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Having an ostomy needs psychological preparation and adaptation, as it will create new habits and require you to adjust to the new daily tasks, like emptying the pouch, or cleaning the stoma. Emptying an ostomy pouch properly is very important, and the following is some instructions to help empty your punch.

Useful Tips for Ostomates:

• Place toilet paper in the toilet before emptying your bag to avoid unwanted splashes.
• Put some water into the pouch, if the stool gets too thick, to soften the stool and make the emptying process easier.
• Carry a hand sanitizer with you to clean the hands.
• Use thicker toilet paper sheets.
• Watch your diet to keep stool normal because diet could affect the amount, consistency and frequency of the stool.

When to Empty The Pouch?

Wear time is the period between the pouch application and its removal, which should be predictable. Most of the clinicians agree that the minimal acceptable wear time should be 3 to 4 days. The wear time could be evaluated by the exam of solid skin barrier.

What Time is Proper to Change the Pouch?

It is important to choose a proper time to change your pouch, which should avoid the meal time as well as the visiting hour to avoid the loss of your appetite or embarrassment. Make sure that the pouch has been changed before the mealtime or well after the administering bowel stimulating medicine so that the drainage won’t occur during the procedure. When possible, take your patient to the toilet for this procedure, which could reduce the embarrassment as well as support the learning to take care of the appliance when they would be at home. Emptying a drainable pouch should be done when it is between one to two third full of the excreta or gas so that the weight of the pouch won’t break the seal surrounding the stoma. One-piece, closed appliances should be removed daily to be emptied.

How to Empty the Pouch

• Sit or stand.
• Press the outtake down to the bottom, and fold the pouch slowly as well as carefully towards the bottom.
• Take away the clamp to make the bag open and face that end to the toilet, between the legs when sitting down.
• Push all the stool out carefully into the toilet.
• If the stool is too thick, add some water to the bag to loosen the stool so that it could be removed more easily.
• Use your hand to take control of the amount of stool getting out, by not letting the bag wide open to provoke some unwanted splashing.
• After done with the emptying, clean the tip with wet wipe or toilet paper. Unfold the bag and stretch it to close the end back.
• Take care of the Ostomy Pouch and Stoma.
  

All in all, adjusting to life with an ostomy pouch could be quite defying. However, there are many sources of information as well as ostomy support groups existing to provide the safe spaces for the ostomates to discuss and share their experiences, such as how to empty the pouches and other more. You could ask your doctor to help you find a support group right for you nearby.