Need help on a colostomy

tomyslady

My first time posting here!!! Hope somebody can help us. My husband has a colostomy, since Mar. of 2000. He has a skin problem around the stoma. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to make this go away?
Thank you,
Concerned, wife, Lorraine

efw

I started rubbing Eucerin (the thick kind in a container) around the stoma and leaving it on for about 20 minutes whenever I would change the appliance. (I'd sit on the edge of the bathroom with lots of paper towels in case there were any unpleasant situations!) If you try that, just make sure after the 20 minutes, you wipe off all the lotion. I'm not sure how well things will stick if you don't get it all. That cleared up my skin problems really well. It was something I came up with on my own, though. My ET nurse just kept giving me new prescriptions for different appliances and powders and such, and none of that helped.

efw

efw said:

I started rubbing Eucerin (the thick kind in a container) around the stoma and leaving it on for about 20 minutes whenever I would change the appliance. (I'd sit on the edge of the bathroom with lots of paper towels in case there were any unpleasant situations!) If you try that, just make sure after the 20 minutes, you wipe off all the lotion. I'm not sure how well things will stick if you don't get it all. That cleared up my skin problems really well. It was something I came up with on my own, though. My ET nurse just kept giving me new prescriptions for different appliances and powders and such, and none of that helped.

Oops -- I meant "edge of the bathTUB", not bathroom!

nanuk

Lorraine: He could have a peristomal skin Dermatites, or any number of irritation sources. Is he using a skin prep? I use Smith & Nephew protective wipes, and they provide protective layer between the skin and the tape/and or feces.
He could be reacting to the acidity in his stool,
the tape, and any numbe of other causes. If you think the irritation is caused by acidity, you might try putting little maalox on the affected area when changing the pouch. for more information ,post to these sites: www.UOA.Org, http://ostomyinternational.org/
http://www.ostomates.org/
You will get lots of help there.. Bud

bryancarson

At one point, I had pretty severe skin breakdown. My osotmy nurse had me switch brands on my appliance and skin preps, which helped a lot. She said sometimes the skin will just get fed up with adhesives and start reacting. I also tried a convex appliance which cut down tremendously on leakage and therefore skin breakdown. I tried to lengthen the time between changing my appliace by one day. My bowls moved on a very predicatble basis, so I would wait until I knew I was safe, remove the appliace, shower, and then lay on my bed and watch TV with the ostomy site exposed for about an hour to let it breath and heal. I found this to be the most helpful action of all. It took about three weeks for the breakdown to subside, but I kept the practice of letting the skin breath a couple times a week. I suppose that it is like any other skin and if it cannot breathe, it will become fragile and easy to break down. Best of Luck. Bryan

andreae

Hi Lorraine,

I have had a permanent colostomy since April of 2003. I do have super-sensitive skin, although it does seem to have gotten used to the appliance. The stomatherapist had me use microstatin powder as opposed to the normal powder and also this hypo-allergenic spray. She also had me use this cream "Canesten"? Anyways, maybe that wasn't very helpful but perhaps consult with a stomatherapy nurse. They are usually very good and I know nothing drives me as crazy as having really itchy skin underneath my appliance. Good luck!

Andrea

gg2000

Absolutely! I had a temporary ileostomy (small intestine) when they did my re-section... had all kinds of problems with yeast infections around the stoma from a bad seal around the stoma. The size of the stoma may have changed as time has passed. Have him check the size of his stoma on a chart. If a chart doesn't come with his appliances, the medical supply where you purchase them should have one available.

As far as treating the area around the stoma, there is a powder that you can get a prescription for from your doctor that will cure the yeast infection.

If the area is raw and burns with the wipes while changing flanges, there are also alcohol free prep wipes to clean the area around the stoma when changing the flange.

Hope this helps.

gg2000

Oh, and I forgot that I changed to convextion as well & that really helped pop the stoma out more so that the stool went into the bag & less around the stoma area. I am sorry I don't have brand names - but my ileostomy was taken down and I was reconnected in June '01. I remember how awful the itchy-ness was.

I would not suggest using any petroleum or wax based lotions or any creams... the area around the stoma must be clean & dry to have a good seal. The convexing, antifungal powder and alcohol free prep wipes worked for me.

Hope this helps!

aspaysia

I use the Convatec drainable pouch but the template is useless--they don't fit my stoma. So I cut my own hole and make sure there are no gaps. Adhesive remover prevents the skin from ripping off. OOOUCH! Skin barrier wipes make a protective film between the flange and skin. I don't change as often as I used to and allow the skin to air out as much as possible. This can be tricky depending on your hubby's habits. Consult a stoma nurse--this thing can get away from you and that means a trip to the hospital--to be avoided at all costs.

QUEENFISH

aspaysia said:

I use the Convatec drainable pouch but the template is useless--they don't fit my stoma. So I cut my own hole and make sure there are no gaps. Adhesive remover prevents the skin from ripping off. OOOUCH! Skin barrier wipes make a protective film between the flange and skin. I don't change as often as I used to and allow the skin to air out as much as possible. This can be tricky depending on your hubby's habits. Consult a stoma nurse--this thing can get away from you and that means a trip to the hospital--to be avoided at all costs.

I have used a powder called stomahesive powder that works wonders. You just apply to the effected skin around the stoma when you are changing your wafer and just blow off the excess and continue to change the pouch as usual. It healed me up in a day when my skin was broken down very badly. You can order it without a prescription from convatec.