Stoma changes

The stoma is the part of the bowel the surgeon has bought to the surface of your skin on your abdomen.

Your stoma:

• Should be shiny reddish pink, wet like the inside of your mouth.
• Will be a different size and shape from other people – your stoma is unique to you.
• Is swollen after surgery and then shrinks down for the next 6-8 weeks.
• Can change size and shape with weight loss or gain of 10 pounds or more for as long as you have your stoma.
• Has no feeling when you touch it.
• May bleed slightly when you wipe it or wash it. This is normal.
• Does not look like the picture of stomas in the book or online after surgery. It takes time for the stoma to heal.
• May have sutures around it after surgery, like tiny dark threads, which will dissolve over time.

The skin around your stoma

Your skin around your stoma:

• Should look like the skin on the rest of your abdomen.
• Should not be itchy or painful or feel like it is burning.
• Should not have any stool on it when you remove your pouching system.