Will my colostomy stoma always stick out so much?!
Question: Will my colostomy stoma always stick out so much!?
I just had surgery on Fri!. Oct!. 10th and i'm still very swollen!. but my stoma sticks out really far and shows through all of my clothes!. I'm a 19 year old girl and love fashion and i don't want to have to always where baggy man shirts to cover it!. Will it go down and not poke out so much as the weeks go by!? or is it always going to be the same size sticking out wise!? Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
It will go down quite a bit in the coming weeks, because, as you say, you're still very swollen, and your insides have taken quite a bit of trauma!. However, hopefully, it will not go down to the point that it is flush with your skin!. Stomas that stick out at least 1/2 an inch (hopefully a tiny bit more) are much easier to manage!.
Those with stomas flush to the skin usually find they have to wear convex flanges (wafers) to try and get the stoma to stick out a bit more!. The reason you want it to stick out a bit is so that the output goes into your bag and not under the wafer (which it will do if the stoma is flush)!.
However, you won't be condemned to a life of baggy shirts!. I used to wear the tightest jeans and tops in my teens and my stoma sticks out about 1 inch (I've had my ileostomy since I was 10 years old) and my stoma never seemed to mind (I just had to empty a bit more than usual)!. No one could tell I had a bag under my clothes - I swim every summer and no one can even see it under my bathers!.
Be patient with yourself!. You will be able to wear your clothes again once you've healed :)
Take care!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Those with stomas flush to the skin usually find they have to wear convex flanges (wafers) to try and get the stoma to stick out a bit more!. The reason you want it to stick out a bit is so that the output goes into your bag and not under the wafer (which it will do if the stoma is flush)!.
However, you won't be condemned to a life of baggy shirts!. I used to wear the tightest jeans and tops in my teens and my stoma sticks out about 1 inch (I've had my ileostomy since I was 10 years old) and my stoma never seemed to mind (I just had to empty a bit more than usual)!. No one could tell I had a bag under my clothes - I swim every summer and no one can even see it under my bathers!.
Be patient with yourself!. You will be able to wear your clothes again once you've healed :)
Take care!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
The swelling should go down considerably, but I'm not sure how long it will take!. A few weeks I suppose!. Www@Answer-Health@Com
dont be embarrassed!. be yourself!. Www@Answer-Health@Com