How to do things While Wearing an Ostomy bag

Ostomies are a kind of surgery which will leave you with an opening that’s is named a stoma. This is a way out from the abdominal cavity .Usually colostomies is a part of the colon, the ileostomy begins in your small intestine. They will help with getting solid waste to exit the body without passing through your rectum. A urostomy affects the bladder.  You will need to make a few changes when living with one of these, and here, we’ll discuss some of the different options that come with living with an ostomy.

You will need to first and foremost get some new products. You can have your nurse help you explain everything, and from there determine what’s right for you.

When it comes to clothing, you should be able to wear the same types before you had surgery. The pouches are designed to blend in and be close to the body there is also an odor barrier film that will trap the bad smell. The smell is only released when the pouch is emptied. You may want to get underwear and wraps which will hide your ostomy bag to make it easier.

You should be able to do the normal things you were beforehand. You can go to work, do sports, and also engage in sexual activity. Reasonable activity wont’ harm you. You may notice the tape loosen when you’re seating. In that case, you might want to get a pouch that’s specifically made for working out.

As for bathing, you’ll want to keep the skin that’s around there dry and clean. Don’t use products that contain alcohol because they’ll dry out the skin. Avoid products to takecare of your skin that are made of oil either, since that will make it hard to keep pouch sticked to a body. If you have hair or ostomy adjoining skin, you may want to consider shaving it to keep the pouch stuck to the body. Talk to the health care team to learn about different bathing issues that come with an ostomy.

Then there is diet. You may need to eat different foods.  You should avoid things which cause gas, including beans, legumes, onions, and spicy foods. Some that can’t be chewed well may cause cramping when going through the passageways, including nuts and corn.  You should also be aware of different things which cause constipation. If nothing else, you may want to keep yourself hydrated, especially if you have an ileostomy, since the stool is far more watery.

You will want to make sure that you empty the bag several times throughout the day, and keep it less than half full. This will prevent a leak or other issues that come from this.

Finally, during treatment, you may need to remove the pouch. The best thing to do is to talk to your team.

Living with an ostomy bag isn’t easy, but it is possible, and we went over how you can here, and some of the valuable tips to make the experience easier.