Process of Draining and Cleaning the Ostomy Pouch

For new ostomates, several queries come to their minds regarding hygiene, draining, and cleaning of the ostomy pouch, work-life, intimacy, sports, and many more. Your doctor and nurse guide you thoroughly about your every activity. You will be able to wash, drain, and change your ostomy bag on your own; however, it needs some practice. You should adopt pertinent techniques to do your ostomy tasks without any help.

When a patient goes through the ostomy surgery, he knows the importance of ostomy pouch and other accessories. Doctors create an unnatural process of excreting urine or feces in a human’s body. For this, they construct a stoma in the belly wall of the patient. The stoma is on the outer side of the lower abdomen. It could be on the lower left or right side of the tummy. It depends on the type of ostomy surgery (urostomy, ileostomy, colostomy). For stoma, a patient needs some appropriate and significant accessories like stoma pouch, adhesive, wraps, flanges, skincare, deodorants, belt, and many more.

An ostomy patient should manage their physical health to control the quality of life. To cope up with the ostomy days, one should know how to do care for their peristomal skin, how to drain the stoma pouch, and how to clean it? Taking caring and managing your ostomy life is necessary to raise your quality of life and follow your previous life.

Accept the Stoma in your Life

Well, ostomy surgeries change the life of a person completely. After the operation, one has to adopt a new lifestyle. He has to follow the medical rules to run his days. One should adopt the living with a stoma after the ostomy. The first and foremost step is to accept the stoma and purpose of the stoma in your life.

You should adopt the new procedure of excretion. You should accept that now your natural process has changed, and you need to let out the poop and peep through an artificial path. A stoma is a new partner in your life. If you have had a temporary ostomy operation, then you have to bear with the stoma for a few months. However, if you have had a permanent surgery, then you should adopt the new lifestyle for the rest of your life.

Some patients have problems in adopting new life accessories and accepting the stoma. However, by the time, and listening to the guidance of your nurse and doctors, gradually, you will be able to follow the new paths of life. Once you get used to it, you will have no problem doing your all activities with the stoma.

Ostomy Pouch/Bag

When you use a disposable ostomy pouch, you can throw it away after the use. Once the bag is filled with the waste, you just need to get rid of the used ostomy pouch and apply the new one.

The reusable ostomy pouch is drainable and washable. You can clean it and reuse it. You can empty the waste matter from the bag, clean it, and apply it again on the peristomal. You need to empty the feces or urine in a bedpan. Hold the one end of the stoma pouch and throw away the matter in the bedpan. Clean it and reuse the pouch. Moreover, you should use a dry stoma pouch or dry peristomal skin.

A Few Essential Tips on Draining and Cleaning the Ostomy Pouch

The following are some necessary tips:

•  Always apply a dry pouch on the dry skin.
• If your stoma bag is not dry yet, use another a new and dry pouch until the used one gets dry.
• Always use a soft toilet paper or a piece of cloth to dry your skin.
• Do not ignore the bleeding from the stoma after a few days of the surgery.
• Use ostomy deodorant and spray to get rid of the bad odor.
• Always keep an ostomy kit in your bag while traveling, shopping, or outing.
• When the ostomy pouch is 1/3th full, empty it. Do not wait to get to full.
• After changing the stoma bag, wipe off the sides of the stoma.