The best place to change a stoma bag is in a bathroom and these instructions assume that that is where you’ll be changing your bag. However, bag changes can be done anywhere you find comfortable that has space to lay out the items you need.
How to change a stoma bag
What you’ll need
- Warm water
- Non-woven wipes
- Disposal bags
- Medical adhesive remover
- Fresh stoma bag
- Deodorant spray (optional)
Steps
Wash your hands.
If you use a drainable or urostomy bag empty the contents into the toilet.
Apply a small amount of medical adhesive spray or wipe on top and around the edge of the flange and wait a few seconds.
Gently peel back the flange, holding the skin taut to ease removal. You can apply additional medical adhesive remover if you need to.
Use a dry, non-woven wipe or washable cloth to remove any excess waste from around the stoma.
Wash your stoma and surrounding area using water and a non-woven wipe or washable cloth. Then dry thoroughly.
Your stoma may change in shape and size. So, if you haven’t measured it recently, now is a good opportunity to check using a measuring card.
Cut the hole to the required size using a pair of pouch cutting scissors if it needs altering. SecuriCare offers a pouch cutting service so you can skip this step.
If you use a drainable or urostomy pouch, make sure the opening or tap is securely closed before applying the new pouch.
Remove the protective cover from the adhesive flange/baseplate on the fresh stoma bag.
Fit the bag from the bottom and smooth over the adhesive from the stoma to the edge, ensuring there are no creases that might cause leakage.
Hold in place with your hand for 30 seconds to a minute, to help the flange adhere to your skin.
How do I dispose of my stoma bag and appliances?
Disposing of stoma bags is easy but the method is slightly different depending on what type of bag you use. For drainable and urostomy bags the contents should first be emptied into the toilet. Then the stoma bag and any wipes you’ve used can be placed in a disposal bag which is sealed and thrown into a domestic refuse bin. Disposal bags should be supplied by your prescriber or home delivery service along with your stoma bags.
With a closed bag you can put the full used bag straight into a disposal bag or you can cut the bag open and empty the contents into a toilet before disposal. Stoma bags can be disposed of in normal domestic waste although some local authorities offer a clinical waste service for stoma bags where they’ll provide yellow bags and collect the waste.
If you have a colostomy, you might want to try Aura Flushable. It’s a unique one-piece stoma bag where the inner liner can be detached from the outer cover and along with the flange and waste can be flushed down the toilet. This leaves only the clean outer cover which can be disposed of at your convenience.
