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Stoma size

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Posted 11/24/2006 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
Dear friends:

Sometimes my stoma is flat as as doornail and looks like a little button. Other times it is rather big. Or something in between.

The DVD that I received with my colostomy kit showed only the flat stoma in all of their illustrations. Never saw the stoma in its more normal size.

What causes the stoma to grow in size and what causes it to shrink to almost nothing?

Thank you.

Benjamin
Posted 11/25/2006 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
That's called peristaltic motion or peristalsis - it's what helps the digestive tract push the food through your gut. :)
Posted 11/25/2006 5:33 AM (GMT 0)
Dear Shaz:

Thank you for the info. So, the bottom line is that this is normal. I do understand that. I was a little upset because the Ostomy DVD that came with my kit never showed the stoma in any but a "button" form. That is very misleading and doesn't help the patient.

Thanks again.

Benjamin

Posted 12/13/2006 6:09 AM (GMT 0)
The above replies are very true. One thing to keep in mind is if the stoma slowly retracts over time(meaning years). This could be a sign that (in the case of Crohn's)the disease has returned . Unfortunately I know this by experience. I had a colostomy in '89 changed to an ileostomy in '04. The good news is that I find the ileostomy easier to manage,ie: no gas and it's more predictable.
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