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Ostomy Care: 5 Tips to Deal With a Stoma

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An ostomy is a surgical procedure where a stoma or an opening on the body is created. This opening serves as an exit point for urine and stool. This setup is common in individuals having troubles with normal excretion of body waste such as those with colon cancer or Chron’s disease.

Living with a stoma can be challenging. Allow us to share a number of tips to help you deal with your new situation.

  1. Take note of care instructions from a medical professional.
    Your doctor, surgeon, or Skilled Nursing provider will surely provide you with instructions on how to take good care of your stoma. Take note of these instructions and follow them. If you are confused with the instructions, clear them up with the medical professional.
  2. Use an electric shaver when removing hair around the stoma.
    Hair present around the stoma can make the wafer less sticky. They can also get pulled out during removal of the appliance. Whether coarse or fine, carefully remove the hair using an electric shaver. This is a safe choice as an electric shaver is less likely to damage the appliance.

    If you struggle to complete this task, you can ask for assistance from a provider of home health care in Ontario, California.

  3. Change your appliance when you shower.
    Doing so helps your skin breathe. At the same time, you also get to clean the stoma, especially the skin around it. Make sure to reattach the appliance after you are done showering.
  4. Use plain water and washcloth when cleaning the stoma.
    Avoid using baby wipes. Such products contain chemicals which can prevent the wafer from properly sticking to the skin.
  5. Rinsing out the appliance is okay.
    At times, solids may cling to the inside of the ostomy pouch. You can definitely rinse it out with water. Use a syringe or dropper to squeeze water into the pouch. Give it a good swish and empty it out. See to it that the opening of the pouch does not touch any surface to avoid infection.

Cardinal Home Health Care provides a variety of services to address the needs of our clients including those dealing with any kind of ostomy. Each client receives care from a qualified home health aide in California as required in their care plan. Call us today to know more!

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