How the stoma works

When the bowel moves, wind and waste matter come out through the stoma. You can’t control when this happens, so a small bag on the outside of the body collects the waste matter. This is called a stoma bag or an appliance.

Stoma bags have adhesive (glue) on the back so they stick securely to the skin and are leakproof and don’t smell. A filter lets out wind (but not the smell), to stop it inflating the bag. If your bag fills with air, talk to your stomal therapy nurse for ways to prevent this.

Attaching the bag

When you’re in hospital, a stomal therapy nurse will teach you how to change your bag, help you choose a bag that suits your body shape and explain how to attach it securely.

Emptying the bag

Stoma bags can be drainable (able to be emptied) or closed (thrown out after each bowel movement). After a colostomy, you may be able to wear a drainable or closed bag, depending on how thick or watery your waste matter is. After an ileostomy, you wear a drainable bag. How often you need to empty or change a stoma bag is affected by what you eat and drink.

• Closed bags may need changing 1–3 times a day. They should be put in a rubbish bin, not flushed down the toilet.
• Drainable bags have to be emptied in the toilet when they are about one-third full, and replaced every 1–3 days. A colostomy bag may need emptying 1–3 times a day. An ileostomy bag may need emptying 4–6 times a day, depending on what you eat and drink, because the waste is no thicker than a paste (more watery).

→ READ MORE: Living with a stoma