Winterize Your Stoma
by Jack Henslee
Some laryngectomees take better care of their cars during the winter than they do
themselves. For some winter does not seem to have a significant effect, but for others it
attacks with a vengeance. There are several things that you can do to lessen the effects.
The first is to call your travel agent and book a condo in Hawaii, or some other warm
destination, for the next 2-3 months. For those of us that can’t quite afford that
option here are some tips:
- Always keep your stoma covered. A foam filter does a great job of retaining the moisture
in your stoma, plus it helps filter and heat the cold air you breath in. In addition to
the foam filters, you can add cloth stoma covers that not only look nice but provide
additional protection, you can wear turtle necks (yes you can breath through them as long
as your not too active, i.e., jogging), or you can wear loose scarves. Remember, the
primary objective is to keep the moisture in.
- Watch the humidity in your house. Heaters, especially central heat systems, dry out the
air and cause dryness in the stoma. This dryness mayl lead to excessive coughing and could
cause a stoma plug if not guarded against. The best protection is to add a room humidifier
to your bedroom and possibly even other rooms of the house, depending on the effect it has
on you.
- You should also occasionally spray a saline solution into the stoma, or at least take
long hot showers so that the steam can bathe your stoma and loosen any buildup. Breathing
through a hot/wet wash cloth can also do wonders for you. If you breathing starts to
become a little shallow and strained; read the above again.
- Don’t use antihistamines or decongestants as they may dry up the mucus even more.
Cough preparations that contain an “expectorant” will be more helpful in
loosening the mucus so it can be coughed out.
- Wash your hands often, and always make sure they are clean before touching the stoma
area. Most colds and flu are transmitted by touching rather than by inhaling the germs.
If none of the above seems to help, then you might have to call your travel agent
anyway. Even one or two weeks would be better that the rain, fog and cold.
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