When To Change An Ostomy Pouch

Whether you have a permanent ostomy or a temporary one, you are going to have to learn about the right use of ostomy supplies to manage your stoma in a better way. That’s because poor management of your ostomy can lead to several complications related to your peristomal skin and your GI tract. In the end, it can result in the quality of life getting affected unpleasantly.

When it comes to ostomy management, it doesn’t have to do only with the use of the right ostomy care supplies. You also have to schedule the ostomy bag changes. Many people change their ostomy bags before going to bed, and some do it in the morning. The reason they pick these times is that they find their stomas less active during these hours. If your stoma is active before going to bed or in the morning, you should not consider changing your ostomy bag at that time.

The best course of action is to find the best time when you can change the ostomy bag. Generally, you can change the ostomy bag every three to five days, given that you are using drainable ostomy pouches. If there is a lot of leakage occurring under your skin barrier, you should consider contacting your ostomy nurse. They can provide you all of the necessary information about the appropriate ostomy supplies and also about the right schedule for changing those supplies.

Sometimes, it becomes difficult to keep track of the schedule. The best way to make it convenient for you is to write down when you last changed your ostomy pouch, and when you are going to need to replace the current bag with the new one. You can even write dates on the ostomy pouch. Setting a reminder alarm on your phone can also be of great help. You can give a title to that reminder to quickly realize the need to change the bag when the time comes.

You should always pay attention to whether or not you are feeling any discomfort in the area where the skin barrier has formed a seal. If you feel any discomfort, you should immediately remove the skin barrier, and check your stoma and the skin around it. If there is any soreness in the peristomal skin, there are several skincare products that you can use to treat the condition. The stoma powder is one of the most effective skincare products that can help you get rid of mild to moderate peristomal skin complications. If there is no relief with the use of skin care products, you can always contact an ostomy care nurse to discuss other treatment options.