Ostomy Management and Hints | beavercountyostomy

Ostomy Hints ~ Hints ~ And More Hints

Rounding off the square edges of a firm wafer, or skin barrier, will decrease the chance of the belt catching on the corners.
Male ostomates who suffer painful encounters between the pouch tail clip and "key organs" should try angling the pouch toward a pants leg instead of pointing it straight down or toward the center. Wear briefs and pass the pouch through a leg opening in the brief, between the brief and the leg, to hold it in place.
'To slow down stoma activity, before changing appliances, eat a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter orfour or five marshmallows 15 minutes before changing.
Spearmint is one of the gentler mints. A bit of spearmint vinegar in a glass of water calms the stomachand digestive system. It also relieves gas and adds a tangy zest to iced tea.
Excessively oily skin can effect the adhesion of your wafer. Wiping the skin around the stoma with alcoholis helpful, but be careful the alcohol does not contain glycerin, as this kind of alcohol will hinder adhesion.
Fats of all kinds should be kept at a minimum by most ostomates. Fats induce an increased flow of bileinto the intestines and make the body wastes more liquid and harder to control. They also tend to produce gas.
Use a hand mirror for a better view of the stoma. It's about the only way you can see under it.
Write down the name of the ostomy supplier and the number and size of all your equipment. This information should be kept in a familiar and easily accessible place for-quick and easy-1eference. When planning a trip, be sure to include this information in your ostomy emergency kit.
Some people find that a large teaspoon of bulk gelatin dissolved in water or lemon juice once a day will firm up loose stool. It should be taken once a day when experiencing the loose stool.

• Butternut will soothe an irritated digestive tract and will not cause diarrhea or constipation.

The application of the oil contents of a couple of Vitamin E capsules on sore or irritated skin around thestoma promotes fast healing.
If you are taking chemotherapy and your mouth is sore, gargle with one teaspoon of baking soda in a half-glass of water.
Leave a little bit of air in your pouch after emptying it and before clipping it shut. The air provides spacefor the effluent to flow down into the pouch, rater than sideways or underneath the adhesive wafer.
Apply your pouch standing, sitting or lying down, but do not allow abdominal wrinkling or this will break the seal when you straighten up.
Wear protection between the pouch and your skin to prevent a rash from perspiration (usually in hot weather).
You do not have to be a baby to discover the merits of Johnson and Johnson diaper liners. You may try them as a barrier between an ostomy pouch and the skin. They come 60 to a box and cost under a dollar.
Don't put limitations on yourself just because you have a stoma. Enjoy yourself!
Carry an extra tail closure or rubber band with you in case yours falls into the toilet when you empty your pouch. It could be the difference in having a good day and a really, really bad one!
Eating bran muffins is a simple and delicious way for colostomates to solve constipation problems.
Don't be afraid to take a shower without your appliance. Soap cannot hurt your stoma. Just be sure to rinse well.
Ziplock sandwich bags are useful for disposing used pouches, as well as sealing in any odor.
Do you like tea? Three cups of tea contain the same amount of potassium as one quart of ileal effluent
Coke and orange juice are also good potassium replacements. Drinking Gatorade is a good way to replace lost electrolytes, but tomato juice is much lower in cost and provides as much sodium and five times more potassium than Gatorade.
If the stoma adhesive paste (karaya paste) becomes hard and will not push through the end of the tube,take a mug or a glass and fill it half-way with water. Then place the glass container in your microwave forabout 45 seconds to heat the water. Don't boil the water. Remove from the microwave and place thetube, cap down, in the water and keep it there for a few minutes. Remove the tube and dry it off. Your paste is ready to be pushed out of the tube.
Don't call attention to yourself by using deodorants too generously.
And remember - When in doubt, consult with your ET Nurse or your doctor
The less an ostomate eats, the more gas he or she has, so don't skip meals - especially before going out.
After bathing with your appliance off, hold a cold compress (a damp or wet cold washcloth will do) over the peristomal area for a few seconds to close the pores before applying a new appliance.
If your stoma bleeds during cleaning or your appliance change, don't panic. A healthy blood supply iswhat gives your "rosebud" that bright red color. Tiny capillaries are easily damaged, but just as easily repair themselves. If the bleeding continues long after the appliance has been changed, it's best to checkwith your doctor.
Always take your ostomy supplies to the hospital with you. Designate someone else to do this for you ifyou're not able. Let him or her know where your supplies are. It's best to have an "emergency kit" pre-pared and on hand in the event you have a medical emergency. When the ambulance arrives is no time to do this.
Place some cotton in the bottle of some peppermint oil, which is available in most pharmacies. Whenchanging your pouch, just remove the bottle top and pull a small piece of the cotton out and put it in yourpouch. It works like an air spray and has a pleasant odor that does not pollute the air.
A couple of drops of mineral oil or a spray of Pam on the inside of the pouch, spread around by rubbing the sides of the pouch together, causes the fecal matter to drop to the bottom of the pouch and not stayaround the stoma.
Trouble with itching under the tape or stoma adhesive? Mix 50% white vinegar and 50% water, apply agauze sponge, soaked with this mixture, to the skin for five to ten minutes when changing your appliance.Be sure the skin is washed and rinsed well to remove the vinegar before applying the 'new appliance.
A good rule to follow - 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. You can put a Certs in your pouch if nothing else is available. Pepto Bismol is an effective deodorant. Take one Pepto tablet immediately after meals. Its effectiveness is lessened the longer you wait after a meal. You may also eat parsley to eliminate odors.
And remember - When in doubt, consult with your ET Nurse or your doctor

Poor Ostomy Management Ideas

The following are poor procedures we found some people implement to manage their ostomy system. They are notrecommended because they will yield less than optimal results. Sometimes we all do things that seem logical at the time,but inadvertently lessen our quality of life. A few of these are:

1. Using alcohol regularly to clean the peristomal skin. This may result in itching, skin irritation and damage to sensi-tive tissue.

2. Using the same pouch too long. Seven days is the maximum recommended. Pouches become saturated with odor which

cannot be removed.

3. Ignoring skin problems. Always treat any skin irritations when you change your ostomy system. Barriers covering damaged areas are

made to actually help heal them if used properly.

4. Wrapping the drainable pouch tail around and around the clamp before closing it. This will not make the clampwork better. All it will

do is spring the clamp out of shape. Replace your old clamp with a new one every month.

5. Letting the pouch get full before emptying. Excess weight will separate a two-piece system and will also put toomuch weight on the

skin barrier, resulting possibly in multiple problems. Empty the pouch at least when it is about one-third full.

6. Living with unsatisfactory ostomy management. If you are unhappy with how your ostomy system works, make an appointment with

an ET nurse.

7. Not coming to support group meetings. Once you figured out this thing, sharing with others turns out to be a surpris-ingly good way

to keep yourself proactive and happy.

CLEANING AND FIXING