Steps On Replacing Your Ostomy Appliance

By Arline Bradley


You might have recently had an ostomy. If you had this, you would have to wear an appliance for this at all times. There are times where one would find it really frustrating. There would be times that it would feel really itchy.

Continue reading so that you will know what you have to do. The steps written in the article will teach one the proper steps on changing an ostomy appliance. If you do the steps, you will be sure that the surrounding skin will be maintained as healthy as it should be.

The first thing to do is to prepare the materials you will need. You need to have clean water, gauze strips and a paper towel. You should prepare the new bag. Make sure it is pre cut already. You will need to dispose the old one so be sure you have all these materials prepared.

Remove the shirt you are wearing. You have to place the paper towel in between your skin and underwear. It would make changing your bag in a much clean way. It will help avoid the dirt from being on the underwear and skin as you change.

As you get rid of the old one, hold down your skin with your hand. Pull it away so your stoma would be uncovered completely. Throw it away on your trash can. Be certain that there is a trash can near you when you replace it so throwing it away would only be one reach away. It is best to have the hair around shaved. This would aid in making your bag stick well. It will also lessen the pain when you are pealing it off.

Soak those strips of gauze on water to wipe your skin. You have to pay much attention on the parts surrounding it. Wipe your stoma until it gets clean. Use the paper towel to have it dried. It is suggested that you use it as it is capable of absorbing fast. It will not stick on the skin too.

You could use a lotion recommended for it. It would help lessen the sore. But, it would hinder the appliance from sticking well. Place the new one. Make sure it would stick well. You can use your palms to make sure of that.

It is better to change in the morning. During this time, your stoma is smallest in size but still active. Those who have it do this during that time. How many times you would change would depend on the supply and behavior of it. There will be times you can change every other day. There will also be times that you have to change everyday. If that is costly, have it done in the morning.

One could seek the help of a professional on how you could take care of it better. A professional could also suggest the best appliance for you. They could also suggest some stuff that could lessen the pain when you are changing. Prior to doing all the steps listed above, make sure you have cleaned your hands. Through this, you can avoid any infections.




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