Stoma Care

 

 

• Stoma Care - Basics
• Stoma Care - Do's & Don'ts
• Stoma Care - Equipment
• HME (Heat/Moisture Exchange)
• Stoma Covers and Patterns
• After Care - Mucus Problems

 

 

stoma care - equipment

 

STOMA CARE EQUIPMENT

3X MAGNIFYING

A wall mirror over a sink with a flashlight just doesn't work. One of the most essential things to have is a lighted 3X magnifying mirror. This is necessary to do a thorough cleaning job of the stoma and prosthesis.

 

 

 

 

EMERGENCY STOMA VENT

If you lose your stoma vent (tube) and don't have a spare, it may take a few days to get a new one.  If it is urgent that you wear one (as in stoma stenosis), use a baby bottle nipple, cut the narrow tip back to increase the inner diameter and it will make a temporary short tube. The flange end could be pierced on each side and you could use ribbon, string, or shoe laces to tie behind the neck and hold it in the stoma. You can even sterilize it before and after use. (Judy Greiwe)

 

A GOOD PAIR OF TWEEZERS

Following a laryngectomy, you will quickly pick up another little task to add to your morning routine of whisker removal, hair brushing, and dental hygiene. Yes – You'll also have to remove that pesky, overnight, accumulation of mucus from the margin of your stoma and/or from your prosthesis. Get a good pair of tweezers. Instead of the drugstore, you need to check out the hardware store. There you'll find a pair cross-bent electronic tweezers. They were intended as soldering aids, but you would think they were designed with us in mind. These are hefty, stainless steelguys over six inches long with straight and bent blades (I prefer the 45° angle), but the really neat thing is that they operate on negative pressure. In other words, you open them and when you release, they clamp down. This will allow you to concentrate all your effort in that gentle, strategic pulling necessary to effectively remove any hardened mucus. They will last you forever and the cost is a very nominal $2-$5.00. (Marvin Whitley)

 

MY CHOICE OF TWEEZERS

A good pair of tweezers is an essential tool for a lary. While I have a pair of the ones with the angled tips which I like, my favorite is the medical "hemostat" (or clamp). They look similar to a pair of scissors, but the ends are blunt and pinch together. They can also lock closed in a powerful grip via an overlapping set of metal teeth adjacent to where your thumb and forefinger go. You can order this from several laryngectomee suppliers, or can often find them in hobby, military surplus, or medical supply stores.