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Your stoma requires wound care because you do not want it to develop any complications or infections. In case you wonder, stomas are more common than you might think. The United Ostomy Associations of America says that there are about one million people in America living with a stoma.

What is a stoma?

An opening in the abdomen created during ostomy surgery is a stoma. The reason you might become a candidate for a stoma can be a severe condition affecting your bowel or urinary tract. It is usually a condition that hampers the functionality of a section of the excretory tract.

A stoma can be permanent or temporary, depending on the type and severity of the infection. The surgeon creates a permanent stoma when the diseased part of the bowel must be removed from the body. A temporary stoma, on the other hand, is an arrangement to rest the diseased part to allow it to recover.

That said, there are three types of stomas.

• Ileostomy: It is a stoma created on the small intestine, and it bypasses the entire colon, rectum, and anus.
• Colostomy: It is a stoma created on the colon to divert the passage of wastes away from the diseased part of the colon, rectum, and anus.
• Urostomy: This stoma connects ureters to the outside of the body, bypassing the bladder.

Complications related to the stoma

It is quite unfortunate that stoma complications are more common. One of the reasons is that a stoma doesn’t feel any pain due to the absence of nerve endings in it. It means that the patient won’t feel pain in it even if there is a wound infection in the stoma. A stoma complication can occur due to several other reasons as well.

Here are some stoma-related complications that you may want to know about.

Hernia

The risk of hernia is usually higher after ostomy surgery because this surgery interferes with the abdominal muscles around the point where the stoma has to be placed. A hernia occurs when intestines inside the body push through the abdominal muscles under the peristomal skin, resulting in a noticeable bulge. The most common treatment for a hernia is surgery.

Retracted stoma

A normal stoma is slightly protruded above the abdominal skin. However, the condition that causes the stoma to sink below the level of the abdomen is known as stoma retraction. The problem with a retracted stoma is that it makes a significant area of the skin around it inaccessible, resulting in the ostomy appliance’s inability to cover the skin area that must remain protected from the stomal output. If you have a retracted stoma, you may want to discuss with your ostomy care nurse or doctor to know the options to address the problem.

Peristomal infection

Stomal output coming in contact with the peristomal skin area can result in peristomal infections. It generally happens due to poor adhesion between the skin barrier and the peristomal skin. You can prevent or reverse peristomal skin infections using stoma care products, but make sure to discuss with an ostomy care nurse before starting using any such products.