Keeping your stoma clean is no easy task. I mean, why would it be? With literal waste constantly running through your body and out your stoma into your ostomy bag, it’s pretty reasonable to assume that keeping your stoma clean would be hard. However, I can say from personal experience that it is really important to keep your stoma clean. Having an infection or some sort of complication in that area can be really harmful to your body and overall well being, and you don’t want to end up in the hospital or something just because you haven’t been taking proper care of your stoma. I have personally had a stoma for over 5 years now, and I know that sometimes it can be hard to find the motivation to give my stoma the proper care it needs to fight off infection or to stay looking fly. However, I have become pretty experienced with my stoma and with different types of ostomy supplies, so I feel that I am knowledgeable enough to give you some advice on how to keep your stoma clean and safe. So with that being said, here are some tips that I have for you to keep your stoma in the clear. Please note that I am not a medical professional by any means. 

The biggest part of keeping your stoma clean is to check it for any physical damage or changes on the regular. As a safe bet, check your stoma and the area around it each time you find yourself changing your ostomy pouch. This could mean that you are checking your stoma up to 3 or 4 times a day, which is definitely beneficial in keeping everything running smoothly down there. A lot of people are unsure what their stoma should look like after surgery compared to later down the road. Well, I can tell you that after surgery your stoma may be a slightly different shape or color than what it normally will be. After you’ve healed completely, your stoma should look shiny or moist, and be a pinkish red type of color. I like to think of the color of ground beef and compare it to how my stoma looks. Also be sure to stand in front of a mirror or use a handheld mirror so you can see every part of the stoma. The skin around your stoma should be smooth with no redness or swelling as well!

As for cleaning your stoma, you are not going to need to look too far for the necessary cleaning supplies. Honestly, all you really need is some warm water and a means of drying. Water does not harm the stoma at all, and it is necessary to clean your stoma after each ostomy bag change to ensure you are staying clean down there. Once you have properly washed your stoma with warm water, make sure to thoroughly dry your stoma with a soft washcloth. Don’t get too rough with it either – you mostly just need to gently pat it to dry it out.

Your stoma may bleed a little bit when you are cleaning it, but that’s normal because your stoma actually has blood vessels on it. Perhaps the worst part about cleaning your stoma is the fact that urine will continue to flow out as you clean it, so just make sure to have some paper towels or something ready to mop up all that urine you sicko.