An Overview Of Ostomy

Your intestine could have a disease or injury, which may result in it requiring resting and healing or removal. In either of these cases, you may need an ostomy. An ostomy is an intestinal diversion that allows bodily wastes to leave the body without proceeding to the diseased section of the bowel. Wastes will leave the body through an opening (stoma) in the belly.

The surgeon will remove or disconnect the part of your colon to create an ostomy. After disconnecting the healthy part of the GI tract from the diseased part of the colon, the surgeon will bring the end of the healthy part of the tract to the abdomen and pull it out through a small incision. The end sticking on the belly will form an opening to allow waste materials to leave the body. This bud-like end of the intestinal tract is known as the stoma.

There are two types of intestinal ostomies: colostomy and ileostomy.

If you have a colostomy, you will retain a part of the colon, which means that a majority of nutrients will absorb in your body. The stool passing out of a colostomy is thick.

If you have an ileostomy, you will no longer have a colon. The small intestine will still absorb nutrients, but the absence of the colon will cause a significant amount of water with electrolytes to leave the body. If you do not compensate for this loss of fluids and nutrients, you may run the risk of having dehydration and other issues.

Understanding your stoma

The stoma is the end of the intestine, sticking out on the abdominal skin. After pulling it out of the cut in the belly, the surgeon will turn the edges of the end of the intestine onto itself and suture them to skin of the belly. It forms a bud-like opening that allows bodily wastes to pass out of the body.

You may want to know a few characteristics of the stoma in this regard.

• It is red
• It may bleed easily when you rub it
• It remains moist
• It can move with bowel movements
• It has no nerve ending, meaning that you won’t feel anything on it
• With no sphincter muscles in the stoma, you will not be able to control when to move your bowels

Caring for an ostomy

At first, caring for an ostomy may seem like a daunting task, but it gets easier with time.

First of all, you will need to learn to manage your ostomy supplies, and also how to care for your ostomy. It will take some time, but you will have to figure out what products work best for you. You may also want to know where to buy your ostomy supplies.

Your ostomy care nurse should be the first point of contact in case you face any problem or you want to know something about caring for the stoma. Your nurse will also run you through the process of ostomy pouch management, which includes emptying and changing pouch. If the skin around your stoma is susceptible to infections, your nurse will suggest you the products that will help you prevent skin infections.

You might want to join an ostomy support group to prevent psychological impact of surgery from causing anxiety.

Vacationing in Hawaii with your Ostomy

This year is going to be amazing. I am so excited for how the year has panned out. Yes we did have a pandemic and pandemic did have me a bit scared.  I may even be a little more at risk for catching it due to my ostomy, but I am still excited for what is to come.  I have never been one to let a fun opportunity get me down no matter what was going on.  

This year we got stimulus checks in the mail and decided to take that money and put it right back into our economy.  This year I am taking my family to Hawaii. So traveling with a stoma can sometimes be a little more work than I would like but I plan on taking my ostomy care seriously and making sure all is going to be well.

The first thing that I am working on is having enough supplies to get me through my trip without having to go around and shop in a new state.  The last thing I want is to try a new product or go shopping for an ostomy bag on vacation.  That is why it is important to plan for the worst in order to avoid this type of situation. 

  First thing to do is to pack double what you need.  WHAT? That may sound like a bit too much, but what happens if your luggage does not arrive with your or arrive at all.  I like to make sure my carry on has enough ostomy care gear to get me through the week of vacation if I need it.  It is really better to be safe than sorry. So planning ahead can really save you and I suggest separating out your gear in two parts and packing it in your carry on and luggage.  That is my goal and it will likely keep me from having to shop in Hawaii if something gets lost.  I mean would you rather be on a beach or at a pharmacy in paradise? 

The next thing is to make sure you have the right and comfortable gear for the water.  I like to bring stoma caps for the water because I have been working on my body and I want people to focus on me and not my stoma.  It is an easy way to protect my stoma and enjoy the water. But that is a personal choice.

New Ostomates And The Depression Problem

Depression can have an impact on thinking and overall perception of life. A surgery that tends to bring a permanent change in life, such as an ostomy, is one of the most common reasons for depression. According to a study, there are over one million people in the USA with ostomies. This number increases at a rate of 100,000 per annum.

The loss of control over stool and gas is an understandable consequence of ostomy surgery. In most of the cases, this consequence tends to be permanent. According to a study, people who have ostomies usually have decreased health-related quality of life. The study further elaborates on the level of difficulty those people face while dealing with their life and relationships.

The lifestyle changes occurring as a result of ostomy surgery are usually quite complicated to adapt. More specifically, the first few weeks after the surgery bring a lot of insecurities and fear to the minds of ostomates.

The negative psychological impact

An ostomy is much like a learning curve for the new ostomates. If they do not have proper guidance about it, they can end up frustrated and depressed. The newly developed body change brings with it the feeling of helplessness, anguish, fear, and sadness. These feelings further result in the loss of self-esteem and health, coupled with other negative emotions such as a sense of uselessness. Many of the ostomates also get caught by insecurity and fear of rejection in society.

Further down the road, ostomates also develop a fear of isolation due to the negative experiences in managing ostomy appliances. The leakage of gas or stomal output in public causes real embarrassment for the ostomates.

All these issues can result in a much negative psychological impact on an ostomate's life.

Overcoming depression

It is understandable for new ostomates to develop difficulty coping with a new phase of life after ostomy surgery. But it doesn't mean they cannot live normally. All it takes is the right guidance and a will to cope with the new change. The selection of the right ostomy supplies has a huge role to play in this regard. The use of the right ostomy supplies in the right way results in much-needed satisfaction, which is necessary to gain a psychological advantage.

Posoperative education

Most of the new ostomates are not familiar with the experience of dealing with an ostomy. In that case, it becomes necessary to pay attention to the instructions by ostomy care nurses and medical staff. These detailed instructions tend to educate the new ostomates about how to get their lives back on track.

The Right Time To Use Stoma Paste

The stoma paste is a type of skin barrier that comes in a tube. The primary purposes of this paste are to fill the skin indentations and prevent the skin from coming in contact with the cut opening of the pouch skin barrier. Note that this paste is not the glue that can hold a pouch.

The primary purpose of the stoma paste is to fill in rough skin surface around the stoma. The skin smoothness, which develops after the paste application, allows the skin barrier to sit well over the peristomal skin, forming a leakproof seal. This seal prevents the stomal output from leaking out of the pouching system. Stomal leak can result in social, psychological, and physical discomfort for ostomy patients. And these leaks can occur as a result of the poor fitting of the ostomy pouching systems, mainly due to irregularities of skin outlines. Stoma paste is the best means to counter such skin irregularities.

Benefits of using stoma paste

Prevention of stoma drainage and resultant discomfort in the peristomal skin is the primary benefit of stoma paste. Patients need to apply this paste while changing the pouching system. To avoid evacuation from the stoma during the pouching system change, doing it before mealtime is a good idea.

Instructions to avoid adverse effects

Applying stoma paste in excess can do more harm than good. Many of the cylinder pastes available in the market contain alcohol. Sensitive patients might start getting a burning sensation after the application of such paste. Strips stoma pastes do not usually contain alcohol. Patients who are sensitive to alcohol-based cylinder pastes can consider using the strips pastes to avoid any skin discomfort.

Also, the stoma paste can leave an adverse effect on the ideal wear time of the wafer. So, before using the stoma paste, patients need to be sure that they need to apply it.

Adverse effects of adhesive agents

Some adhesive agents in the stoma paste can cause damage to the skin, especially at the time of pouch change. While stoma paste is not primarily an adhesive agent, it fortifies adhesion to a certain degree. Individuals whose skin is fragile or the ones who have to change pouches frequently should not use this paste without the nurse's advice. Individuals who are benefitted more from this paste are the ones who fail to prevent leakage with the pouching system's normal adhesion.

How to apply the stoma paste

There are a few steps that you need to follow while applying the stoma paste.

• Wash the peristomal skin thoroughly to remove any residue. Then, dry it until there is no moisture left.
• You can apply stoma paste directly on the peristomal skin or the inner side of the wafer. Allow it to sit for two minutes after applying it to the peristomal skin.
• If you are applying the paste on the wafer, place it on the skin as usual. There you need to hold the wafer against the abdomen for one minute.