No need to do anything special around the stoma. It's a "dirty area" and there's no way to keep it clean until the surgery starts -- they will handle it in the OR.

Good luck tomorrow!

Thank you so much!

Liz, I just got quickly sucked into your blog and have bookmarked it to read while I'm recovering. Thanks for helping me not feel so alone right now.

Thanks Bean! I hope everything went well and you're recovering comfortably today

Thanks, I made it through and am doing well at home now. I'm definitely recovering faster than I did from my emergency colectomy a year ago because I was already so sick before that surgery AND 5 months pregnant.

I'm still struggling a bit with staying hydrated, but my appetite has come back so that's helping thicken things up. This new loop ileostomy stoma is a big pain because it's almost flush with my stomach, but I'm learning to deal with it. I have my takedown scheduled for early June, so that will be a relief. I'm nervous about that though, of course, as I know having an internal pouch has its own challenges.