Stoma

Is Your Stoma Stinking?

/ Jeremy / 1 Comment

If you have had an ostomy and are living with a stoma for the rest of your days, then you are probably well aware of the worst enemy for many ostomates like yourself. That’s right, I’m talking about the cursed problem of your stoma odor and all that. No one likes to be that person that smells bad, but if you have a stoma, it is most likely that you are going to be that person from time to time. I know from personal experience that strong smells coming from your stoma can make social situations very awkward and cause a lot of anxiety for you. There is truly nothing worse than people asking, “who passed wind??”, knowing full well that it is just your stoma doing its thing. Well, if you’re like me, then you’re constantly looking for ways to reduce odor coming from your stoma and ostomy pouch. Luckily for you, I’ve spent a lot of time researching different ways in which to hide your stoma odor that have definitely made my life with a stoma a bit easier. So without further ado, here are some tips and tricks that you can use today that will help you reduce your stoma odor in those awkward situations.

If you are finding a lot of foul smells coming from your ostomy pouch on a regular basis, the first thing you are going to want to do is make sure your ostomy pouch is properly secured and has a good fit. The seal on your ostomy bag is very important and can mean the difference between your ostomy pouch leaking or keeping everything sealed nice and tight. A bad seal can definitely cause odor and gas to leak out, creating that awful smell and making all your friends and family despise you – and no one wants that! So my first suggestion for you is to make sure that you have an ostomy bag that properly fits. One way to do this is to keep the area around your stoma very clean and clear so that the seal can be a good one.

If you have body hair, it may be beneficial to shave all that off in order to get a better seal. Also, don’t use any oils, lotions, or soaps around that area in the case of them irritating your stoma or the skin barrier. If the skin is getting irritated, it might also cause the seal to not fit properly and create a leakage in your ostomy pouch system.

Another tip I have for you regarding your disgusting stoma odor is to use deodorizing products made specifically for your ostomy. Now what I don’t want you to do is to spray some random deodorant, cologne, or perfume into your ostomy pouch to try to mask the smell of your output. Sure, it might mask the smell a little bit, but it is surely not the most effective way to do so and these products can also cause irritation for your stoma and lead to further complications. Therefore, it’s best to use odor eliminators that are specifically made for ostomy pouches and are way more effective at masking the smell. It could also be more beneficial to regularly empty your ostomy pouch if you aren’t already, because this can prevent further leakages which leads to a bad odor. 

Dressing With A Stoma

/ Jeremy / 1 Comment

One thing that not a lot of people consider is that it can be a little more difficult to dress trendy and fashionable with the addition of a stoma and ostomy pouch. For those of you who are not aware or are living under a rock, a stoma is the term used to describe a whole in someone’s body where their waste, like urine and feces, comes out into a bag called an ostomy pouch. I know that this sounds pretty gross, but it is a real thing that a lot of people have to deal with and you should just be grateful that you aren’t one of them. Well today I am excited to share with you some tips and tricks for dressing while wearing an ostomy pouch.

Some people assume that they will have to throw out their entire wardrobe after they get an ostomy because nothing will be able to fit the same anymore. If you are thinking in that train of thought, then I’m going to have to ask you to drop everything that you’re doing and listen to me. You don’t need to throw away all your clothes – in fact, most of them should be fine and you will eventually be able to wear them one way or another. So without further ado, here are my tips and tricks for dressing with a stoma.

Dressing with an ostomy is something that everyone who gets a stoma needs to learn eventually. It is a bit of a slower process and may take some time to get used to, but I promise it will all be worth it in the end. The first tip I have for you is to look for some compression shorts that might work for you to wear underneath your clothes. Whether you are a guy or a girl reading this, compression shorts will make your life a lot easier! You can wear these things to hold the ostomy pouch tighter against your body, which makes it less noticeable and more comfortable because it is form fitting. Wearing clothes over this can make it so that sometimes your ostomy pouch is completely unnoticeable. This is a really good life hack if you are going out with a group of friends or coworkers and want your ostomy pouch to be completely hidden. Wearing a dress or a nice pair of pants over your compression shorts is a great combo, and I promise you that nonone will ever know that you have a whole in your abdomen. 

Another tip I have for you is to wear high-waisted pants. Now high-waisted pants are more traditionally worn by girls, but guys this one’s for you two. We are gender neutral in 2021 after all! So the nice thing about high-waisted shorts is that, as you can probably guess, it does a better job of concealing your ostomy pouch on occasions when you would not like it to be very noticeable. Jeans are great because they are more textured and usually pretty thick, which means they do a great job of hiding everything down there. Another tip I have is to just wear extremely baggy clothing all the time, because that way people won’t even be able to identify where your body starts, let alone some dumb bag connected to your intestines.