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Selasa, 05 Agustus 2014

Living A Different Life With Ostomy Appliance

By Sharron Cantu


A medical operation that will connect an organ in the body to the outside to allow access of waste products such as feces and urine out of the body is called ostomy. A stoma created by through this surgery. In this opening called stoma an ostomy appliance will be placed.

This appliance is a bag or pouch that collects the waste products. This bag is light, thin and odorproof. This will serve as a protection and a cover to the stoma to prevent further complications.

To prevent complications and infections you need to take care of the stoma, as well as the appliance attached to it. Taking care of this thing needs special attention and extra effort especially if you are just new to it. It will really take time to be comfortable with this attached to you.

When you clean this, arrange all things you will be needing to save time and effort. Clear the pouch and wash it away in the toilet. Cleanse the stoma first and then the skin that surrounds it. You may use clean cotton swabs soaked in warm water. If you like to have soap, use mild, hypoallergenic soaps to less the chances of irritating your skin. Rinse it with water and pat it dry. Remember to keep everything dry before applying a new bag or pouch. A skin cream is suggested to provide comfort for your skin.

Usually it is advised to change it every three to seven days or as you need it. Do not forget to have it measured by the measuring guide in the kit every time you apply new one. Examine for its discoloration, size and shape. Inspect if there are edema or swelling present in the stoma. Edema can greatly affect the appearance of your stoma and it may indicate infection. If you found any, report it immediately and have it checked by the doctor.

Adhesive wafer attachment can sometimes be irritating. You can apply some skin gel to avoid the skin irritation before you apply the adhesive wafer. Without irritating it, place the wafer properly and well fitted. It should be located in the center. Clip the bottom and seal it in place.

Managing your pouch disposal is easy as counting one, two, three. Empty the pouch or bag in the by flushing it in the toilet. Throw away the pouch, wafer, waste but do not include the clip. You can always use the clip. Seal the pouch in a garbage bag and dispose it just as a normal household waste. Although, there are also kinds of pouches or bags that are drainable that can be emptied and lessens your burden of disposing many bags.

For some tips, do not eat late at night before replacing your ostomy bag to have lesser output. When changing ostomy pouches or bags have an old towel or paper towel to catch some waste from the stoma. Always follow and listen to the instructions of your health care provider.

After your surgery, you might say you will not going to enjoy it. Yes, it will be different living with this, but it should not hinder you from doing the usual things you do. You are not alone. There are many people like you who got their life back even with an extra baggage.




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