By Neil Macdonald

There have been great advances in improving the glues and wafers that help to prevent leakage.

There has been no change in the way that the urine is collected from the stoma and stored until the pouch is emptied. This surprises me. As a Urostomy patient myself, I am interested in what advances have been made in the collection method from the stoma. So far, from doing research, I have not found any alternative method.

The only method on the market, today, is to have a plastic pouch glued to the stomach with the stoma inside the pouch. Even with the great advances in adhesives and barrier rings, subjecting the skin under the pouch, therefore under the adhesive, to prolonged exposure to these chemicals does cause problems. Skin being in constant contact with these chemicals year after year does show, at least sensitivity. Human skin should not be subjected to adhesives 24/7 for years on end.

If Urostomy and Colostomy patients were polled, I think that you would find that one of there top problems was the skin underneath their pouch. Just looking at the skin can tell you that it is irritated because of the adhesives used.

The following four paragraphs I either quoted or paraphrased from an article written by Gwen B. Turnbull, RN, BS, ET.

The article title - Ostomy Wound Management
The full article is at http://www.o-wm.com/article/6240

Before 1960, only 25 companies manufactured Ostomy supplies.

In 1920, the Koenig-Rutzen rubber pouch was introduced. It took another 20 years before disposable plastic pouching systems, skin-friendly adhesives, and skin protection became available on the market.

By 1950, more companies had entered the market and innovation took flight. However, extensive use of "permanent" (re-usable) heavy rubber pouches, rigid faceplates, and glue remained the norm.

In the early 1970s,Vinyl re-usable pouches were introduced but were ineffective at odour management. Karaya's capabilities as a "skin barrier," discovered in the mid-1960s, quickly moved it into a position of dominance in the US Ostomy market. Later that decade and early into the next, larger manufacturers entered the field, producing more advanced skin barriers and disposable, lightweight, odour-resistant pouching systems.

Yes, there has continued to be advances in pouch designs, adhesives and skin barrier but there have NOT been any advances in the methodology of collecting the urine from the stoma.

Why not?

Medical science has advanced a hundred fold since the 50s, 60s and 70s. However, the Medical Community has not looked into new methodology to replace the pouch system nor have the large Ostomy supply companies. Is the reason, the same old story?

I have no medical training but here is what I would like to see. A method of collection that does not require a pouch glued to your abdomen. The pouch held in place with an abdominal belt on some kind. To me, the pouch is nothing more than a zip lock bag with a few baffles inside to help keep the urine from settling around the stoma area and an output stopper for emptying. Really that is all they are.

The odd time Ostomy patients are required to either catheterize themselves or by the Ostomy Nurse. Generally, this is done when a sterile sample of urine is required to test for an infection.

When I was taking my Chemotherapy on a weekly bases there were two people who required a stint implant because their veins were in such bad shape. This was the only way that they could receive the chemotherapy. One Chemotherapy session every three weeks lasted for over 4 hours. That is a long time to have an IV dripping strong chemicals into your system. As I understand it, the stint used in most home dialysis patients.

Why cannot some variation of the stint be attached to the stoma to provide inches extending from the abdominal wall? This stint would be inserted or attached to the pouch to carry the urine from the stoma. Alternatively, the stoma made longer during surgery so that it extends outside the abdominal wall at least 4 to 6 inches. Even though, the stoma created from a section of the small bowel, it has no nerve endings. The extended portion from the abdominal wall could be kept clean and safe by a protective cover. All Ostomy patients are very aware of cleanliness. If they do not, they will have one infection after another and nobody wants that.

So, let us hear some comments back. Am I too far out in left field? If nothing else, it is food for thought for Ostomy patients.

You can view my blog at: http://www.mybladdercancersite.com where I tell my story from diagnosis, surgery, the creation of a stoma, chemotherapy and as of today - cancer free.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neil_Macdonald

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The surgical procedure to remove the bladder is known as a cystectomy and is usually performed as a result of cancer of the bladder. You can also have radiation and chemotherapy treatment which is used to treat bladder cancer. If the cancer is in the muscle of the bladder then surgery is performed to remove it.

Cystectomy is considered a very aggressive treatment option and may not be the best option for everyone. Those who have superficial tumors may respond better to a more conservative treatment. A cystectomy is considered a major surgical procedure and the patient is put under general anesthesia. There is a small incision made on the lower abdomen.

The ureters are found, tied, and cut. The ureters connect the bladder to the kidneys, so cutting them frees the bladder for the removal process. The bladder as well as other associated organs are then removed. In male patients the prostate is removed along with the bladder. In women patients the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and part of the vagina are also removed with the bladder removal process.

The bladder of a healthy person collects urine from the kidneys for excretion at a later time. When the bladder has been removed the doctors must come up with a new method to remove urine from the body. In many cases a small portion of the small intestine is removed, cleaned, and tied at one end to become the form of a tube. After this the other end is then used to form a stoma, which is an opening through the abdominal wall to outside the body. The patient is required to wear a bag to collect the urine.

Before the procedure is performed a member of the medical staff will discuss the entire procedure and can tell the patient where the stoma will be on their body and what it will look like. The patient will also get all the information they need on how to care for a stoma and bag. Counseling may be discussed and there may be a period of fasting required as well as an enema.

After going through a successful operation the patient will be given fluid based nutritional drinks until the intestines begin to function normally. You are also given antibiotics to prevent infection of the incision area. When a person's organs are removed it means that there will be major lifestyle changes after the procedure.

After this procedure women are infertile as a result of the ovaries and uterus being removed, but it is more common for women to have a cystectomy are postmenopausal and are far past their child baring days. Men are impotent because the nerves that control penis erection are cut during the removal process of the bladder.

The patient must be fitted with an external bad that connects to the stoma and is used to collect urine. These bags are usually worn around the waist and are easily hidden under clothes. It may take a while to get used to wearing a bag but since there isn't a bladder urine is excreted when it is produced, which is continuously.

About the author:
Article by Sven Ullmann, who runs http://www.deservedhealth.com - information on health for you and your family. Read more about http://www.deservedhealth.com/cystectomy-bladder-surgery/ . Get our health newsletter here: http://www.deservedhealth.com/newsletter

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

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