Impact Of Weather On An Ostomy

The climate and temperature of the area you live in can have a significant impact on the way you use your ostomy appliances. If you are traveling to the region where the temperature is high, you might have to adapt to the new conditions to keep the ostomy appliance’s wear time more consistent.

In this article, we will discuss some general tips on how you can manage your ostomy in extreme weather conditions.

Hot weather

Hot summer days bring with them the charming effect that incites the urge to go for outdoor activities, but the ostomates might not like the way their bodies start rejecting the ostomy appliances. A rise in temperature causes the skin to release extra moisture, which can result in the ostomy appliance’s skin barrier coming off quickly.

Here is how you can manage your stoma during hot weather.

1. Heat causes perspiration, which gets between the peristomal skin and the skin barrier. You may want to talk to your ostomy care nurse to ask about something even stronger. You can consider using an antiperspirant that keeps perspiration from building up.
2. Moisture can cause leaks under the ostomy appliance. You may want to use a stoma paste or Eakin seal to create a tighter and more leak-proof seal.
3. You may not want to use a Karaya rubber-based ostomy appliance in hot conditions. This rubber is great due to its softness and ability to conform, but it doesn’t do well when exposed to hot conditions. Instead, you can use a synthetic ostomy barrier, which is more tolerant of heat.
4. Due to heat and moisture in hot conditions, the skin can be more susceptible to breakdown. You will need to be specifically careful about the area where the ostomy appliance as to sit. You may want to use an ostomy appliance cover to mitigate this risk.
5. You are going to have to drink more fluids to avoid the risk of dehydration.
6. It is the best practice to keep extra ostomy supplies wherever you go. If you engage in sports activities, you will need to keep mini ostomy pouches that adhere well to the skin and are ideal for short-time use.

Cold weather

Cold weather should not be a cause of concern when it comes to the management of your ostomy. Your ostomy appliance will stick well to the peristomal skin because there is no chance of perspiration. You may, however, want to avoid exposure to dry air because it can prove to be problematic for the skin.

Skin dryness actually produces an ideal situation for the skin barrier to make a seal, but excessive dryness on the peristomal skin can be problematic.

If the environment in the indoors is excessively dry, you may want to invest in a low-cost humidifier to maintain an adequate level of moisture in the air. Make sure to avoid having too much moisture because it can cause a lack of adhesion between the skin barrier and the peristomal skin.

For further details, you may want to contact your doctor or ostomy care nurse.

 

Is It Difficult for you to Empty your Ostomy Pouch? Learn and Make it Easy

After the ostomy surgery, the perception of discharging the waste matter gets changed. It needs a lot of encouragement and mental strength to adopt a new style of life with some new appliances. Many ostomates are afraid of changing and emptying their ostomy bags. They worried about leakage, handling, and draining of the pouching system.

Moreover, ostomates need to adopt new habits and routines of cleaning and discharging. After the surgery, the frequency of excretion is not in the hands of the patient. Thus, they need to be psychologically active and strong. If you do not know the right ways of emptying and handling your stoma pouch, it can cause pain, leakage, infections on the peristomal skin, disturbance, annoyance, and mental pressure.

Well, no worries, I am here to teach you some simple tactics to drain your stoma pouch. Read the article and learn the simple process in easy points.

How to Empty the Ostomy Pouch?

Right after the surgery, you should seek professional aid to change, clean, and empty the ostomy pouch. However, you can learn from your nurse and adopt her/his ways of draining and changing the pouching system.

Well, after a few weeks, you need to do it on your own. Thus, you should know about the adhesive, glue, flanges, barrier, fitting techniques, and changing methods.

·         To do it on your own, you should sit in a comfortable position. If you feel relax, you can stand for emptying or changing your pouch.

·         Use a gentle towel or toilet paper and place it around the skin to prevent the splashes.

·         If you are a patient of constipation and you have thick discharge, then add a few drops of water and move your container. It will soften the waster matter within some seconds. It will ease the emptying process.

·         If you want to change the ostomy bag, use wet paper, and remove the adhesive. Moreover, you can use the glue remover to clean the paste.

·         Through gentle hands, you can pull out the stoma pouch. Drain out all the waste matter and wash it through the water. You can use soap after the recommendation of your doctor.

·         However, do not use soap on your stoma or peristomal skin. Wait, until the ostomy pouch gets dry. After a few minutes, apply some adhesive on the corners of the bag and paste it again on the stoma walls.

·         Use hand sanitizers to clean your hand. Moreover, you should use deodorant for your stoma skin and hands.

·         Always use paper sheets or gentle towels for cleaning purposes. Do not press the stoma or stoma bag.

If it seems problematic for you to empty the ostomy pouch. You can use disposal ostomy bags. You can discard them after the one use. When you feel your sack is third full, remove it and throw in the dustbin or toilet. Apply, the new ostomy pouching system.

How Often you Should Empty your Ostomy Pouch?

There is no fixed timing or rule for emptying your ostomy pouch. It depends on the type of ostomy surgery and condition of the patient. However, many doctors suggest that the preferable time of draining your bag is four to five times per day. However, for urostomy patients, the case is different. They need to empty the ostomy bag six to seven times daily. Moreover, for constipation people, they should drain the pouch two times a day.

Moreover, when it comes to changing the ostomy pouch, the general wear time of the system is three to four days. But, it varies from patient to patient and type of stoma.

One of the necessary points for emptying your pouch is, you should drain it when you fell leakage or it is ½ or 1/3 full.

Stoma Paste

I’m sure you already know that ostomy supplies can include many different types of products. Most people think about the ostomy bag or skin barrier when they think about ostomy supplies. While those are vital, there are many other products worth trying. While some are not absolutely necessary, it makes the process and the experience much more enjoyable for many people. Some people may experience leakage with their ostomy. If this is something you think you may be suffering from, you should definitely look into stoma paste.

Ostomy leakage is very common in the early stages of a healing ostomy. It is very common for the ostomy to leak for the first few months. But any time after that, frequent leakage might mean you should be in the market for new supplies. No one wants a leaking stoma for many reasons. One is that the mess is not fun to clean up, by any means. Another reason is self-consciousness. And the whole reason many people have the procedures is to not worry about frequent trips to the bathroom. So running to the bathroom to clean up leakage constantly defeats the whole purpose. Leaking could be a reason to see a doctor, but there are many cases of leakage that can simply be fixed by using the right stoma paste for their individual case.

Stoma paste is a type of adhesive that many patients choose. Unfortunately, some patients experience uneven skin contours around their stoma which makes it difficult for barriers to cling to the skin. The paste makes an even surface so the barrier can easily be placed around the stoma. Barriers become easily dislodged because of insecure placement due to uneven skin. Then when the barrier shifts, leaks will inevitably happen. A paste can last for several days to make sure the adhesive stays intact around the skin.

Another reason to use a stoma paste is if you have a lot of scarring around your stoma. The scarring, just like skin contours, prevent barriers from adhering to the skin properly. It will adhere for a little while, but patients notice having to change their barrier much more often because of leakage. With the paste, patients report being able to wear their barrier for several more days than when they do not use the paste.

Stoma pastes are great because they are alcohol-free and can be used on almost all types of skin. Many people report they cannot use products with alcohol because of skin irritation around the stoma. If you feel like you are someone who can benefit from stoma paste, contact your health provider.