How To Stop Colostomy Bags From Bursting - A Guide

If you want to find out how to stop a colostomy bag from bursting, you’ve come to the right place. It’s a super unfortunate experience, and learning how to stop it from happening can be an incredibly stress-relieving thing. I’m sure you’ve heard the horror stories out there, and we honestly don’t blame you for being stressed. But once you’ve read this article, you’ll understand that your colostomy bag doesn’t need to control you. By regulating your activities, what you eat, and more, you’ll be able to avoid most issues altogether.

The first and arguably most important thing you need to start doing is watching what you eat. One of the main reasons colostomy bags burst is due to gas build-up, and that gas build-up is often due to what you eat and drink. Basically, anything that induces gas needs to be avoided. The first big food is beans. Anything from dried lima beans to kidney beans can induce gas. Just one can of beans can result in a bag bursting. The second major food group you need to avoid is dairy. Basically, act as though you’re lactose intolerant, and in this case, you kind of are. Dairy like cheese, ice cream, and even milk might result in excessive gas build-up. If you actually are lactose intolerant, you cannot eat these foods. You should also attempt to avoid oats and wheat. Whole grains are gas inducing and will burst the bag if consumed too often. Unfortunately, there are a few fruits you need to avoid as well. You should start avoiding apples, peaches, and of course prunes. The same goes for vegetables. We don’t recommend you eat onions, asparagus, cabbage, and other similar veggies. And for some of the more obvious options, you can no longer eat things like candy. The chemicals in a lot of candy are heavy gas inducing. The same goes for a lot of processed foods.

So now that you know which foods to stay away from, you’ll need to figure out which drinks also need to be avoided. Drinks like soda of course definitely cause gas. Anything that is carbonated can cause this. Carbonated drinks are one of the leading causes of colostomy bags bursting. You should also avoid alcohol, because even if it isn’t carbonated it still may cause gas. One of the most important to avoid is of course coffee. Coffee has been known to cause gastritis in people with colostomy bags. Do keep in mind that you’ll still be able to drink coffee, just in very small amounts. To be safe, we recommend cutting it out altogether, but it’s your choice.

Besides eating habits, there is only one other major reason as to why colostomy bags burst. And that reason is of course physical activity. There is a wide array of activities out there that burst colostomy bags. Some examples are hiking at high elevations, biking, running, and other physical exercises. The effort takes for these activities is often too much for most colostomy bags to handle if they’re not prepared properly beforehand. Events like swimming and running are manageable, but not if done incorrectly. For example, if you plan on running, you don’t want the bag swinging around because it will burst. Instead, you’ll want to purchase a sling specifically designed to lower the stress on the bag. When swimming, you’ll want something that secures it to you and prevents the bag from taking too much underwater strain. A great way to make sure that your bag is able to go along with you on these exercises is to buy a great brand. When shopping around, be sure to look for reputable brands. You’ll want to read through the reviews, and of course, get advice and recommendations from your doctor or another health professional. There are also online communities that help with this exact thing, so you’re definitely not alone. There are so many people out there who will share with you what not to do and what you should actually be doing.