Why is my stoma shrinking below the skin barrier?

Why does my stomach shrink below my skin barrier?

Maybe you scared it? ☺️. Just kidding.

They do shrink. I call it breathing. But if it recedes that far in, you might be in trouble.

You may need a better flange or wafer. What are you using now?

How old is the stoma?

Are you using a convex wafer?

IGGIE

Warrior is right; they move a lot. If yours dips below skin level, a convex wafer can help pull it out a little.

Hollister, this has just stated, going on 6 months post-surgery.

My Ostomy Journey: Keyla | Hollister

Sorry 9 months

No, this just started.

Talk to your stoma nurse, but I would get a convex wafer if I were you.

IGGIE

Yup... agreed. 👍

Ok, not a fan of that brand.

Do you have a part number? Some means of a description?

I will look it up, but it should identify itself on the box it came in. Let us know. Thanks.

Yes. It's a 11203. I have one convex wafer; however, I do not know that #

Mine retracts to skin level at times. It didn't do it at first (or at least we didn't know it). It started around 3 or 4 months post-surgery for me.

What did you do? It has returned to normal.

P.S. I'm nine months post.

Hello,

A convex wafer would help... but can have its own problems. Constantly pushing the area around your stoma downward can cause soreness. And you might still experience leaks.

The addition of a support belt would help maintain downward pressure to prevent leaks. But it can cause uncomfortable soreness.

Revision surgery can pull out a retracted stoma. You would need a consultation with a gastro surgeon to explore if this would work for your situation.

Thank you.

I switched to a convex wafer and got a hernia support belt. I've been able to manage mine better than most people. At least so far, my system works, and I get 7 days of wear.

That said, I still expect to get revision surgery at some point. I'm still dealing with some surgical complications that have to take precedence for now.

Stomas change size and shape after surgery, but 9 months out is a long while to still be shrinking. If it's going below your skin level, that might be something you want to talk to your doctor about. If you have a hard time getting a wafer on or keeping a wafer on, then you might need to have your stoma medically pulled out some.