While ostomy surgery is a life-saving procedure, watching your little one undergoing it can be one of the most distressing things to notice. Most parents are concerned about their children’s needs that may arise after surgery.
With a little patience and practice, you can take care of your child with a stoma quite comfortably. In this article, we will discuss a few concerns that people have about their children with stomas.
Hugging a child after stoma surgery
Your surgeon will not restrict you from hugging your child unless there is an underlying reason that might complicate the stoma care regimen. You can hold and hug your child and allow him to play with friends. Nonetheless, you may have to ask your child to avoid playing contact sports. Your healthcare provider will tell you about any restrictions.
The look of the stoma
Ideally, a stoma has the following characteristics.
- Red, moist, soft to touch, and overall appearance that of the inside of your mouth
- Oval or round in shape
- Slightly raised on the surface of the abdomen
Since a stoma has a good blood supply, it may bleed quite easily when you rub or clean it. However, it doesn’t feel anything due to the absence of nerve endings in it. If you see any abnormalities in the stoma of your child, contact your doctor or ostomy care nurse immediately.
Does the stoma hurt?
Since there are no nerve endings in the stoma, your child will not feel pain in it while passing stools or urine. The stoma will be tender and swollen during the first few days after surgery, but this swelling will subside in a few weeks. A stoma in its usual form suggests normal functions of the bowel.
Change in the stoma after surgery
It will take a few weeks for your stoma to settle to a permanent shape and size. Usually, it takes six to eight weeks for the swelling in the stoma to subside. After this duration, the shape and size of your stoma will be permanent. In some cases, the stoma may protrude or sink from the level of the abdomen. While a slight protrusion or retraction may not be problematic, an extensive movement should be addressed immediately.
Emptying the child’s ostomy pouch
You have to empty an ostomy pouch as soon as it is one-third to half full. It will help prevent the pouch from pulling away from the abdominal skin. Emptying a too-full ostomy pouch is also more difficult.
It is necessary to clean the end of the pouch to avoid odors and stains on clothes. Moreover, ensure that the tail closure is not pressing against your child's abdomen.
Wear time of an ostomy pouch
You will have to ask your stoma care nurse about the duration of the ostomy pouch wear time. Factors that dictate the wear time include the child’s size, activity level, type of ostomy, and stool consistency. An older child may wear an ostomy pouch for three to four days.
