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TRAVELING AND CRUISING WITH AN OSTOMY
BY Mel Fishman, Via Broward, FL
Just because you happen to have an ostomy, you should not let that stop you from
enjoying traveling. I have had a colostomy for the past 35 years and that has
never stopped me from grabbing my hat and taking off to parts unknown. My wife
and I have been blessed to take 32 cruises lasting from only one-night jaunts to
up to seventeen-day vacations. We’ve also taken approximately ten land tours
ranging from seven to fourteen days. To be on the safe side, I always take more
than enough ostomy supplies with me for the length of the trip. I make sure that
the tour buses are restroom equipped and that all the airplanes I’m aboard have
enough restrooms available so I can change my appliance if necessary. On
cruises, I always make sure that I have a chair that fits into the bathroom, so
that I can irrigate my colostomy. Also, I ask the Cabin Steward for extra
towels. We have been approximately three-fourth’s of the way around the world,
from Israel on the East to Bangkok on the West, Alaska on the North and to Chile
in the South. We enjoyed every trip and made lots of new friends. I’m always
available at our meetings to answer any travel questions you may have. Don’t
allow your surgery or unnecessary fears keep you at home. Just go for it and
enjoy yourself. I am sure that you will have a great time.
SOOOO—HOW DO I CLEAN THIS POUCH?
Via: Hemet-San Jacinto, CA
If you are cleaning a drainable two-piece pouch for
reuse, use warm, rather than hot or cold water. Cold water doesn’t lift stool or
urine as readily from the plastic and the pouch is less pliable. Hot water will
cause the pouch to wear out faster and may increase the likelihood of odor. If
you want to rinse the pouch while you’re still wearing it, use a small squirt
bottle to get the water in it, slosh’ it around by holding the end and let
things empty into the toilet. Unless you have no option, it’s best to remove the
pouch entirely for cleaning. A bit of ordinary dish detergent with warm water,
or, if bacteria is a concern, a bit of white vinegar mixed with water will do
the trick. Fill the pouch with the warm water/soap/vinegar solution and slosh it
by hand over the toilet, drain and repeat as necessary. It’s not recommended
that you wash these things in the sink- - the drains are usually too small to
handle this sort of waste and the result will not be hygienic. Once you have
things reasonably clean, you can hold the pouch under the bathtub faucet and let
it rinse. Tub drains are larger and so long as you let a good flush of water
follow, and scrub the bathtub on a regular basis (which you do anyway, right?)
your bathroom will not smell. Baking soda in the wash water and down the drain
is an excellent deodorizer. You can hang the wet pouch by the ring on a hook to
dry or just leave it flat on a towel and it will be ready for use the next day.
The inside doesn’t have to be bone dry for use, but the outside and ring should
be. A lot of products have a thin fabric covering on them—nice against the skin
when dry but very uncomfortable if damp. Make sure that part is dry before
putting it back on.
PILLOW TALK
by E. McConnel, RNET, Snohomish Co. WA & The Greater Cincinnati Ostomy
Association
Ever try to get into a comfortable position in bed only to find that your tummy
flab or appliance seems to pull when you are on your side? Don’t let it cramp
your style. Happiness could just turn out to be a pillow. Try tucking one across
your front and lean into it for firm support. If the pillow is too soft, first
roll it like a bolster. A flat pillow placed between the legs in such a way that
one end is brought up high enough to support the lower abdomen also helps to
relieve or prevent any strain. If on your back, try a pillow under the knees for
added comfort. If your feet get cold during the night, remember that pillows are
not just for heads anymore. A soft pillow on the foot of the bed is perfect for
tootsies to snuggle under. Try placing a pillow on top of you, under the sheet
if you get stuck in a motel where bed clothing is inadequate for lowered
temperatures—it will warm you up in a hurry. Even placing a pillow alongside
your body helps. You know there are soft pillows, firm pillows, goose downs,
satin jobs, king size, crib size, wedges, rings, triangles—anything your little
heart desires. Movie queens surround themselves with heaps of pillows. Turks
perch atop them with their legs crossed, tough guys slam their fists into them,
kids have pillow fights and dogs and cats curl up and sleep on them. As
ostomates, we started out as pillow people, one pressed firmly into our back to
keep us on our sides, one under the arm with the IV in it, one clenched tightly
in our arms across the incision when we were made to cough, and even one under
our bottoms when we painfully tried to sit up. If you have forgotten about
pillows, just remember—they are a natural for ostomates. Try them, you might
like them.
“WITH APOLOGIES TO EDGAR ALLEN POE”
A poem by Marjorie Kaufman, Hemet-San Jacinto, CA
Once upon a midnight dreary,
While I fretted tired and weary,
Feeling just a little leery, yet
reluctant to explore;
While I lay there barely
napping, I was conscious of a
gapping
Twixt the hooklet and the
strapping of the face-plate
That I wore.
“Tis but loose”, I mused in
silence, Only this and nothing
more.”
Yet into the darkness peering,
While I lay there wondering,
fearing, doubting, with that
certain feeling I was scorning,
but I’d wait until the morning;
“So, I pushed aside the
warning, and the omen that it
bore.
“It will last until the morrow,
getting up is such a chore. This
it is and nothing more.”
Then into the pillow sinking;
With my sleepy eyes a-blinking.
I’ll forget it, I was thinking,
And to dreamland I would soar;
But I knew I was pretending
That no danger was impending,
And although it needed
tending,
Not before the night was o’er.
“It will last”, I kept repeating,
“It will last, it has before”.
So to sleep and nothing more.
With a start, I woke up
knowing, Twas a puddle neath
me growing, As I felt the
moisture flowing, from the
face-plate that I wore;
Bolt upright, I cursed my
daring, out of bed I leaped
declaring, vowing, arduously
swearing, ner’er again would I
ignore,
Not those certain signs of
warning would I ne’er again
ignore- - Quote me, raving,
“Nevermore”.
HAPPINESS IS—A COMFORTABLE APPLIANCE
Via: L.A. Ostomy News & Cheers & Tears,
Whittier, CA
There is nothing more irritating than having to change your appliance
before you normally do, when the faceplate loosens or springs a leak. The first
thing to do is look for the reason. Sounds easy doesn’t it? We should be so
lucky! About the first thing to look for is the change in texture of the skin.
Several things can cause that, medication, vitamin pills or menopause.
Excessively oily skin can affect adhesion. Wiping the skin around the stoma with
alcohol is helpful, but be careful the alcohol does not contain glycerin, as
this kind of alcohol will hinder adhesion. Also some soaps contain oil or
hexachlorophene (soaps with baby oil to soften skin); these must be rinsed off
if you hope to attain adhesion. With hot, humid climate, excessive perspiration
will undermine the adhesive. A cotton appliance cover is great for soaking up
perspiration. Also, loose clothing will help if you know you are going to be
doing work that will cause excess perspiration. Be careful about using anti-perspirant,
they cause skin irritation. A skin rash (contact dermatitis) is a common
happening for many ostomates at one time or another. The rash may be caused by
an allergy to the adhesives, the tape, skin barrier, or any other product used.
A change to different products helps to determine if the problem is an allergic
one. Be sure to dry the area. A blow dryer, set on cool, is very quick and a
light bulb placed about a foot away is also useful in drying the area. If you
can’t get rid of the rash or any disturbed area within a reasonable length of
time, contact your doctor. A change in weight (either gain or loss) can cause a
change in the contour of the abdomen, which will affect adhesion. Try to stay at
the same weight. Ideally, no more than ten pounds either way. Where the
faceplate was once flat against the abdomen, it may now have creases or valleys
under it. Stomahesive works well to fill in these valleys. There are also some
pastes on the market. Karaya tends to break down when exposed to liquid over a
period of time. Redistribution of weight will often necessitate refitting. This
may mean entirely different appliance will be necessary. A person with an
ileostomy may notice that diet affects the length of time an appliance stays on.
If the stool is of a watery consistency rather than paste-like, it may lesson
the length of time the appliance stays secure. Change the appliance regularly
before leaking; you may detect an itching or burning sensation beneath it.
Ignoring these symptoms can lead to skin irritation. Illness, inactivity, and
lying in bed can also lessen the seal security because the discharge pools
around the stoma and seal longer than if you were up and around. If you have
checked all these possibilities and still have a leaky faceplate, you had better
see your ET at once. 9
I WANT TO KNOW
Via: Dayton Ostomy Chapter
Q. Where does the water go when it doesn’t return with my evacuation?
A. It is absorbed into your body and then eliminated via urination some time
afterward.
Q. How may I slow activity before changing my appliance?
A. Some ostomates eat peanut butter or marshmallows before changing the
appliance to slow activity before showering or taking a bath. Many urostomates
change their appliance early in the morning on the “change” day at a time when
urine discharge is less frequent.
Q. How can I keep my skin dry before changing my Appliance?
A. Bend forward several times before removing the appliance. It helps discharge
the urine from the kidneys and ureter into the appliance.
Q. When will the stoma heal so that it isn’t red anymore?
A. The red color will not go away. It’s actually a good indication that the
stoma is healthy with a good blood supply.
Q. I have an ileostomy. On the left side of my stoma, I have an indentation.
I am having trouble keeping my appliance on. Feces tend to leak out from under
this area.
A. Indentations near the stoma can (and do) cause imperfect seals between the
skin and the appliance. Try using some Stomahesive Paste on the skin around the
stoma. It’s good for filling the “nooks and crannies” and makes your dent(s)
level with the surrounding area.
Q. Why is the tea bag, an ostomates best friend?
A. You can drink tea as an anti-spasmodic, which is soothing, to an upset
stomach. It also provides fluid containing potassium and electrolytes so
frequently lost from diarrhea.
Q. What is a simple way to control stoma noise?
A. Two or three tablespoons of applesauce with breakfast seems to control stoma
noise and the pectin in the applesauce seems to have a thickening effect on
liquid discharge.
Q. What foods besides bananas are high in potassium?
A. Bananas are frequently mentioned as a food high in potassium, but potatoes
actually contain nearly twice as much. One large banana has 450 milligrams of
potassium while a large baked potato with its skin contains 850 milligrams (the
skin alone has 235 mg.).
ADHESIONS
Via: Health Central, Via: Memphis (TN) & S.
Brevard (FL)
An adhesion is a scar tissue that binds together two anatomic surfaces that are
normally separated from each other. They are most commonly found in the abdomen,
where they form after abdominal surgery. , inflammation, or injury. Lysis
(destruction or dissolution) of adhesions is a surgery performed to free
adhesions from tissues. Although sometimes present from birth, adhesions are
usually scar tissue formed after inflammation. The most common site of adhesions
is the abdomen, where they often form after peritonitis (inflammation of the
abdominal lining) or following surgery, as part of the body’s healing process.
Abdominal adhesions infrequently bind together loops of intestine resulting in
intestinal obstruction. The condition is characterized by abdominal pain, nausea
and vomiting, distention, and an increase in pulse rate without a rise in
temperature. Nasogastric Intubation and suction may relieve the blockage. If
there is no relief, an operation is usually required to cut the fibrous tissue
and free the intestinal loops. Although scar tissue within the abdomen can occur
after any abdominal operation, they are more common after a ruptured appendix.
Most adhesions cause no problems, but they can obstruct the intestine in about
two percent of all patients. These obstructions can occur several years later.
The adhesions can also block the ends of the fallopian tubes, possibly causing
infertility. Adhesions can occur elsewhere and can be the cause of other
disorders—for instance, they can lead to glaucoma when located in the eyes, and
when located around the heart can result in pericarditis.
Here are some questions to ask your doctor
How do you know the problem is the adhesions and
not some other growth or condition?
Is surgery recommended to remove the adhesions?
What is the procedure?
Will the adhesions redevelop?