How to Shower With a Stoma

A stoma is an opening in your abdomen through which waste material is removed from your body. There are no nerve endings in a stoma, so it does not transmit any pain or sensation. Patients with a stoma are fit with an ostomy system (a pouch) to collect the waste and keep the skin around the stoma as healthy as possible. After surgery, medical professionals provide instruction on stoma care. Showering with a stoma is a simple process.

Instructions

Showering

• 1

  Familiarize yourself with how your stoma normally appears. Showering is the optimal time to check your stoma for any changes or abnormalities. Your stoma should be red and moist (similar to the inside of your lip); not all stomas have the same shape or protrusion, though. Get to know your own shape and size so that if you notice significant changes you can notify your doctor.

• 2

  You can shower with the pouch on or off. The choice is yours. If you are keeping the pouch on, shower as normal and simply dry the outside of the pouch when you are finished.

• 3

  If you are showering with the pouch off, you should first empty your ostomy pouch. Then remove both the pouch and stoma wafer/skin barrier. Shower as normal. Showering is the optimal time to gently wash the skin around your stoma. Water will not enter your stoma or cause any injury or irritation. Afterward, gently dry the skin around your stoma and apply a new stoma wafer or skin barrier to the area followed by a new pouch.