Except for altering the excretory pathway, a stoma doesn’t have to make any impact on your life. You should be able to live the life of your choice. In this article, we will discuss how to take care of your stoma after surgery.
How does a stoma look after surgery?
A stoma is moist, red, and soft to touch. It is a little protruded from the surface of the abdomen. At the start, it will be a little swollen, but this swelling will subside with the passage of time. It generally takes six to eight weeks for your bowel to recover after surgery, and this is the exact duration required for your stoma to heal.
The function of the stoma starts a few days after surgery. The output in the first few days will be more liquid and have a strong odor. Over time, the consistency of the stool will thicken, and the odor will subside substantially. During the recovery phase, you will need to stick to a more balanced diet. Your doctor will tell you when you may return to a usual diet.
During the first few days, there may be some noisy winds passing out of your stoma frequently, which is perfectly normal. This frequency will reduce as your bowel recovers.
After urostomy surgery, your stoma will start functioning right away. The urine passing out of the stoma might be a little reddish during the first few days, but you do not need to worry about it.
How to take care of your stoma
It is crucial to ensure good health of the skin around the stoma. Irritation in this part of the skin can result in a compromised seal with the skin barrier of the ostomy appliance. This compromised seal can worsen the skin condition further. You will want to stop this vicious cycle at any cost.
Here are a few tips that may help you keep your peristomal skin healthy.
- Before applying the skin barrier, make sure that the peristomal skin is clean and dry.
- While creating an opening in the skin barrier, be sure to create it right according to the shape and size of your stoma.
- There has to be a seamless contact between the skin barrier and the peristomal skin. You may want to apply a bit of pressure on the skin barrier to ensure proper adherence.
- Be sure to change your appliance as soon as you feel any irritation or itching, no matter how minor it may feel.
- You will want to check the size of your stoma regularly, particularly when you have a hernia.
- If you want to use accessories to take care of your stoma, make sure that those are appropriate for your stoma and peristomal skin.
There are different types of ostomy appliances available. You will need to choose one that is most suitable for your ostomy. It will depend on whether you have an ileostomy, colostomy, or urostomy. If you are not sure which ostomy appliance you should choose, you may want to contact your ostomy care nurse for guidance.
