Hi Stella, The stoma has many blood vessels and can bleed easily when rubbed, this may have been caused during the changing  process. Bleeding can also be caused by the wafer being a little tight. Any normal bleeding should only last a minute or so. If you are concerned it may be more than this contact your stoma nurse. Even certain foods can colour output and can be alarming when first seen and not known what the cause is.

Hi Stela,

Bearing in mind that I am not a doctor and if this persists or gets worse or is hurting, please get it check out by a professional.

That said, yes.. sometimes I get some bleeding around the stoma. Usually it is because I have scraped or bumped it or something while doing a change and getting all the gluey stuff off. Since the stoma  has no feelings, its easy to do. The other day I also had a pancaking 'event' and it was bleeding more than usual.  I think it was irritated by the roughish stuff in the pancake material ( too many crackers) .It stopped bleeding very quickly though, as I was still changing bags etc.

So, good luck, but DO seek medical advise. .do you have a way to e mail a stoma nurse? Or a phone call. Probably a good ( and speedy) way to start.

Hi john, I see we posted at almost the same time with nearly the same advise. I had forgotten about the too tight wafer. Stomas do change in size and that could be causing the irritation.

Bleeding around the stoma (and on the stoma itself) is usually no cause for concern. I've had it happen many times, often tracing it back to a cause.

Some common reasons why it happens often includes friction. For example  your wafer was cut too thin or you've rubbed your stoma against something. 

If you have bleeding coming from inside your stoma, I would check in with your doctor. But bleeding outside of the stoma should stop quickly.

Thank you to all!

The info was very reassuring as it did stop. I think there was some chafing at the top of the stoma from my appliance.

Stella

Hey Stella, my stoma leaks a little blood every single time I change a bag and in between sometimes. It is the amount that should be concerning. I was originally told that it was normal for it to bleed when rubbed a little or bumped injured, or wiped, no matter how gently. Bleeding is the way our body says something is wrong. Knowing when to be alarmed is a key. I would think back as to whether you have taken any form of aspirin before hand that may have caused a little blood thinning or perhaps another medication, check with your pharmacist if you are on anything that may have caused some blood thinning also. Pharmacists are  always aware of side affects and are more readily available then our GP. I am on a regular strength aspirin for my clotting disorder, and this is why I leak so frequently. My doctor always tests  me for iron deficiency. You should as others suggested, keep an eye on it and if concerned or not mention this to your doctor the next time you see him. As I said the amount should be paid attention to and keep track if you are aware of it, but certainly ask your doctor just to be on the safe side of things. Stay healthy and well.

I do experience that bleeding but slight only. So i'm very careful in cleaning my stoma. Same thing as what they said that it should not be tight when using the wafer. 

Thank you, Linda. The bleeding has stopped. I think that my appliance might have been a little too tight - I am making sure that there is enough space all the way around!

Stella