Ballooning refers to puffed-up ostomy bags. These bags could puff up because of the digestive tract’s gas that enters your ostomy bag after exiting through your stoma. It is unavoidable as filters cannot always prevent it. Getting an ostomy bag support by Stealth Belt can help you deal with few difficulties associated with ostomy bags. As you cannot always avoid ballooning, here are a few ways to deal with it and reduce it:
Diet
You can try to reduce the gas production in your body to minimize ballooning occurrences. One way to do so would be by paying attention to your diet. Some foods and drinks like carbonated beverages, nuts, grains, dairy, some veggies (carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, and broccoli), some fruits (pears and apples), and beans tend to cause gas.
Even though some food items cause gas, different foods may affect you differently. Some foods could cause gas to one person but might not affect another person. It would be best to keep a food diary to keep track of the food items that could cause gas.
Eating Slow
You should be mindful of how you eat your food in addition to what you consume. If you have an ostomy, you need to eat slowly. When you eat slowly, two essential things happen: you allow your body to tell you that you are full while eating, thereby preventing overstuffing, and you would also be swallowing less air. It takes some time for your body to communicate to your brain that you are full. If you are eating quickly, you are at risk of overeating, as you have not yet had the chance to realize that you are full.
Moreover, by eating quickly, you swallow air. This air will then cause bloating after going into your digestive tract until it comes out of the stoma as extra gas. So, reduce the swallowing of air and overeating by eating slowly.
Habits
Some habits that can cause air to exit your digestive tract in the form of gas include smoking, chewing gum, and drinking through a straw. All of these can cause the swallowing of air which later becomes gas. By making a few changes to your lifestyle, you can reduce gas formation in your body.
However, even though you can reduce gas, you cannot eliminate it, as the gas formation is part of our digestion process. Here are a few things you can do to avoid ballooning when you cannot prevent gas:
Filters
You can majorly reduce ballooning by using an ostomy bag with a filter. These filters will automatically eliminate the gas in your bag and ensure that there is no scent. People around you will not know what is happening as there is no smell during gas removal.
However, you need to protect your filter as it can get clogged. This happens when it gets wet because of pancaking and high output.
You cannot prevent the filter from getting clogged during high output production. However, there are a few ways through which you can protect your filter from getting wet and pancaking.
Pancaking occurs when your filter works well, causing a vacuum in the pouch, which would, in return, clog the filter. You can avoid this situation by using medical tape or a filter-sticker. When you have to prevent a vacuum formation, place the filter-sticker over the filter, and when you need to let the gas out, remove the filter-sticker. You can prevent the filter from getting wet by using the same method.
When you are swimming or bathing, you should place a medical tape or sticker over the sticker to prevent it from getting wet. While your filter could get ruined by swimming or bathing, it most likely will not be damaged by a shower. Nevertheless, it is an excellent idea to protect your filter either way.
Burping Your Bag
By burping your bag, you can prevent it from ballooning by letting the gas out. The bathroom is the best place to burp your bag. You can use a pouch lubricator/deodorizer or biologic odor-reducing spray if you frequently burp your bag. Depending on whether you have a one-piece pouching system or a two-piece pouching system, you will have to burp out the gas differently.
Bag Vents
If burping your bag makes you feel uncomfortable, you can try bag vents. However, unlike a filter, they do not prevent the smell. Here too, you can use a pouch lubricator/deodorizer or biologic odor-reducing spray.
If you wish to conceal your ostomy appliance and live more comfortably, visit https://stealthbelt.com/.
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