Ostomy Bag Changing Frequency

The frequency of the bag change doesn’t have a consensus, but most patients tend to change the bags about three times a day, every other day, every few days, or sometimes once a week for a few people. However, you should not exceed seven days.  There are varying factors which play into here, including the frequency of the bag change, and the durability of the pouch as well.

Your stoma will work shortly after the operation, usually within a few days.  Usually, it’ll smell strongly since your bowel hasn’t worked for a bit.  But sometimes you might see blood mixed with this.  but you should notice that the consistency will thicken after a bit, and the smell will dissipate as you eat a more balanced diet.  It’s also likely that a certain amount of wind might come from the stoma, and that’s normal. The frequency changes of bags depends on your diet too during all of this, and of course, your hygiene habits along with the routine you have. Ostomy surgery will alter the urine or the fecal elimination, which forces that person to learn the physical skills in order to manage the ostomy, fecal, or urinary expelling due to the peristomal skin that’s there and what’s produced. Clients with new ostomies must master the psychomotor skills in order to take the pouch off, clean it, and from there, dispose of this from the pouch as well. There are a few variables which go into it that are worth mentioning how they affect your ostomy experience.

Now first, you’ll want to look at when you want to empty the pouch.  Every pouch is different, and usually, the feces are watery at first when the stoma works.  Usually, the nursing staff helps until you’re ready.  You should establish a routine for changing the bag and keeping it simple, and you’ll get used to it, especially when you’ve used it a bit.  Usually, you’ll want to change it after a meal, or when it’s more active.

Don’t choose the time to change your bag but do it when you feel like you have to, such as first thing in the morning.  You should make sure that you have everything on hand before you empty to make it better for you.

Usually, for colostomies, your stool will be loose, so you might have to 3-4 times a day at first. As it thickens, empty it two times a day.  You should change the skin barrier every 5-7 days.

For ileostomies, it might be 6-8 times a day, and as it thickens up, you might do it 4-5 times a day, and the skin barrier should be every 3-4 days.  You should always check the pouch level and feel it.  You need to check it when you feel like you might need to, and sometimes, you’ll need to empty it between one to three times each day as needed.

With colostomy bags, usually there are period of inactivity over the day, and sometimes, this is usually based on your bowel habits. In contrast, the ileostomy movements are looser, and they don’t pass through the colon, which means that there isn’t much of a stool consistency. The volume might be a little bit more, so definitely keep this up.

Usually, the best way to determine is to look into it and figure out for yourself what the best way for you to do it is. 

Basic courtesy with Ostomy

Seeing people with an Ostomy for the first time brings up many memories.  There can be many different reactions especially from all types of ages.  The greatest fear is that someone points it out and usually a child being completely honest starts making fun of it.  People are known to get embarrassed quickly and if you are new to it and still emotionally scared by the fact that you have an Ostomy it can be hard to deal with.  On the flip side of this equation is that many people go so far as to be rude by being polite.  It is ironic that people instantly move into the stigma that anyone with a Ostomy is handicapped or basically a parapalegic in their mind.

It is human nature to see something different and instantly attribute it as a weakness and want to feel sympathy.  That is a the natural feeling and most people will stay in that emotional state until they are told to knock it off by a friend. The reality is that when something it different, they person is not treated the same.  It wouldn’t matter if it was an ostomy or a cast on the leg.  The response we have gets more extreme the rarer it is we see it. 

When someone is doing maintenance on with a little bit of ostomy care in the bathroom people lose their mind.  The natural reaction is to simply run away.  This is why new comers who just got an ostomy and are learning to deal with their stoma sometimes have trouble getting in the routine.  They can walk into a bathroom and need to meantness by the sink and people will give them looks that they never images they would see.  Worst they get called out for doing things that are normal ostomy care maintenance and are ostracized for it.

So the next time you run into someone who has a Ostomy, or is dealing with their Stoma in the bathroom. Be nice, be kind, and for goodness sake be normal.  Don’t call them out, say hey and go about your business, because they are simply going about thiers.  Nothing is really different about them or you except what extra made up handicap you want to put on them. 

We are all human, some just walk around with a small bag.  We are all the same and want to be treated with the same decency and respect, so don’t forget to show to everyone.

You just got an ostomy what now?

Life changing circumstances are never an easy adjustment.  It is not unreasonable for a person to get their first stoma to go through a range of emotions that similarly are regarded as a tragedy. It is in no way an overstatement and anyone who is going through the transition to getting a stoma needs love and understanding. Getting into ostomy care and psychologically coming out on top is a journey.  The change of bodily functions is more than just going through say a broken bone or a sprained ankle.  Granted those are painful and very difficult injuries,  but generally life gets back to normal after rehabilitation is over.

So understand a new ostomy patient will most likely be overwhelmed and in need of emotional support. They need to feel that it’s normal to be overwhelmed because it is! Some have just lost their bladder or bowel and in some cases have been diagnosed with cancer.  Make sure you have a nurse that is certified in this area and has empathy.  If they don’t get a new one and fast.

During this time they will be grieving. Rather the patient is showing it or not they are feeling a loss and need to be consoled.  This is best done with knowledge and accurate information.  Be honest, and dispel the false information about ostomy care.  Take the honest route and teach.  Let them know how things work and how to overcome issues and smells by propper care. So if they have made a mistake and the smell is rampant, don’t walk in the room and chide them, or constantly spray oder eliminator before you even talk to them. Take this time as a teaching and learning experience. Find out what went wrong and let them fix it so they are able to keep it from happening when they don’t want it to. 

Don’t overwhelm the new patient.  If this is their first time. The information can be incredibly overwhelming and complicated.  Take small lessons and teach with grace and understanding.  Remember not everyone learns the same way.  Some need to hear the information before understanding. Some need to visualize it with charts and graphs.  There are also kinesic learners that need to actually do it to learn.  They must be active in the process or they simply don't get it.  Don’t get frustrated, get smarter and become a better teacher.  Remember most of all be kind.

Caring for A Child After an ostomy

Caring for children is a blessing for parents, and it can also be challenging too. It’s very challenging when parents learn their child needs an ostomy, especially at an early age. There are many questions there, and you may worry or feel anxious. This is normal, and you can get past these anxieties and worries with greater understanding. By the time you’re finished reading this, you’ll better understand how to help your child who has an ostomy even more. 

What to expect 

There are a few things to know when your child goes through pediatric ostomies. First, they won’t’ be able to control their stoma output.  This can be constant during the day, regardless of the procedure. Sometimes, the stoma may not work well right away, and your doctor will want for the child to be in the hospital until they see the correct outputs. In instances where there is still delayed output, you might need to talk to your doctor.

Then there is the stoma skin. It will be swollen and red for a bit. But as this heals, it’ll grow smaller, and it can grow as the child gets older, which means that they may need different products for the changing body as well. The skin around this is what is called peristomal skin, and your child usually won’t feel anything unless there is irritation or infection. You may need a skin barrier for pediatric patients, and you can make sure to use mild soap and water to properly clean this. Unless the doctor says so, don’t use baby wipes, powders, oils, or ointments there for best results. 

Nutrition and diet 

For most children, they usually can eat some of the same things that they did before. However, the biggest thing to make sure that they do is stay hydrated. You need minimally 64 ounces of water, and children who have ostomies tend to feel dehydrated faster. If you notice their urine is dark, tat means they’re not getting enough water. You may want to refrain from cranberry juice, yogurt, parsley or buttermilk since these can cause gas. Nuts and seeds should also be avoided since they can block the stoma in children. And finally if the stools are too loose, change their diet to ensure they’re eating less tomatoes, dairy, chocolate, fried foods, and baked  beans as well. 

Helping them 

You will be helping them throughout life still, even with the ostomy. For bathing, your child can bathe with the ostomy pouch off or on. Water won’t get into there, but you do need to understand that if you do remove the stoma pouch, the stoma will still function, so it may cause output. You also may want to avoid using soaps and lotions in the bath, especially around the skin. 

There is a misconception that children can’t sleep on their stomach or side after an ostomy. But that’s not true. They still can, you just have to empty the pouch itself before they go to bed. What about traveling? It can still be done, but there are proper safety measure to take in place. For children, they’re still in car seats, and it may cause some irritation or pain in the stoma.  You can get them one that has the seat belt placed over the other parts of the body and not the stoma. It also may be helpful to start carrying a backpack and having your little one also carry the supplies that they need. Caring for a stoma for a child is challenging, but it is not the worst thing to do. 

The strength of support

I grew up in New Your city and was the youngest of three. I had a wonderful life growing up. My parents were loving and caring and tended to my every need. They taught me how to be brave and take any challenge head-on. In 2018 after graduating high school at the age of nineteen, I developed ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. I had no interest in college, so the IBD did not seem to be that big of an issue. Little did I know that later my IBD turned to Crohns disease, and that changed my life forever.

The inflammatory bowel disease developed rather quickly. After a short six months of my original diagnosis, I had to get my colon removed. The doctors created a Jpouch. A Jpouch is a surgically created pouch made from the small intestine. This was created as an alternative way to store and pass stools. I had to live with my Jpouch for close to four years before things seem to spiral out of control. Despite the signs, I continued to live my life the way I wanted. I played paintball on the weekends with my friends. I would go on trips to other counties and learn about their cultures. I thought all was fine until the day I pooped my pants. 

I went to see my doctor once that had happened. We did a CT scan to find out that the jpouch created a few years ago was failing, and I had to make a choice. I could either live with it, or I could get a colostomy. My doctor told me that if I did not get the surgery, there is a chance I could die within a few years. I chose to get the colostomy with very low morale, a big blow to my self-esteem and confidence. 

After my surgery, everything was ‘back to normal.’ However, I was in a dark place following the procedure. I did not like the ostomy bag one bit. My family was there for me, though. Through thick and thin, they kept pushing me to be the best that I could be. It was hard to walk around day to day, knowing that at any moment, my bag would get some contents. It was not an easy adjustment, but it was made easier when I found a support group of ostomy patients like me. Soon I started to realize my confidence was growing back. I started going out more and even began dating again. I have found the love of my life. We travel the world. It helps to have a remote working job as I can go anywhere and not worry about making it to the office Monday. 

It helps knowing I’m not alone in my journey. My friends and family still only see me for who I am and not what’s wrong with me. I have made many friends in my support group, and I am trying to play my part. I want to make our lives as ostomy patients better, and that is what I plan on doing from now on. Whenever I travel now, I am looking for new ways to improve our situation better and more bearable. With the support of my friends, family, and support group, I was able to get out of my dark place and live a life of helping others in my situation. 

Drainable Vs. Closed Pouch

For those who are buying the Ostomy supplies that they need, they may wonder whether or not they should get  a drainable or a closed pouch. In this, you’ll learn the differences between both, and why you may choose one or the other when it comes to living with the ostomy. 

Drainable Pouches 

A drainable pouch is one that has an open end and usually has a closure that’s there, including a clamp, that’ll press into there, or maybe a seal or Velcro that lest you empty out the pouch, and then use this again over time. Some people also may have a lock that fastens all of this together, offering more comfort in some cases and extra security compared to closed pouches, so it offers more confidence as you start to live your life once more. This is usually better for collecting liquid releases rather than actual solid waste, so it might not be good for colostomies if they’re further down, but a urostomy or an ileostomy may benefit from this one. 

It also doesn’t need to be changed as often, but it can be harder to empty out if you do have a thicker output.  However, this is easy to clean out, and even empty too, and you can do this usually when it’s about halfway full.  You can also clean the output when you’re done, so that everything’s cleaned up.Ideally, this is for those pouches that have draining outputs, and if you have a lot of discharge, this can be good for you to have. 

Closed Pouches 

These are those that are one-time use, and they are removed when they’re full. You cannot reuse after they’re emptied, and you usually change these up to three times a day.  Closed pouches are better for swimming, intimacy, or any moment where you want to make sure that you don’t have anything leaving your pouch. It also is better for bowel movements that are more formed, or if the consistency is thicker. This odes need to be disposed however even when you’re not at home, so be mindful of that when you’re getting rid of the output. This is usually best for those that have less frequent discharge, and you may want to have it for those moments when you do have to take out a lot of discharge, and you need to only change this a few times. 

Both of these systems are good for their needs, but this is ultimately a preference and personal choice that’ll help you figure out which is better for the needs that you have and also will help you get the most that you can.Some closed systems can be removed too, and you can take the appliance bag off, while still keeping the stoma attachments there. If you do use this though, you might need different wafers, so do bear this in mind when you’re using this. So what’s better? Well, there isn’t one that’s better than the other, it’s all ultimately dependent on the results that you want from this, and the impact you hope that this will create. 

A lot of people do benefit from this, and there is a lot that you can do with these, so do be mindful, look at your options, and choose for yourself the best options that you can, so that you’re getting the results not only for your own personal needs, but also for the systems that are easiest for you to use. There are so many options so the sky’s the limit on this, and you’ll be able to do a lot.

Working Out With A Stoma

Working out is most likely the best thing that you can ever do with your time. Why do I say this? Because it is a well known, well researched, and well documented fact that working out regularly or getting any sort of physical activity is good for your mental health and your physical health. Don’t believe me? Just ask anyone with at least half a brain and they will tell you that I am absolutely correct. I have always been a huge proponent of working out pretty much every day of the week (except Sundays, since that is the Lord’s day of course). I have always loved working out in the morning because it can give me a great energy boost for the rest of the day and gets my mind and boby full of endorphins and pumping some blood. There is nothing better than dishing out an absolutely monstrous chest pump and 6:00 in the morning on a Wednesday in September. With all that being said, I will admit that things slightly changed when I got an ostomy. Yes - you are reading that correctly. I know what you’re thinking: How can someone as cool as me also have to wear an ostomy pouch? Well, you may be surprised to know that there are lots of cool people out there that have to wear ostomy pouches. I for one am a super cool person and I wear an ostomy pouch pretty much all the time (unless I want my output to leak out of my stoma and get everywhere).

The thing that not a lot of people know about ostomies is that you can actually live a pretty normal life even after you have a stoma put in. It may seem impossible to have any semblance of a normal life once your internal organs are completely rerouted and your body is changed forever, but this is actually not the case. I was originally concerned about now being able to workout once I had an ostomy put in, but I was surprised to learn that it is actually recommended for people with ostomies to be getting some regular exercise.

The biggest thing that you have to keep in mind when it comes to working out with an ostomy pouch is that you have to be careful not to push yourself too hard or overdo things; this is a good way to get yourself seriously hurt or end up back in the hospital. My favorite type of thing to do when I workout is to lift weights, which can admittedly be a bit risky when it comes to people wearing an ostomy pouch. I do believe that the risk for developing a hernia is much higher for people like me. However, I tend to lift lower weight for higher reps, as I feel that this is a much safer option than trying to set a new PR on deadlift every day.

In addition to being more careful in general, there are certain things that one can do to make working out with an ostomy pouch easier and more comfortable. One thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of products out there for people with ostomies that they can use while working out. Certain items like ostomy belts or wraps can actually hold the ostomy pouch in place more effectively and keep it closer to your body.