Poop on Stoma

You shouldn’t be worried. U don’t need to Change the bag until everything 4-5 days. It’s good they don’t change it more often since it hurts the skin and can cause the skin to break down if u chnagenit too much. It’s meant to stay for multiple days and last through showers and stuff. Also poop will be on top of the stoma as it releases from the site. It’s natural and okay since there is no skin or anything. The stoma is made up of intestines so there are no nerve endings or anything that will be hurt if the poop stays on it. It’s essentially the same thing as if poop was to stay in the intestines, which is normally supposed to do. If she feels comfortable, she can move it with her finger from the outside of the bag. It shouldn’t hurt to touch it (again, from outside the bag) and just scoop the poop away. Misty, though, it’s not going to hurt to have poop sitting on the stoma. Just have them make sure it’s a good deal around the stoma so the skin isn’t peaking through at all. That would cause irritation. Good for you for keeping an eye out for her. It’s got to be tough putting the trust in someone else to care for such a special person to you. Good luck.

No problem at all. You’re spot on about them having extra supplies though. They definitely should have extra handy. That’s important.

While it is not unsanitary or abnormal to have some output on the stoma, it is NOT OK if they are only emptying the bag once every few days and even LESS OK if they are only changing the flange once a month. Honestly, I don't see how ANY flange could stay stuck near that long. I am excited if I get a week out of mine. As for supplies, I'm not sure where you are located or what the situation is, but I would think you all will have to provide the supplies she needs...and hope that they actually use and change them regularly.

Emptying the bag is normal, but if it's been a few days, I would always change mine. The bags are sturdy, but they need to be replaced fairly often. People usually wear the same wafer for up to a week. Like UCWhat said, if you get a week, you are lucky to get a good, long, wear time. After that, the adhesives won't hold as strong.

I would always put on a whole new setup when I changed the wafer, and sometimes I'd change to a new bag a few times between simply because I would empty the old one and it just seemed "worn out". I personally would wipe around the stoma if I was swapping the bag and there was output there. It depends what type of 2 piece product she's using. With the adhesive ones, it's difficult to wipe around without getting output on the adhesive and ruining the wafer. With snap on, you can give it a good wipe, but if it's active, you can risk the output falling down and making a mess. It's good to be speedy and avoid those situations. If you're doing a full change with wafer, of course, a good cleaning is important. I would shower nude when it wasn't outputting, that way you can clean up, but there are products you can use to clean up when needed without a shower. With a flat stoma, she's going to have a problem with output being up at the stoma. I had that issue myself. You can push it down before you change, and that helps, but nothing's going to make it go down into the bag. Convex wafers can eliminate leaks for people with short stomas but the output still sits up in the wafer.

I think one thing you should do, is reach out to the ostomy manufacturers and get samples. Since her stoma is oval and flat, convex, cut-to-fit, or moldable are probably her best bet.

It does seem like they are being lazy with changing and cleaning, but will she be leaving soon and doing everything on her own? If so, at least she can take matter into her own hands. If not, I would definitely continue to be very watchful of what's going on.

What kind of place is she in . Once a month is disgusting. Doesn't her insurance cover her supplies ?. Most do. If not can you buy her supplies for her to have . Me I would get her out of a place with such lousy standards.

It's always weird to me when I read online and people are talking about using the same bag for like a week in a row. Is this an American thing? Here they recommend you to change every 2 days or so, maybe 3 at the most. In the beginning the nurses even said to me to change every day. Not sure why. I was thinking it might have something to do with the way healthcare works in the US, and that they want you to use the same bag for as long as possible so as not to be as costly.

Once a month however is totally unbelievable to me.

NCOT,

I don't know...my doctors always told me 2 days max between changes...and they are ok with daily changes. A week...or a month....yikes.... I just think that one would become a little aromatic with the same bag on that long. Maybe it is just that fierce competition thought process that makes people want to see how long they can make it last...or perhaps it is their finances.

Burlingtgal,

With my colostomy...if I get stool pressed against the stoma on top...my stoma refuses to work until I clean it off. I will get a cramp, then a slight hotflash and then nausea.. when stuff sits on top of it. The longer I let it go the stronger the "notices" get. It can make me miserable. I mean dizzy and puking...with horrible hot flashes. It took me 6 months to figure out what was going on. (Because I usually empty immediately and swish if I pancake)

Waiting a month to change a wafer is too long. If you are in the U.S. this place should be turned in to the aging agency in your state for neglect. The skin would be a mess if you waited that long. Emptying should occur several times a day. If they don't do that they should be turned in for that too.

I want to commend you for watching over your Mother. I hope you can get the results you want!

Clo