Bleeding from Stoma Site: Seeking Advice

Hi, I just wondered if anyone else bleeds from the outside where the colon was attached to stomach skin! I have a small wound that never heals, bleeds quite a lot, and allows waste behind the rim of the sticker bit of the bag directly onto the wound. I've tried seals; it's been cauterized several times but won't heal. Every time I change the bag, it reopens the wound. Any suggestions?

One big suggestion would be to go to the hospital and get it seen to.

Regards, IGGIE

Have you tried crusting with stoma powder?

I had a small separation of the skin from the stoma shortly after surgery, and it was bleeding. I'm not sure if you have the same thing, but my stoma nurse taught me to treat it by placing a small amount of stoma powder on the area and dabbing with a barrier wipe to "crust" it. It took several treatments, but it did heal.

My first question would be how long have you had your stoma?

I am on blood thinners, and I tend to produce a lot of hyper-granulation, so I bleed quite a lot sometimes. And though it may be upsetting, the amount of blood is far less than what it looks like.
When I first got my ileostomy 28 years ago, I was under nurses who were specifically trained in dealing with wound care. One of the products that helped me a lot was called Kaltostat, which is made from seaweed.

I think it would be best to contact your district nurse or ask to be assigned to a district nurse to help you with your wound care. The district nurses in New Zealand were a lifeline for me, although I no longer need them as I have learned to care for my own wounds.
They should be able to help you with the products you need to help your wound heal.
I found that sound dressings with Manuka honey helped me enormously.

But it did take quite a long time for my wounds to finally heal.

All the best,
Gracie

To be safe, consult with a doctor. If you feel comfortable with trying crusting, here is the procedure if you don't already know how to do it.

Provided it does not get infected, as Susan proposed: Try crusting. I use 3M Cavillon barrier swabs to do crusting.

Wipe the swab over the wound. Dispense stoma powder onto the wound by tapping the bottle. Try to cover the wound with the powder. Then dab with the swab until the white powder color is gone. Put on more stoma powder. Dab with the swab. I usually do this three times. Let the area completely dry. You will see a crust form over the wound.

Install the wafer/flange as normal.

If this works, it will take a few weeks of doing it before you notice healing.

I crust the bottom of my stoma skin at every wafer change. It helps protect the peristomal skin when I sit, and an abdominal fat roll presses against the bottom of my stoma.

If you develop a fever, or see pus, or if the stoma changes color to grey or black, go to the emergency room or see a doctor right away.

My Ostomy Journey: Keyla | Hollister

The first question you need to ask your doctor, not us mere mortals, is why it is not healing. You should not be bleeding at all. If changing your setup is tearing it open each time, you have to adjust something. But first, get it figured out as to why it won't heal.

Just that every time you clean the bag, try to be as efficient as you can be with cleaning. Put extreme effort into doing so! I have bled a lot in the past, but not anymore. I used mercurochrome liquid and also the ostomy powder around the skin surrounding the stoma that sticks out, not on the stoma itself.

Where exactly is the wound? Is it at the base of the stoma, slightly touching it, or is it slightly offset from the stoma? Is it a shallow or deep wound? As long as effluent gets on the wound, it will not heal.

Check with your doctor or stoma nurse to see what they think you should do about it. It might be nothing, but it might be something major. You don't want to let it go and just hope it gets better on its own.