Have you heard of what’s called a parastomal hernia? While not everyone who has an ostomy has this, it’s a common issue in a lot of cases. While they aren’t always dangerous, you should always seek out medical care for hernias, even if they’re not painful. They can impact the life quality, causing you discomfort and fatigue.
Plus, it can affect your mental health too, so better to handle this now. First, let’s talk about what parastomal hernias. This is usually a bulge that’s near the stoma, and usually, it has a little bit of pain to it when touched. They’re not always going to cause pain, but they can, and it can be noticeable if you laugh, cough, or strain. You also may feel a bit of a dragging feeling, a leaking of an ostomy bag, or struggle with putting the ne ostomy bag on.
What Causes These
You may wonder if you’re at risk, and what the risks for this are. Having a stoma is pretty much a risk factor for this to start. During an ostomy, doctors create the stoma with some of the intestines to help divert where the waste goes out. This passage is usually in the lower parts of the abdomen.
Because the process is actually serious, it can make the abdominal muscles weaken, which then causes them to move back from where your stoma is. This area, when it’s weakened, usually is a spot where the intestines try to push through, and that creates the hernia that happens. There are other risk factors as well, and that can be chronic cough or gaining weight, since this can put you at risk for a parastomal hernia. If you life heavy, this is another risk factor for parastomal hernias, so you should most definitely be careful too.
Tips for this
While you can’t always prevent them, there are a few things that you can do.You can talk to your doctor or ostomy nurse about what you can do to fix this. But first, work on those core muscles. Weak abdominal muscles and abdominal cavity are what make hernias more likely. You should check with your doctor before trying out new exercises though, especially post-injury. But for many who have ostomies, they can exercise pretty regularly, so it’s good for you.
Once you’re allowed to start doing physical activity, do this slow. Your doctor may give you a few ab exercises to start with. Another way to protect this is an ostomy belt or ostomy wrap, since this can help to conceal the pouch, and also offer support for the system. When the bag gets more and more full, the weight is what causes the leaks, dragging, irritation, and also puts you at risk for hernias. This helps to support the bag’s weight too. You also can prevent this by taking care of your weight. You’ve probably heard this, and while it is a common tip for avoiding and prevention, it’s actually important for parastomal hernias. That’s because there is evidence that showcases that being overweight or obese is one of the most major causes of this. That means, that to prevent development of this, you might want to start managing your diet and exercise. Obviously, talk to the doctor to get some tips on the best ways to go about managing your weight. And finally, be mindful when you’re lifting. Practice good form, bend at the knees and not your waist, and keep the back straight. If you feel pain in your body, you should stop, and you should ask for help too.
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