Ileostomy Question

Hello everyone,

I just recently got a bowel resection3 weeks ago and I have a temporary ileostomy. Today I was changing the bag and I noticed that stool was coming out from the edge of the skin where the stoma is suppose to connect with the skin as well as the normal area where the stool is suppose to be coming out from.

I don't know if this is normal or not so if anybody here could help me that would be great

Thanks

I wouldn't think that that's normal, mine only comes out at the top. I'd give your doctor a call and get it checked out.

well I just called up the ostomy nurse at the hospital and she says its probably because the cut in my bag is too small so when my stoma contracts it's squeezing liquid out of the sides as well. It did happen when I didn't even have the bag on but my stoma is probably all squished because my cut is too small.

Glad you got hold of the stoma nurse...they sometimes know best!! Keep an eye on it

When I cut the hole in my bag should I cut it so that when I put it on I can see a little bit of my skin around the stoma to give the stoma room to contract and what-not?

Before I did it really tight and I think that's why the stool was coming out weird. The skin around my stoma is getting really red and blotchy too, it's very very itchy. looks like a fungal/yeast infection so I'm going to start crusting.

I use the eakin seal and coloplast bags. I'll probably choose a different bag on monday when I see the ostomy nurse.

Don't leave skin showing around the opening, that's asking for stool to get on there and irritate it. It's supposed to be snug, but not tight. The ring should help with any gaps you have around the opening.

What I did was go to the ET nurse and have her cut out my flange, and then I used that as a template to cut the others. I still check to make sure that it fits, but now that the stoma has stopped growing/changing, the template is fairly reliable.

I do have a tendency to cut mine a teensy-weensy bit bigger (mine is 1/8 bigger rather than 1/16) than it should be, which, as Nyx says is not a good idea. What I do to compensate is to use the Barrier Ring very snugly-firm around my stoma as a way of ensuring that no stool leaks through on to my skin. So far, this has worked. I also use Coloplast, although I started with Hollister.

For what it's worth, my advice would be to get the nurse to cut you out a template when you see her next week and then use the 'space' that she leaves as a guide for the future. It takes a couple of months before your stoma more or less slows down its growth.

okay thanks for the advice guys. So when I cut the flange I just make it a little bigger then the stoma and then make my eakin seal nice and snug around the stoma so that no skin is showing pretty much?

I appreciate the help

Yep! Just ever so slightly bigger than the stoma.

If you look in your supplies you may have some sort of template to help you. I have like a template with various hole sizes which you can pop over your stoma and get a good idea of what size you need, I cut mine to 30 mm but because the seals i use are 32 mm some waste can sometimes get trapped underneath so around my stoma there may be about 2 millimetres that may get red but it doesnt hurt or get itchy. and i always make sure it gets a good clean every 3 days

If it does start getting really itchy and irritable thats usually a sign that something isnt right and it needs changing.

I went on the Coloplast website and they have a video showing you how to cut the bag and how to put it on. I used the templates supplied and my stoma measures about 23mm one way and 30 mm the other. I made a cardboard template for myself and use this to cut the bags. I like the bag really snug around the stoma. It stops any leaks or sore skin and I feel confident now that I won't have any problems. Make sure you hold the bag in place for a good few minutes so that the heat of your hands makes the bag stick better.

Good Luck,

Kaz xxx

Thanks for all the help guys. I saw the stoma nurse yesterday and she gave me a new type of bag. It's an opaque two piece hollister bag. I'm already liking it waaaay more then my one piece colostomy bag. Yesterday my skin was extremely red and raw around the stoma as well but with this new convex bag the redness is already practically gone and it has only been 24 hours. I did have to change it this morning though because my gallbladder drainage tube started really leaking around my skin and it got all over the flange and my dressings were all yellow, I really hate this tube, I wish it could come out but I have to have it for almost another month. They did take my hemovac out though

Thanks again for the help and support

Anthonyx07 said:

well I just called up the ostomy nurse at the hospital and she says its probably because the cut in my bag is too small so when my stoma contracts it's squeezing liquid out of the sides as well. It did happen when I didn't even have the bag on but my stoma is probably all squished because my cut is too small.

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Maria....what?

Sorry my computer was acting up and the only thing that would post was those
faces..

maria said:

Sorry my computer was acting up and the only thing that would post was those
faces..

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Oh how funny!!