Things You May Want To Know About Colostomy
An opening (stoma) in the abdominal wall resulting from a surgical procedure to divert the colon away from its diseased part is known as a colostomy. The surgical process to create a colostomy involves the disconnection of the healthy part of the colon from the diseased part, and then the end of the healthy part is brought out through an incision in the abdominal wall. This end is sutured with the skin. It’s the point that a colostomy uses to evacuate the bodily waste. The diseased part of the colon is either removed or sutured inside to let it rest until it heals.
Why you may need a colostomy
There are a few reasons why you may need a colostomy. Some of those reasons include the following.
- You require a part of your colon removed due to health conditions such as colon cancer, diverticulitis, and injury.
- A part of your colon underwent surgery, and now it needs some time to heal. This is when you are going to need a temporary colostomy.
Procedure
The colon in the abdomen is present in a square form, which includes the left, right, top, and bottom of the abdominal area. A stoma can be placed at any location along the length of the colon, but the most common location is the lower left side where the sigmoid colon exists. Other locations include ascending, transverse, and descending.
Caring for colostomy
The first thing that you are going to have to ensure regarding the care for your colostomy is the health of your skin around the stoma. It’s the area of skin that has to support the entire pouching system. The skin barrier adheres to this part of the skin. In simple words, any complication in this skin area can result in its inability to support the colostomy bag, which might mean frequent ostomy bag changes. This entire scenario can contribute to affect the quality of life.
There are several skin care products available to help you prevent and get rid of any peristomal skin complications that tend to make ostomy management a challenge. Stoma powder and stoma paste are the most notable products in this regard.
You also have to make sure that you are using the right kind of ostomy bag. The consistency of your stool may vary depending on which location of the colon your stoma exists. You need to consider the consistency of your stool when selecting a colostomy bag. If the consistency is not that thick, you can opt for the drainable ostomy bag, which is easy to empty through the open end at the bottom. If your colostomy is near your rectum or anus, the stool passing out of the stoma will be more firm and less frequent. You can use a closed-end bag to manage this type of colostomy.
You can get further information about colostomy management from your ostomy care nurse.