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POUCH MAINTENANCE By Mary Zink, RNET, Ostomy Insights The type of pouch you wear is a highly individual matter based on the kind of stoma you have- it’s size- it’s profile- and your particular abdominal shape around the stoma. But, the one characteristic everyone should have in a pouch is odor-proofness. In this day and age there is no reason for not wearing a pouch that is odor-proof. In fact there are few pouches made today that are not odor-proof. The few cents you might save using a pouch that is not odor-proof costs you much more in terms of social embarrassment and restricted activity. In order for a pouch to control odor you must be sure to always do three things properly: 1. Get a good seal around the stoma. 2. Change the pouch frequently enough to make sure the seal is always effective. 3. Drain it properly. This means you can’t have any stool on the outside of the pouch. Notice, I said, on the outside - the pouch is made to hold stool on the inside - so what little you can’t get out won’t cause odor as long as the outside is clean. (Ed’s Note: Watch the drainable pouch on the inside of the tail, where the stool could hide, however). I do not advocate rinsing the pouch if you use an odor proof pouch. Why? First, Rinsing gets water up around the stoma where the pouch seal is so important. Water will melt down the seal of the pouch and you will have unprotected skin there. This will cause skin irritation and you will need to change the pouch more frequently. (The above is if you are using a open end pouch, and leaving it attached while rinsing, not if you are using a two piece and rinsing out the pouch separately) Secondly, you most likely have much better things to do with your time than rinsing the pouch. Do just the things you need to do to take care of your stoma so you can spend your time living rather than focusing on your stoma and living to take care of it. Finally, do not poke holes in the pouch. This makes you smell all the time, as odor constantly escapes. If you have so much gas that you find letting it out the bottom a bother, get a pouch with a filter built in or add one to the pouch you are using. They are available at your suppliers. Or, check
out the Osto-EZ-Vent, by KEM
Enterprises, @ 1-888-562-8802, this is a fairly new company located in 53 |