What is a prolapsed stoma?
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Common Problems Clinical Advisor
From A Bigger Life
You may have come across the word prolapse from either your Stoma Nurse or your own research and wondering what this is.
What does Prolapse mean?
Prolapse is where an extra length of bowel protrudes out from your stoma. It will look exactly the same as your stoma, just a longer length.
When it happens once and maybe it will just retract back in again when you lie down, it is nothing to worry about. However, if it continues to happen and if there is any risk of colour change to it, it is really important that you go to your GP or A&E department to have it checked out.
What happens if your stoma prolapses and stays out?
It is important that you have a pouch on that accommodates the size of the stoma, you may need a larger sized pouch.
Your Stoma Nurse will encourage you to lie down and to relax to hopefully allow the bowel to retract back into itself. However, if it has been sitting out for a while, isn’t moving in gently itself and its swollen then you may find your Stoma Nurse uses some sugar on it to absorb the fluid. The doctor may come to see you and start to manipulate the bowel back in again but please don’t be alarmed.
As long as the stoma is healthy and functioning it’s not a medical emergency but certainly something that you do need to get checked out.
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