Preventing Leaking

People usually know little about a stoma when they are told they have to get one. It is a surgical opening in abdomen connecting to the intestines. There are lots of reasons people could have a stoma. They can even be temporary or they could be permanent for the rest of the patient’s life. A permanent stoma is used when parts of the colon or rectum have been removed and then replaced with a stoma. A temporary stoma can be put in place before parts of the intestine are removed. This avoids the passage of stool through the internal organs and intestines. Usually letting the intestines heal after a surgery.

 Stomas control bowel movements and detour them to a bag on your stomach. Ostomy supplies are a great resource to finding your ostomy needs. They provide ostomy bags, adgesives, and cleaning supplies for you ostomy. It is very important to keep your abdomen and skin around the opening clean. Infection can spread quickly into the scar tissue and then into the organs. The stool in the bag should be disposed of regularly to ensure a clean area. The bag should also be replaced depending on the brand and how a patient’s skin reacts to the adhesive.

Even with great ostomy supplies, there are times when bags can leak. This can cause odor, discomfort, and embarrassment to the patient. There are many reasons why a bag would leak and usually it is user error. Patients must acknowledge and then try to avoid reasons for why a bag could be leaking.

The first reason people have issues with their bag is because they did not drain it properly or even at all. Patients should try to drain their bag as much as possible to avoid it becoming full. They should check to make sure the bag is not expanding, and if it is then they should take care of the excess stool in the bag. Patients should check this every couple hours to be sure.

The next issue many users face is not wearing the proper clothes for their ostomy. The articles of clothing need to avoid coming in contact with the ostomy. This could mean wearing loose clothing or low pants. The friction of clothes rubbing against the bag could cause it to leak or break.

Finally, the adhesive is not compliant with your skin. There are lots of different skin textures and types and not all adhesive will work for everyone.