As seen at Wild On Wounds (WOW) Conference 2022 in Hollywood, Florida, this poster depicts the use of Kinesiology Tape to lift the belly folds to decrease the creases around your stoma. When you have deep creases – this technique will help you get a good seal on your ostomy barrier. I used a Convex barrier and a belt too. Kinesiology Tape is available at most pharmacies and can stay in place for up to a week. Give it a try, and let me know if it works for you!
Ostomies are life-savers. I know this because I am a nurse who specializes in ostomy care, yes, I take care of these patients by choice. I am a Certified Wound, Ostomy, & Continence Nurse and many of my patients would not be here today without their ostomy. Many of my older adult patients (> 55 years) have ostomies due to colorectal cancer. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases such as Crohn’s is another culprit that affects teens and young adults, and then there are children who are born with birth defects or genetic abnormalities. Urostomies – an ostomy for urine is a lifesaver for people with bladder cancer. Gunshot wounds, trauma, and paralysis can also lead to the need for a bowel diversion, known as an ostomy.
The United Ostomy Association of America (UOAA) estimates that 100,000 new ostomies surgeries are performed each year in the United States alone. Over 750,000 people are living with ostomies in the US today. Colorectal cancer is now one of the leading causes of cancer. Albeit, not everyone needs a colostomy (in the large intestines) or ileostomy (in the small intestines) to survive cancer. Not all ostomies (collective term) are permanent, some are temporary.
People can live active fulfilling lives with ostomies. Let’s face it, we all poop, and how we do it is nobody else’s business. There is a terrible stigma about having an ostomy and they are all myths. People with ostomies do not smell, they can go to work, they can drive a car, they can even have sex! They are grateful they can walk and talk, eat food, smell the roses, and see their grandchildren grow up, who cares how they toilet themselves. Personally, I think ostomy bags are much more hygienic than Depends!
Unfortunately, some people still delay the decision to have ostomy surgery or worse yet choose death over life with an “ostomy bag.” Farrah Fawcett is a great example of someone whose life may have been prolonged had she had ostomy surgery, but she refused, and she died. We need to stop the stigmas and increase awareness. An ostomy bag is simply a prosthetic device, like an artificial limb, that is required for someone to live an active life. Granted, it does take some time to adjust to, but don’t all new things?
