a stoma, or an ostomy. You might worry about how other people in your life will feel about it.
Adjusting to a colostomy can be difficult at first, but it does not mean you cannot enjoy a full and active life. Colostomy equipment is discreet and secure, and you should be able to do most of the activities you enjoyed before.
You may also have a lot of gas pass into your colostomy bag in the weeks after surgery. This will decrease as you heal. How quickly you get better depends, in part, on whether you had a laparoscopic or open surgery. But you will probably need at least 6 weeks to get back to your normal routine.
For people with a stoma there is the same chance of catching a tummy bug like anyone else. If you are experiencing a profuse amount of loose, offensive smelling stools and are experiencing tummy cramps try to keep well hydrated and rest.
Avoid applying products that contain alcohol as they can cause dry skin. Do not use skin products made with oil. They will make it difficult for the pouch to stay attached. If you have hair on the skin surrounding the ostomy, you may need to keep it shaved so the pouch will stick.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Complications of ileostomy and colostomy may include stoma or skin complications, dehydration, problems absorbing nutrients, and intestinal obstruction.
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.
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.
You'll need to remove the entire unit (pouch and wafer) and replace it, making sure that the wafer is securely attached to your peristomal skin before leaving the restroom. Regardless of if you're using a one-piece or a two-piece pouch, you'll need to put your used ostomy bag into something you can discard it in.
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)
If your stoma is near your waist, avoid tight pants, skirts or belts that sit directly over the stoma. You may feel more comfortable wearing pants or skirts with a higher or looser waistband, or with an elastic waistband.
Passing wind with a stoma
When you have a stoma, there are only two options for gas. It has to come out of your stoma, or out of your mouth. From your stoma, gas usually leaks very slowly into your stoma bag.
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.
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.
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.