Caring for a colostomy covers things ranging from skincare to pouch changes to managing the stoma.

Protecting the skin around the stoma

The skin around your stoma has to be as healthy as elsewhere on the abdomen. Since its contact with the stomal output can lead to skin irritation and other problems, you have to make ensure the proper skincare. Here are a few ways to help you keep your peristomal skin healthy.

• First off, make sure that you are using the correct-sized skin barrier and the ostomy pouch. An ostomy pouch with a too-small opening can injure your stoma. A large or loose opening, on the other hand, exposes a significant area of the peristomal skin to the stomal output contact. That is why it is necessary to use a skin barrier that is neither too large nor too small.
• You have to avoid pouch leakages and skin irritation. The best way to do it is to change your ostomy pouch regularly. It is a wrong approach to wait for the leakage to occur before you change an ostomy pouch.
• When removing an ostomy pouch, be careful while pulling the skin barrier away from the skin. The strong adhesive on the skin barrier can cause injury to the abdominal skin if you pull it suddenly or without prepping. The best approach is to push the peristomal skin away from the skin barrier and then pull the skin barrier away from the skin. Make sure that you are gentle with this process.
• After removing the old ostomy pouch, clean the peristomal skin with water. Avoid using soap that contains perfumes or other chemicals.
• While changing your ostomy pouch, look for allergies and other complications. If you have a recently created ostomy, you might find your peristomal skin sensitive to the ostomy pouching system. You can speak to an ostomy care nurse regarding any products you can use to soothe your abdominal skin.

Emptying and changing the ostomy pouch

You will get the initial training on how to empty and change your ostomy pouch in the hospital. Your nurse will also tell you about other products that may help to ensure better stoma care.

Here are the steps involved in emptying an ostomy pouch.

• Sit back on the toilet seat or chair.
• Place a layer of tissue paper in the toilet to avoid splashing.
• Open the clip on the tail of the ostomy pouch while holding it up.
• Unroll the tail over the toilet slowly.
• Squeeze the contents out of the ostomy bag.
• Clean the tail from the outside and inside.
• Roll its end and apply the clip to secure the tail.

Changing an ostomy bag according to a set schedule can help prevent a lot of peristomal skin issues. Follow the above-mentioned guide to remove the ostomy pouch. Before applying the new pouch, check your skin for any complications. While attaching the new ostomy pouch, make sure to create a flawless seal between the skin barrier and the peristomal skin.

Colostomy irrigation

You can consider colostomy irrigation with a descending or sigmoid colostomy that produces firm stools. This process involves instilling water into the stoma to stimulate the bowel movement. This process gives you more control over your stoma, allowing you to cover the stoma with a cap instead of a colostomy pouch.

Whether or not you qualify for this procedure will depend on the regularity of your daily bowel movements. The firmness of your stools also plays a significant role in determining whether you can irrigate your colostomy. You can discuss the colostomy irrigation procedure with your doctor or ostomy care nurse.