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Ostomy Tips from Ostomates (Reviewed by WOCNs)

Tulsa Ostomy Assn Newsletter

UOAA Update, October 2014

1. Tea is an anti-spasmodic and soothing to an upset stomach. It also provides fluids containing electrolytes and potassium frequently lost from diarrhea.
2. Avoid drinking while eating to allow the effluent to become thicker. Ingest liquids before and after a meal.
3. Eating bran muffins is a tasty way for Colostomates to solve constipation problems.
4. If stool sticks to the pouch and is hard to rinse out, use a surfactant/deodorizer or oil to let the pouch empty out easier.
5. Ziploc® sandwich bags are useful for disposing of used pouches and help control odor in the trash.
6. If it is safe to put in your mouth, it is safe to put in your pouch. Try green mint mouthwash as a pouch rinse.
7. Diaper liners (e.g., Johnson and Johnson) are great as a barrier between the pouch and your skin or you may purchase a commercial pouch cover (or make one yourself).
8. Price Pfister makes a small sprayer that can be attached to the bathroom sink faucet to assist with rinsing the end of the pouch.
9. Cut the bottom 7 inches off a T-shirt and hem the unfinished edge. Attach Velcro to each end. You can wear this as a cummerbund with your pouch tucked inside for those intimate moments. Also, there are commercially made pouch covers. Back support belts work as well.
10. Place a couple of squares of toilet paper in the toilet before emptying your pouch. This will take care of the "splash back"; or let it out very, very slowly.
11. Laying a wafer on a heating pad or under your thigh for 10 - 15 minutes allows the material to soften, which helps with adhesion.
12. Check with your pharmacist to see if your pills or capsules should be changed to liquids- especially necessary for ileostomates. They tend to go through too fast and do not dissolve.

Live Well

By Lynne Rich, Ph.D., Edited by B. Brewer

UOAA Update, October 2014

If anyone walked a mile in the shoes of an ostomate, how would they feel? Maybe a little tired, but their ostomy would work just fine.

What does having an ostomy mean to you? Survey says: good health, no pain, belonging to a group of strong, caring, and compassionate people. Ostomates: savvy individuals who've learned how and where to get and share knowledge, help, humor, and hope.

Okay, there hasn't yet been a comprehensive survey. Are you living as actively as you'd like to? If not, why? An ostomy is merely tissue that's been surgically relocated and designed to function smoothly. Even if a temporary ostomy doesn't work correctly and trouble-free, it may only need a little extra attention and care. You and your ostomy deserve the time necessary to be taken care of really well. After that, let your heart and brain take charge.

Living through health problems that led to ostomy surgery, you no doubt gained strength and fortitude. Your ostomy won't break and neither will you. You might develop feistiness and greater determination. You may also discover more bad hair days are more likely than bad ostomy days, especially in a tropical, humid climate, during blistery winters, or in the windiest rainstorms.

If you're not sure whether activity is medically or physically all right for you to do, before you stop yourself from trying, ask your physician and WOCN if actual medical or physical restrictions prevent you from participating in or learning to water ski; play the guitar; swim; play canasta or poker; scuba dive; speak Spanish, French or Italian; dance (ballet, tap, waltz, samba); eat Cajun, sushi or Greek foods; hike, canoe, or kayak; take a trip by car, bus, ship, plane or train; ride a horse; run a marathon; walk 30 minutes; do yoga; golf; garden; sing or laugh.

Ostomies don't prevent working, traveling, living anywhere, swimming, scuba diving, hiking, or water skiing. Don't allow inaccurate information or a negative attitude prevent you from doing what you want. Adjust your attitude with realistic information. Just as you adapted to the ways your body changed as you were growing up, and as an adult too, you can adapt again and resume living as millions of other ostomates have done.

Learning how to take care of an ostomy is not as difficult as originally learning, earlier than you may remember, to walk, or later to learn how to drive a car, or to wear contact lenses or bifocals. Ask questions. Terrific at sharing information, ostomates are resilient, inventive, practical, and creative. At ostomy association meetings, notice how well people look. That's due to deliberate effort and an optimistic attitude. Give yourself the same quality of care you expect from your doctors. Don't ask less of yourself.

Having an ostomy might mean better health now and living longer. Decide each day what you would like to do. Socialize with other people, or spend time alone. Count on the people most important to you to remain loving and supportive. Call people you'd like to see. Let your family and others know when you want them to join you in various activities. Don't think of, or expect the worst from, anyone, including you.

An ostomy gives you health and options. Consider the Spanish proverb: Living well is the best revenge. Live well!

How to Tell Someone You Have an Ostomy

Edited by B. Brewer

UOAA Update, October 2014

In this world of technological advances, there are all kinds of people clamoring for information about you. Here are some questions you should ask yourself when giving out personal information.

"How will I benefit from certain persons having certain information?" and "How will the person asking the questions benefit from my answers?"

Thinking back to those critical days of adjustment just after your ostomy surgery, you may only have wanted people around you that you trusteed and loved. At that time, you may have needed the support of a spouse, friend, or children. In order for those people to support you, they needed to know about your ostomy surgery. By sharing this information you were helped through what for some was a very difficult time. Once you were home, friends and neighbors started to call, and then visit, when you felt up to it. The question arose as to "When do I tell them about my surgery?" Probably you thought about each person, the closeness you felt, and his or her relationship with you-and maybe the sincerity of that person's concern for you.

After considering these factors, you may have made a decision to tell the person about your ostomy. Based upon the reaction to your story, you made another decision-to either tell or not tell about your ostomy to those who inquired about your health.

As your health progresses and you return to work, the questions arise.

"Should I tell my employer about my ostomy?"

"Do I need support from my employer because of my ostomy?" and/or

"How does my employer knowing about my situation help me?"

This becomes situational. For example, if I work an assembly line and must take prescheduled breaks, and I'm still adjusting to emptying my pouch, I may or may not need a different schedule for breaks than those enforced. My employer needs to know that I'm not just breaking the rules, but have a real need.

How do you tell someone you have an ostomy? It becomes a matter of who has a right to know and how you will benefit from their knowing. To tell someone you have an ostomy becomes clearer when the benefits are weighed. Simply explain that you had some surgery for whatever reason you had your surgery, and it necessitated having an alternate route made for emptying either your bowels or bladder. By having had this surgery, you were given the chance to increase the length and quality of your life. Share with the person whom you have decided has a right to know about your surgery using pamphlets and brochures available from UOAA and other sources. Educate those persons you believe have a vested interest in your well-being.

Seeking Medical Assistance

via San Diego Newsletter

UOAA Update, October 2014

The most common problem after any ostomy surgery is the development of a hernia around the stoma site. This is manifested as a bulge in the skin around the stoma, irrigation difficulty, and partial obstruction.

Heavy lifting should be avoided immediately after surgery. Also, you should call the doctor or ostomy nurse if any of the following occur:

• Severe cramps lasting more than 2 or 3 hours.
• Unusual odor lasting more than a week.
• Unusual change in stoma size and appearance.
• Obstruction at the stoma and/or prolapse of the stoma (that is, it has fallen out of place).
• Excessive bleeding from the stoma opening or a moderate amount in the pouch.
• Severe injury or cut to the stoma.
• Continuous bleeding at the junction between the stoma and skin.
• Watery discharge lasting more than five or six hours.
• Chronic skin irritation.
• Stenosis (narrowing) of the stoma.

Your ostomy nurse (WOCN) is helpful in managing complications, should they arise.

Abdominal Noises

via GAOA & Chattanooga Ostomy Association Coalesce Newsletter

UOAA Update, October 2014

Abdominal noises happen! However, as ostomates, we are embarrassed and wonder if something is wrong. It is usually "sound and fury, signifying nothing" important. Any of the following may be the cause:

1. You are hungry. Peristalsis goes on whether there is anything to move through or not.

Empty guts growl. Eat a snack between meals. Or consider four small meals a day.

1. You are nervous, so peristalsis is increased.

Try to slow down. Try to eliminate some stress (especially at meal times).

1. Coffee and tea, cola and beer-all stimulate peristalsis. Beverages consumed on an empty stomach will produce gurgles as peristalsis redoubles its movements.

Add a little bit of food with your beverages. Try some crackers and/or bread.

1. Eating a high-fiber diet produces gas, so rumbles increase.

Mix with other foods. Reduce amount of insoluble fiber. Switch to more soluble fiber.

1. Intestines do not digest starches and sugars as easily as proteins and fats.

Reduce the amount of carbohydrates that cause you trouble. Mix with proteins and fats.

The Four Phases of Recovery from Ostomy Surgery

via Tulsa Ostomy Association Newsletter

UOAA Update, October 2014

Each patient, along with the family, usually goes through four phases of recovery following an accident or illness that results in loss of function of an important part of the body. Only the time required for each phase varies. Knowledge of the four phases of recovery is essential.

They are as follows:

The Shock Phase: The period of physiological impact. Probably, you remember nothing of this phase after your operation. Nevertheless, it is a phase that requires a lot of support.

The Defensive Retreat Phase: The period in which you defend yourself against the implication of the crisis. You avoid reality. Characteristics in this period are wishful thinking or denial, or repression on your actual condition. For example, an ostomate may believe that his/her entire colon is still there and will be connected later.

The Phase of Acknowledgment: In this period, you face reality. As you give up the existing old structure, you may enter into a period, at least temporarily, of depression, apathy, agitation, or bitterness and high anxiety. You hate your stoma. You hate yourself. You cry a lot, pity or condemn yourself. You may not eat, be unable to sleep or want to be left to die. In this phase, you need all the support that can be mustered.

The Phase of Adaptation: Now, you actively cope with the situation in a constructive manner. You adapt, during a shorter or longer period, to the adjustments that are necessary. You begin to establish new structures and develop a new sense of worth. With the aid of an ostomy nurse and ostomy visitor, you can learn about living with an ostomy. Aided by your physician, social workers, ostomy support group, and family, you go about rebuilding and altering the life that brought about the condition.

Coping With Infection...Facts and Fallacies

via Reno Ostomy Association Truckee Meadows Informer

UOAA Update, October 2014

It is true that our bodies contain many normal bacteria; we do not live in a sterile world. We humans have a natural immunity to many of these organisms; some are even helpful in keeping down growth of more harmful bacteria.

Infection occurs when the number or organisms exceed the body's ability to handle them. Some of the first signs of infection in the area of a wound are redness, swelling, pain on touch, and often fever.

It is important to report such symptoms to your doctor before it becomes serious. He or she may want to culture the drainage to determine what organisms are present. Besides local cleaning of a wound, an antibiotic is often prescribed to treat any infection that might be in your system.

The same thing does not work for everything. The good news is that with today's drugs, infections are more easily cured. Many ostomy patients worry about bacteria.

Those with colostomies and ileostomies ask if their stomas will become infected from the discharge of stool. THIS IS A MYTH!

The stoma is accustomed to the normal bacteria in the intestine.

• Keep the skin around the area clean and be careful of adjacent wounds.
• Keep the fecal drainage away from the incision.
• Don't worry about the ostomy becoming infected from the normal discharge...our bodies are accustomed to certain bacteria.

Proper Care and Storage of Ostomy Supplies

By Teresa Murphy-Stowers, via The Arizona The Mail Pouch

UOAA Update, October 2014

Ostomy supplies are not inexpensive, to say the least. So, it is important to understand how to apply them properly with the fewest errors possible and equally important to know how to take care of and store supplies until use. Proper care may avert the need to discard unused supplies and thus be as economical as possible.

Be sure to read carefully the instruction sheet included in the box or guidelines on the container for specific recommendations for a given product.

Generally, all ostomy supplies should be stored in a cool, dry location. Too much heat can melt or weaken many of the materials used in ostomy wafers, pouches, and accessory items. Avoid leaving supplies in a hot car or in direct sunlight. Review instructions periodically to refresh your memory and to see if any recommendations have changed over time.

Keep supplies such as wafers and pouches in their original box. By doing so, you save the brand name, product identification number, and the lot and date information for those items. Perhaps you will never need this information, but in the event you do, the box you have saved will provide the information you (or someone helping you) will need for reorder or to report any quality control problems.

Some ostomy supplies do have a "shelf-life." Be sure to check for dates that may be recorded on their containers. If you find you have a box with an expired date, check with the manufacturer, your local supplier, or an ostomy nurse for advice on usage.

While you do want to keep a "stock" of supplies so you are always prepared to change out your system, avoid the practice of stockpiling too much so your reserve will be as fresh as possible. Of course, this depends on factors such as availability, proximity to a local supply house, or shipping issues. Purchase supplies from a trusted vendor-one you know will provide good service as well as stock/ship current stock.

Reporting defective supplies: If you determine your supplies are defective in spite of proper use and storage, contact the manufacturer at their toll-free number to report the problem and receive product replacement or adjustment. Let your supply source know of your report to the manufacturer. They need to be aware of problems; however, the complaint needs to be directed to the manufacturer to ensure the defect can be addressed.