Sore skin!

It could be your diet, like spicy food or acidic foods causing this irritation. You can use anything used for a diaper rash to apply to the irritated skin. You may need to change your AM patch more or whatever you use over your flush stoma. I'm sure Sharon will chime in soon.

Hi Grandma, (you don't look 64!)
Thanks so much....as for the stoma redness/pain...I find that it is related to 3 possible things...1: a dietary change such as adding irritants ie. hot pepper sauce etc to your food (even if you are used to it...it can sometimes effect you), 2: sugar burn, when I eat too much refined sugar (and I do that a lot) it can cause a more acidy output (so can prune juice and other juices), 3: stomach acids due to liquidy output (usually if you have coffee on an empty stomach)...I also find that if I don't have time to change my patch for a while and it gets damp then I get a form of bumpy diaper rash...in my case it usually goes away within 24hr if I keep it dry and clean...if you can't wash it regularly then use a babywipe and dry it off well before covering it with a very absorbant cover (I use a cut up minipad stuck to my undergarment and a folded up kleenex against the skin (I like the mini packets, they are the perfect size when folded in 2)...the enemy of your stoma is dampness...so the mini kleenex is really absorbant, cheap and easy to find and buy, plus the 1/2 mini pad soaks up any excess moisture but be ware, if you are really damp or leak a lot of mucous (I do if I have to intubate often or remove the tube repeatedly to clear it of particles & pieces) then the cut end of the minipad can overflow its granular stuffing (the stuff that absorbs all the moisture) and that is very, very irritating for your skin.
As for any other irritation that refused to go away after 24hrs...hydracourt 1% cream or pomade...use it sparingly but renew after every intubation and just before bedtime.
Hope that this helps you somewhat...I have tried both aloe and vit e creams but they just don't cut it.
Sharon

Thanks so much Lois for your reply, and yes it could be that I'm not changing my pad enough, I seem to have more mucous on some days, so I'll have to watch that!

Zinc Oxide is good for irritated skin around the stoma and stays on. It's what's in Desitin, for diaper rashes. I have used it with great success at times when I've had irritated skin. I hope this helps you.

Hi Sharon, thanks for your quick reply, and thanks for saying I don't look 64, because I was born in 1964 not 64, LOL!!! Well anyways, what you said in your reply makes a lot of sense, I do sometimes drink tea on an empty stomach and I also crave sugar on occasion (candy), I know it's not good for me, but sometimes I can't help myself, haha! Also I seem to have a high output of mucus more often than not. On what to put on it, do you mean hydrocortisone cream? And what is pomade? Thanks! grandma64

Lois, would Desitin be ok to use or does it have to be zinc oxide? Thanks! grandma64

I was told not to use any zinc oxide cream around the stoma because it is very sticky and gets onto the tube when you insert it...the tube then pushes it inside the valve...and I was told that it is no-no for us...not sure if it is still true though...different doctors, different rules..
Sharon

Desitin is fine. Sharon you don't put it in the stoma, and you don't get it on the catheter....no problem.

I know that Jasmine but it can get onto the the tube while intubating...just repeating what I was told...
Sharon

Sharon, was you talking about hydrocortisone cream and what is pomade? Thanks, grandma64

Yes, Hydracourt cream..pomade is more vaseline based but the same idea...it is just clear and a bit greasy...not sure if it exisits there though.
Sharon

Thanks so much Sharon, as always, full of great suggestions! Knew I could count on you!grandma64

ps...you are 4 yrs younger than me!
And you look darn good too!
Sharon

Oh, Bless your heart, thank you do much for that, you just made my day! grandma64

Once you get the skin healed up around your stoma, you might try skin wipes. I forget what they are called, but you just tear open the little packet and apply to the skin around your stoma. It dries quickly and provides a protective coating.Oh, try this site- http://www.totalhomecaresuppli...ducts/sssns80725.jpg

Never thought to try these, I'll have to give them a try! Thanks for the reply. grandma64

Grandma,
Just 1 more thought...do you take any suppliments? If so, iron and Vit B complex can both burn your skin through acidy output...if so, they have less of a negative effect on your skin if taken with a meal and not on an empty stomach.
Sharon