The more you learn about your urostomy, the more you will know that there is a lot to learn. In this article, we are going to talk about the ways to take care of your urostomy. It is worth mentioning here that every case is different from others, which means there are no set rules regarding how to take care of your urostomy perfectly. You can, however, get help from some general tips in this regard.
Emptying and changing a urostomy pouch
Before leaving the hospital, your nurse will teach you how to empty and change your urostomy pouch. You are not going to have to use sterile supplies to change the ostomy pouch. Daily use items such as facial tissue, toilet paper, or paper towel can be used to clean the skin around the stoma.
Emptying the pouch is a fairly easy process. Each urostomy bag has a drain valve at the bottom. You can open the valve to empty the bag any time you want. The frequency, at which you need to change the pouch, depends on your fluid intake.
To empty the pouch, sit as far back on the toilet as you can. Place a small strip of toilet paper inside the toilet to avoid splashing. Open the valve and empty the pouch right into the toilet. Close the valve after emptying the urostomy pouch, and dry the end of the valve using toilet paper.
When it comes to changing a urostomy pouch, you first have to keep in mind that different urostomy pouches are made to last different lengths of time. Some pouches require changing every day, some every three days, and some once in a week.
Before changing the pouch, get into a position that allows you to see your stoma. It doesn’t matter whether you sit, stand, or lie down; you just have to make sure that you can see your stoma while changing the pouch.
Before changing the pouch, clean your hands and put all of the supplies on a clean surface. You don’t want germs to get into your urinary system. Pick a time for pouch change when there is no urine left in your kidneys.
Use plain water to clean your stoma and the skin around it. Avoid using soaps that contain lotions, perfumes, and oils.
Protecting the skin around the stoma
The skin around the stoma should look the same as the skin anywhere on your body. That said, the peristomal skin, after being consistently in contact with the stomal output, can develop rashes, irritation, and other complications. That makes it crucial for the person with urostomy to ensure a tighter and leak-proof seal between skin barrier and the skin that comes under the skin barrier. For this purpose, the hole in the skin barrier must fit the shape and size of the stoma. An over-sized hole can expose the peristomal skin to the stomal output, which can lead to the urine spreading underneath the skin barrier. It will not only compromise the seal but will also lead to the irritation of the skin. The best practice is to change the pouch regularly.
Eating restrictions
A urostomy doesn’t have anything to do with whatever happens in your intestinal tract, which means that anything you eat is not going to have a direct impact on your urostomy. Unless you are suffering from a kidney infection that tends to get worse when you eat a specific type of food, you are good to go with your normal diet plan.
Stay in touch with your doctor
It is necessary to stay in touch with your doctor. Visit your doctor regularly to get your stoma checked for any infection.
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