Page 17 - OASC June 2021 Newsletter
P. 17
•removeyourpouch •cleanthestoma •catchtheurineinasterilecup
•Anostomybeltcanhelpkeepyourappliancesecureifyou’rehavingtroublekeepingitinplace.
•Trytipsfromotherostomatesthatmightapplytoissuesyouhavebutremembereveryoneis
different. What works for one person may not work for another but it’s worth a try.
•Joinlocalostomypeersupportgroups!Iftherearenoneinyourarea,goonlinetofindother ostomates. While there is no substitute for face to face support and camaraderie from those who share your experiences, the internet can be very helpful when it comes to finding support from other ostomates.
•Perhapsthemostimportantbitofadviceisdon’tgetdownonyourselfifyoumakemistakes! We’ve all made mistakes and sometimes we still do. Learn from any errors you may make and keep moving forward. n
– A Handbook for New Ostomy Patients
Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.
[17]
— W. Clement Stone
June/21
•Ifyouuseskinsealant,makesureitdriescompletelybeforeapplyingtheflange.
•Payattentiontoskinproblems.Addresssignsofskinirritationimmediately.Ifyou’renotsurewhat to do, call your NSWOC.
•Don’tletthepouchgetfullbeforeemptying.Excessweightwillseparateatwo-piecesystemandwill also put too much weight on the skin barrier resulting possibly in multiple problems. Empty the pouch when it is about one-third full, or sooner.
•Youdon’tneedtowearglovestochangeyourappliance.Whenyouweredischargedfromhospital, your kit may have contained latex gloves. Since your nurses and doctors usually wore gloves when tending to you, you might be led to believe you should always wear gloves when changing your appliance. There is no need to wear such things while maintaining personal hygiene. (Have you had children? Did you wear gloves when changing your little ones’ diapers? Of course not. You’re no more unclean than they were.)
•Ifurineiscollectedforurinalysisbesureyourdoctorandnurseknowasterilespecimenmustbe taken directly from your stoma and not from the pouch. Bacteria builds up in the pouch quickly and may give false test results. If they are not sure how to do this, do the following:
