Thursday, 21 September 2017

How To Change an Ostomy Pouch at Home?

Ostomy Pouching System

An ostomate develops a new organ in the abdominal wall (lower right or left side of the navel), called a stoma. Its primary and sole objective is to discharge the waste material of the body (solid stool, semi-solid feces, loose motion, or urine). Well, an ostomy occurs in the result of a serious disease in the digestive system, that includes: large intestine, small intestine, and bladder (colon, ileum, rectum, and bowel).

In the ostomy surgery, doctors remove the diseases section of the colon, ileum, bowel, or bladder, and changes the path of these tracks. The stoma performs the duty of the anus after the creation of the opening in the opening. Hence, the circular pit needs some care and protection. You cannot leave it all open to the germs and bacteria. Thus, a pouching system is used to cover the opening and collect the stool or urine (depending on the type of ostomy).



At Hospital

When an ostomy patient is at the hospital, a nurse will empty and change the stoma bag. However, you can learn the method that how can you replace it and drain it at home. Moreover, you will attain a lot of knowledge at the hospital about the stoma care, use of its appliances, the right tools for your stoma, drainage, and changing of the entire system.

As an ostomy patient, you should know all about the pouching system and your stoma. First, you should possess all information about your type of ostomy. It will help you in choosing the appropriate tools for your opening. Moreover, a patient of the ostomy, either colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy, must know the size of the stoma. After this, you can pick and buy the right sized appliances. If you wear a wrong stoma pouching system, it will damage your skin, opening, and peristomal. Moreover, it will cause leakage, blockage in internal organs and stoma, and spoil the pH of peristoma skin.



Change of Stoma Pouch

A patient of the ostomy must possess the knowledge about the right time for the changing of its appliance and emptying it. Well, the patient can learn this while they stay at the hospital, but once an ostomate is at home, everything will be performed on his or her own.

An ostomate must know the need for emptying and changing the pouch. He or she should know that the bag is half full now with the waste container. You cannot drain or change it own your wish or convenience. It requires the filling of the ostomy bag.

For urostomy patients, it is a hectic duty to drain and change the ostomy bag. As urine does not have any specific time for the discharge, the more you will take fluid and juice, the more you will pee. Thus, it requires a high frequency of drainage and the changing of the pouch.



The case for ileostomy and colostomy is different. Colostomy shows the bowel movement once a day. Thus, you know when to empty the pouch. Moreover, you only need to change the pouching system after three days. In the ileostomy, the patients discharge a semi-liquid feces. Thus, you will empty the pouch after the feeling of bowel movement.

An ostomate must have all the accessories to change the stoma bag that includes: wipes, adhesive remover, a new pouch, medicated soap, disposal sack, spray, and warm water (not boiling, it should be luke-warm). Use medicated wipes or adhesive to remove the pouch. Paste these products slightly around the opening. Remove the used sack gently, throw it in the toilet or dustbin. Before removing, wash your hands and use a sanitizer. You can use a cloth to clean the peristomal instead of a wipe. Wait for the drying of the skin and stoma. After that, pick up a new bag, paste the adhesive and barrier around the pit, place the bag on it. Remove the lines through fingers from the pouch.


Saturday, 24 June 2017

Home Health Care for Colostomy Patients

Once an ostomy patient gets discharged from the hospital, he/she needs home care. Being a home health caregivers, we provide routine maintenance of the stoma and its appliances. A person seeks appropriate tools and guidelines for the care of the stoma. Once you are home, you are the one who will have to take care of your opening and entire health. However, today we will guide you about the home health care of stoma and ostomy pouching system after having a colostomy.

First, you need to understand what is colostomy and why you need this organ in your body.

What is a Colostomy?



A colostomy is an ostomy operation in which surgeons remove the defected or injured part of the colon or rectum, or the entire large intestine. Due to the colostomy, a patient cannot discharge the feces through the anus, as doctors change the organic pathway of excretion. Thus, they create an inorganic passage in the abdomen of a person for discharging solid stool, called a stoma. It is a circular small opening, like a pit. It collects the solid waste of the body from the large intestine and passes it to the ostomy pouch. An ostomy pouching system is a dress or a cover of the stoma.  A patient wears the stoma bag over the opening in the belly wall. It protects the stoma and carries the solid stool. This hole does the job of the anus in the human body. The creation of the stoma does not bring any danger or discomfort to the life of an ostomate. Instead, it makes the life of a patient and easy and allows him/her to live a previous life.

Why a Patient Needs a Colostomy?



To treat a disease or infection in the colon, rectum, or large intestine, a patient needs colostomy surgery. However, there is no specific disease that requires ostomy or change of colon tack. There are several infections and dysfunctions of the colon, like colon cancer, rectum cancer, Crohn’s disease, bowel obstruction, a birth defect, inflammatory bowel disease, an injury in the colon, a spinal injury, diverticulitis, intestinal destruction, blockage in the colon, injury in the bowel, or any other serious infection in bowel, rectum, or colon.

Role of the Home Health Caregiver

Home health caregivers provide the service at the doorstep of colostomy patients. It involves emptying and changing of the ostomy pouching system and maintaining a healthy opening.

Home Care for Stoma

Colostomy patients should take care of their stoma at home; moreover, he should use a caregiver service. Well, at home, the first thing a patient needs to do is to have a healthy diet.



Do not eat something that can cause constipation, diarrhea, or gas. Many colostomy persons assume that they cannot eat anything delicious from now on. No this is not true, you just need to be a little conscious about your food. Moreover, eat small meals, do not overload your stomach. Try to avoid onion, eggplant, dry fruits, garlic, cauliflower, and eatables that can create chaos in your stomach.

Moreover, an essential part of the colostomy patient's life is taking care of the stoma and its surroundings. Use the pouching system that is suitable for your opening and according to the accurate size of the pit. Change your pouch after every two or three days. Empty the bag once a day in case of a discharge of solid waste. However, if you are facing lose motion, then the drainage frequency needs according to the movement of the bowel. Moreover, peristomal skin should be dry and clean all the time. Use medicated wipes and toilet papers for the cleaning of skin around the stoma.

Friday, 13 January 2017

Ileostomy Recovery: What To Expect

An ileostomy helps you regain your health and strength, and it is your right such expectations. Your body might not be in an ideal condition after surgery, and it will remain like this until you recover from surgery. Fortunately, the recovery phase lasts no more than just a few weeks. After that, you will be able to live your life pretty much the way you like. You will have to adapt to an ostomy care regimen, but it will not be bothersome once you get used to it.

The good news is that you will no longer have to deal with the life-threatening condition that led you to the surgery room, which means that your quality of life maybe even more improved as compared to before surgery.

An ileostomy refers to a bowel diversion to allow bodily wastes to pass out of an opening (stoma) in the abdomen, bypassing the entire colon. The surgeon will create this diversion as a part of the treatment of a severe bowel illness. He will pull the end of the small intestine out through an incision in the belly. The colon will be either removed or rested.

After surgery, you are going to have to manage your stool evacuations using ostomy bags. Because there are no sphincters in the abdominal opening (stoma), you will have no control over when to pass out the stool. It will necessitate you to wear an ostomy bag the entire time. Alternatively, you can have a continent pouch, which is generally a j-pouch in case of an ileostomy. It allows you to pass out stools through the anus.

Recovering from ileostomy surgery

The pace of recovery varies from person to person, but healthcare specialists recommend a hospital stay of 3-7 days. During this stay, you will have a diet consisting mostly of liquids. You can introduce solid foods in your diet as you recover.

During the entire recovery period, which may last 6-8 weeks, you will need to avoid foods that are high in fiber. Eating high-fiber foods in this duration can lead to obstruction, which can be quite painful. Moreover, you will need to drink a lot of water, because the surgical process to create an ileostomy involves the removal or bypassing of the colon, which is much like a re-hydrator for the body. With this water tank gone, you will need to have more fluids to keep your body well-hydrated.

Your stoma care nurse is your first point of contact when it comes to understanding anything about ileostomy care. During the hospital stay, your nurse will teach you the basics of ostomy care, which would involve applying, emptying, and changing an ostomy pouch. They will also tell you how to take care of your peristomal skin, which holds vital importance in an ideal ostomy care routine. If you have an internal or continent pouch, your nurse will teach you how to manage your bowel movements. Learning how to manage your continent pouch is crucial because you are going to have frequent bowel movements during the first few days after surgery.

After your bowel recovers fully, you can live a life without any restrictions and limitations. There will be a few things to consider related to your digestion, and you will have to manage an ostomy bag the entire time, but these factors will not stop you from living a healthy and active life.

Wednesday, 5 October 2016

Urinary diversion things to know

The surgical procedure to create a new way for urine to leave the body is known as urinary diversion surgery. Your doctor may choose to create this diversion in your body when your natural urinary pathway fails to perform its function due to blockage.

The natural urinary pathway consists of two kidneys, ureter, bladder, and urethra. Any problem in the passage of urine causes it to build up in the bladder, kidneys, or other areas of the urinary tract. This buildup can result in several problems, including urinary stones, UTIs, pain, and damage to the urinary tract. Leaving this problem untreated can lead to a life-threatening situation.

This diversion in the urinary tract can be temporary or permanent. Temporary urinary diversion allows the diseased part of the tract to recover before the surgeon chooses to reverse this diversion. In case of a permanent urinary diversion, the patient will have to live with the surgically created urinary pathway for the lifetime.

Reasons you may need a urinary diversion

The most common reason for a person requiring a urinary diversion is bladder cancer, whose treatment is generally the removal of the bladder. The surgical removal of the bladder is known as a cystectomy.

Other reasons you may need a urinary diversion include the following.

  • Nerve damage to the bladder, such as spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, or spinal cord injury.
  • Bladder inflammation, which might be chronic or long-lasting: It generally results from interstitial cystitis, UTIs, or urinary retention.
  • Radiation therapy, which might end up damaging the bladder:
  • Incontinence of the urinary system that cannot be controlled through medications
  • Injury
  • Urinary stones

Different types of urinary stones

Different types of urinary diversion are the following.

  • Cystostomy
  • Ureteral stent
  • Urostomy
  • Bladder catheterization
  • Continent urinary diversion
  • Nephrostomy

What to expect after urinary diversion surgery

After surgery, a nurse will visit your room to start teaching you about how to take care of your urinary diversion. The most common type of urinary diversion is urostomy, which involves the use of an ileal conduit to pass urine out of the body through an opening in the belly. You will need to wear an ostomy bag over to stoma to manage urine evacuations. Having to carry an ostomy bag 24 hours a day seems daunting at first, but it gets easier with time.

The nurse will teach you how to attach the urostomy bag while making sure that the bag’s skin barrier makes a tighter seal with the peristomal skin. You do not want your peristomal skin to come in contact with urine, or it can cause damage that will not only compromise the seal of ostomy pouches in the future, but the skin problems will get quite painful.

You may want to use skincare products to take care of the skin around the stoma, but be sure to talk about those products with your doctor before purchasing them. If your peristomal skin is healthy, you will not need anything other than warm water to maintain its good condition. You may not, in fact, want to use soap for cleaning the peristomal skin area because it generally contains oils and perfumes, both of which can leave a residue on the skin.

Saturday, 2 July 2016

Symptoms of Problematic Stoma

Stoma

A stoma is a round hole and an artificial opening in the belly wall of a person. The people who have digestive system problems, they cannot discharge stool through the natural track, anus; thus, they need something to eject the waste material of the body, either feces or urine. Therefore, after removing the infected or dysfunctional parts of the small intestine, large intestine, or bladder, the surgeon creates stoma for excretion. The stoma has a complete [ouching system to cover it and collect the stool or urine. It is a healthy incision and hole, surgically created, but if a patient does not care about the new organ in the abdomen, then it will be problematic for a person's health, skin, and internal organs.



Many stoma/ostomy people do not know about the right ways of taking care of the stoma and their overall health. However, this is necessary to look after the condition of the artificial organ in the abdomen. For this cause, an ostomate needs to buy and wear an appropriate and good quality ostomy appliance. A person must know the size, style, and type of their opening. According to the looks and appearance of the stoma, an ostomy patient wear the ostomy pouching system. If a person's stoma is more then two inches, and he wears the bag with one and a half inches pouch, then it can cause bleeding and blockage. Many elements can create infections, diseases, and other problems for stoma and peristomal skin.

Types of Stoma

These are the three common types of stoma, created as the result of ostomy:

1.         Ileostomy.

2.         Colostomy.

3.         Urostomy.

Ileostomy

The purpose of the ileostomy is to collect the waste from the small intestine and pass it out through the stoma. In this operation, a stoma appears on the lower right side of the abdomen. In this type of ostomy, doctors remove the infected part of the ileum or the entire colon; thus, the feces cannot pass to the large intestine. The small intestine throws the waste put from the stoma. It comes out in the liquid form.



Colostomy

Colostomy's stoma appears on the lower or middle left side of the abdomen. When a person suffers from bowel disease or large intestine dysfunction, then he/she needs colostomy. This operation removes the infected or injured part of the bowel or colon. Thus, the stoma passes out the solid feces.

Urostomy

The urostomy happens when a patient has bladder or urine disease. Due to the infection, injury, or blockage in the urinary tracks, a person needs urostomy stoma. This kind of stomas appears on the middle right side of the navel button.

Signs of a Normal Stoma



Well, many patients assume that normal stoma is always round and pink. No, a stoma changes its color and looks after surgery. It can adjust its size and shape according to the fluctuation in the belly size and the over body weight. A normal stoma can be round, oval, red, pink, brown, moist, soft, one inch, and two inches. A healthy opening does not bleed. However, in the early days of the ostomy, it will give pain, it can bleed, it can change color, and cause a problem in holding the pouching system. But, if the problem continuos after the weeks of the ostomy, then a patient needs an ET nurse or doctor's suggestion. Then, it is not normal.

Symptoms of Problematic Stoma

A problematic stoma does not allow a pouching system to stay for a longer time. A paste or adhesive does not work for the infected opening. Moreover, it causes bleeding. It comes out in the black, dark brown, or maroon color. The peristomal skin starts getting damaged. Patients feel dehydration in the stoma and the skin around it. The internal organs give your pain. An ostomate feels a problem in the discharge. It will cause mucus. The constant bleeding with the white fluid in the bag. Blockage in the stoma or ileum or colon.

How To Change an Ostomy Pouch at Home?

Ostomy Pouching System An ostomate develops a new organ in the abdominal wall (lower right or left side of the navel), called a stoma. Its...