{"id":11651,"date":"2018-11-15T10:49:27","date_gmt":"2018-11-15T10:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abiggerlife.com\/?post_type=mtheme_knowledgebase&#038;p=11651"},"modified":"2021-02-01T13:41:32","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T13:41:32","slug":"whats-normal-and-when-to-seek-help-with-your-stoma","status":"publish","type":"new-way-forward","link":"https:\/\/abiggerlife.com\/new-way-forward\/whats-normal-and-when-to-seek-help-with-your-stoma\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s normal and when to seek help with your stoma"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Hear from Sarah our Clinical Advisor<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><div class='w-full overflow-hidden rounded-2xl bg-dark-grey relative h-0' style='padding-top:56.25%;'><iframe class=\"lazyload h-full w-full m-0 absolute inset-0\" title=\"What&#039;s normal and when to seek help in the first few weeks months\" data-src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/299202599?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe class=\"lazyload h-full w-full m-0 absolute inset-0\"><\/div><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>From A Bigger Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It is important to know when you are experiencing physical changes with your stoma if they are normal for this stage of your journey, or if you need to seek help. It\u2019s also important that you feel well with your new stoma and you are coping emotionally.<\/p>\n<p>This handy guide should help keep you right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My stoma \u2013 What\u2019s normal for colostomy and ileostomy<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ileostomy Output &#8211; Initially your output will be loose but this will start to thicken to a porridge like consistency when you start to eat normally<\/li>\n<li>Colostomy Output &#8211; Initially your output will be loose but will become semi-solid to solid when you start to eat normally<\/li>\n<li>Stoma changing size \u2013 Within the first 6-8 weeks your stoma will shrink in size. The process to ensure your pouch fits is straight forward. Use your measuring guide once a week to measure the size of your stoma and cut your pouch to the most appropriate size<\/li>\n<li>Very occasional leak \u2013 It\u2019s not uncommon to develop some leakages when you are starting to learn how to manage your stoma. This should not happen regularly, seek help if it continues<\/li>\n<li>Output colour \u2013 This may vary depending on the food you have been eating<\/li>\n<li>Output smell \u2013 This may vary depending on the food you have been eating<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>My stoma \u2013 What\u2019s normal for urostomy<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stoma changing size \u2013 Within the first 6-8 weeks your stoma will shrink in size. The process to ensure your pouch fits is straight forward. Use your measuring guide once a week to measure the size of your stoma and cut your pouch to the most appropriate size<\/li>\n<li>Very occasional leak \u2013 It\u2019s not uncommon to develop some leakages when you are starting to learn how to manage your stoma. This should not be the norm, seek help if it continues<\/li>\n<li>Urine colour \u2013 This may vary depending on the food you have been eating or the medication you have been taking<\/li>\n<li>Urine smell \u2013 This may vary depending on the food you have been eating or the medication you have been taking<\/li>\n<li>Mucus &#8211; Your urostomy is made from a piece of bowel which will continue to produce mucus. This will be passed into your stoma bag along with your urine<\/li>\n<li>If a change in colour and or smell is not food related, it may indicate a urine infection or dehydration. Please seek further help from your stoma care nurse or GP if this occurs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>My stoma \u2013 When to seek help for colostomy and ileostomy <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stoma stops working<\/li>\n<li>If your skin becomes red, sore or irritated<\/li>\n<li>You experience extreme pain<\/li>\n<li>If you experience frequent leakages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>My stoma \u2013 When to seek help for urostomy <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stoma stops working<\/li>\n<li>If your skin becomes red, sore or irritated<\/li>\n<li>You experience extreme pain<\/li>\n<li>If you have a fever<\/li>\n<li>If you experience back pain<\/li>\n<li>If there is blood in your urine<\/li>\n<li>If you experience frequent leakages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>My emotions \u2013 What\u2019s normal in the first few weeks<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fatigue\/tiredness<\/li>\n<li>Low mood<\/li>\n<li>Feeling helpless and scared<\/li>\n<li>Feeling overwhelmed<\/li>\n<li>Reluctant to manage stoma<\/li>\n<li>Increased anxiety\/awareness about stoma\/pouch<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>My emotions \u2013 When to seek help<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Continuing low mood<\/li>\n<li>Not emptying or changing your own pouch \u2013 not able to achieve independence<\/li>\n<li>Family\/friends concerned about how you are coping<\/li>\n<li>Continuing to feel overwhelmed, helpless and scared<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Know that you are never alone. Join our online community where, from the comfort of your favourite armchair, you can be amongst people who understand, where you can share and discuss experiences, challenges or any topic you choose relating to life with a stoma.<\/p>\n<p>Or maybe you prefer to just listen to others to start\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Visit a <a href=\"http:\/\/community.abiggerlife.com\">bigger life community<\/a> for support.<br \/>Contact your Stoma Nurse for help and advice.<\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: 300px;\">\u00a0<\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>You might be interested in:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-related-links\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/abiggerlife.com\/its-a-start\/youre-not-alone-2\/\">You\u2019re not alone<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/abiggerlife.com\/new-way-forward\/why-your-stoma-may-change-in-shape-and-size\/\">Why your stoma may change in shape and size<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/abiggerlife.com\/new-way-forward\/not-everyone-copes-with-having-an-ostomy-in-the-same-way-article\/\">Not everyone copes with having an ostomy in the same way<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/abiggerlife.com\/new-way-forward\/possible-side-effects-on-your-stoma-during-chemotherapy-diet\/\">Possible side effects on your stoma during chemotherapy &#8211; Diet<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/abiggerlife.com\/its-a-start\/is-there-a-reason-why-people-have-different-size-stomas\/\">Is there a reason why people have different size stomas?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stoma form in surgery is a major surgical procedure, and it\u2019s not uncommon to feel tired and fatigue after the surgery. However, after a period of 6-8 weeks, perhaps up to 3 months, you really should start to see your energy levels improving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":11716,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","tagkbase":[4,5,19],"new-way-forward-category":[38],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.4 (Yoast SEO v22.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What\u2019s normal and when to seek help with your stoma - A Bigger Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It is important to know when you are experiencing physical changes with your stoma if they are normal for this stage of your journey, or if you need to seek help. 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