How to Take Care of Peristomal Skin Infections and Other Issues?

After getting the stoma, a patient must know the importance of healthy stoma and peristomal skin. It should be moist, dry, and intact. If the skin on the surroundings of the opening is not dry and in the original color of your abdomen, it will cause several infections and other issues. It is not something very hectic or difficult to maintain. Every person regardless of gender and age can manage a healthy hole in their abdomen. The unhealthy opening and the skin around it can discomfort you, it will not support the pouching system, it will cause bleeding from the stoma, the stoma and internal organs get blocked due to the mucus and bleeding, it will disbalance your quality of life, you will have low morale to go out, it can create pain, and delays the rehabilitation process. Moreover, it will uplift the cost of stoma appliances and healthcare.

What Can Cause Infections and Problems for the Peristomal Skin?

There are several causes of unhealthy and problematic peristomal skin. The first thing is an inappropriate pouching system. Many patients do not the right size and shape of their opening; therefore, they end up buying the wrong pouches and other devices for them. This is one of the major problems of almost all the ostomates. Thus, they think that their ostomy life is hell difficult and impossible to manage. Well, being a patient of the stoma, you must possess all the knowledge about the selection of the right pouching system according to the appearance of the stoma.

Another thing is leakage. This causes many peristomal infections and diseases. A patient who is already fighting with a digestive problem now has to fight with the skin disease. Thus, make sure, your skin is not driving towards any disorder. Wear a leakage-free pouch. Always buy a good quality skin barrier. Id adhesive is creating itching to your skin, then you can use a medicated paste. You should always know what is suitable for your internal organ, stoma, and peristomal skin. To avoid fluid to come out, use a stoma belt or cap.

Common Peristoma Skin Problems

The constant leakage can cause itching, rashes, and burning on the peristomal skin. Some other infections are regular allergies, dermatitis, irritant dermatitis, and fungal infections. Moreover, it can damage the colon, ileum, and rectum. If the peristoma skin is not in a good condition, it will not support the pouching system. You will feel difficulty in wearing the stoma bag.

Managing a Healthy Peristoma Skin

An ostomate's primary responsibility is to keep the stoma and peristomal skin. It asks for a few vigilant decisions regarding buying the right pouching system, diet, and cleaning of the surroundings.

Many people are using the right sized pouches for their stoma, but the skin around it is still spoiling. It can be because of the wrong method of removal of the skin barrier

How to Remove a Skin Barrier?

Ostomates rigidly pull off the skin barrier from the skin. It makes the surroundings damage. Thus, a person should gently peel it off during pressing down the skin. Take the support of the peristomal skin for removing the adhesive and barrier.

Cleaning of the Peristomal Skin

Cleaning of the peristomal skin is another necessary step. The cuticle around the stoma should be dry and moist. If it gets damped because of the leakage, it will tarnish the health and fighting ability of the skin. Moreover, it disbalances the pH. Dry skin does not mean you cannot moisturize it. But, it should not be too parched that damages the pH. Always use medicated wipes to dry your peristomal skin. Wear a leakage-proof stoma bag. Drink enough water to get rid of dryness and blockage.

Difference Between the Different Types of Ostomy - Colostomy, Ileostomy, and Urostomy

Ostomy

Ostomy is a type of digestive system surgery, a patient needs it to remove a chronic disease, infection, injury, and blockage from the large intestine, small intestine, and bladder (colon, ileum, rectum). It would be a new term for many people; thus, it can distress you. But, it is not something that will retrograde the quality of life. Because of this operation, you will get rid of the disease and able to enhance your life. No wonder, it will demand a few adjustments and emotional changes, but these will not last forever. Even the permanent ostomates feel a new life once they know how to deal with the stoma and ostomy life. This makes your life disease-free and easy than before.

Types of Ostomy

Ostomy has three primary types to treat your disease. Every kind is related to a specif tract in your digestive system. These are:

1.    Colostomy

2.    Ileostomy

3.    Urostomy

Colostomy

A colostomy is a kind of ostomy surgery used to treat and cure the large intestine in a digestive system. It involves the rectum and colon. When a person is diagnosed with a harsh disorder or cancer in these canals, he/she has to go through the colostomy surgery.

In this procedure, a surgeon removes the infected or dysfunctioned part of the large intestine or bowel, leaves the functioning section of the large intestine, brings it to the outer abdominal wall.

The reasons that drive patients towards the colostomy surgery are colon cancer, rectum cancer, bowel disease, injury in the colon, a blockage in the anus, a blockage in the rectum, birth defect in the colon or rectum, blockage in colon, diverticulitis, or any other chronic disease in any section of the large intestine. This makes the stool come out possible through an inorganic pathway.

Surgeons build an artificial round organ in the abdomen of the patient. This part is a circular pit in the lower left side of the navel, called a stoma. It accumulates the solid stool from the stoma. Remember that the colostomy opening only discharges the solid waste of the human body. If it releases a semi-solid stool, it is having a problem in stoma or an internal organ.

Ileostomy

It is a kind of ostomy that can cure the diseases and disorders in the small intestine. It involves the ileum, duodenum, and jejunum. When a person has dysfunctioned ileum, it makes the digestive system and the entire life of a patient disturb; thus, the person has to go through the ileostomy surgery.

The ileostomy becomes necessary in case of blockage in the ileum, injury in the ileum, cancer in the ileum, inflammatory bowel disease, holes in the ileum. or colitis disease.

The procedure involves the removal of the infected bowel or small intestine. A nurse designs a round hole on the lower right side of the patient's abdomen, then doctors remove the disease from the ileum or bowel. In a few cases, a doctor removes the entire intestine. Well, the doctor will bring the remaining and functioning section to the stoma. It will discharge a semi-solid form of feces. The stoma will be dark pink or red.

Urostomy

Urostomy is a kind of ostomy surgery that happens to remove the infected part of the bladder or the entire organ. It also eliminates the disease from the urinary tract. Thus, doctors need a new passage for the urine to come out. They fabricate a stoma on the right side of the abdomen. After this operation, the tubes of the kidneys directly pass the urine to the stoma opening.

The urostomy surgery becomes compulsory when a patient has bladder cancer, infection in the bladder, injury in the bladder, birth defect, or blockage in the tubes of urinary tack.