Changing a colostomy bag in a wheelchair—any tips? (2025)

Hi capt,

Welcome to the best board around. I think you’re amazing for being proactive and asking about this before it happens I know we have at least one member, on the board, in a wheelchair and hopefully she’ll respond.

I thought about this for a while, and since I change my appliance sitting on my bed, with my back against my headboard, I’m wondering if you can do that. I sit on a beach towel, have my supplies in a plastic box, and also have a roll of paper towels and a little bit of water in a plastic bowl. The paper towels are to catch any spewing your stoma will do. They’re a little stinkers and have a mind of their own!

When you first get your Ostomy, you can plan on trial and error learning. We will be here for you and we’ll do our best to answer any questions you might have. We’ve all been through those initial stages.

wishing you the best, anyark

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Can you elevate your legs in your W/C? I would think that would be workable. If I had a wheelchair in the house, I would try it myself. That being said, do you have limitations with your MS as far as your arm/hand range of motion and strength go?

We’re all different with how often we have to empty our bags. I have an ileostomy and that may be different than a colostomy. Do you have a catheter or are you able to transfer to a toilet?

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capt, never think you are bothering any of us as you are traveling a new journey. We’ve all been there and we had lots of questions. We are all glad to answer any questions you might have, so forget about asking too many.

I have no memory of how many times I emptied my bag initially or within a few months. My surgery was over 12 years ago I just usually empty mine whenever I go to the bathroom. Depending on what I’ve eaten, and whether it’s liquidy or thicker, it may or may not need emptying more often. You’ll probably get a different answer from each person who responds because we’re all different.

Some people use the closed bag and just put on a new bag while others empty theirs from the bottom like I do. I believe the majority of people use the bag that opens at the bottom. Plus, I very well may empty mine a different number each day.

Hey there, capt and a warm welcome to you! How often you have to empty your bag depends in part on how much colon you have left. For example, if your stoma is made from the sigmoid colon (the very last portion of your colon), most of your colon will still be functional and your bowel habits may not differ that much than they are now. If it’s made higher up in the colon, less of your colon will be functional, so food will pass through it more quickly.

How often you empty can also be influenced by what you eat. Some foods are more thickening and move through your system slower than others. Foods that may thicken are starchy foods like pasta and potatoes, white bread, bananas, fibrous fruits like apples or apples sauce, rice, and peanut butter. Certain medications may cause food to pass through your body faster or slower, as well. Everyone reacts to food differently, so these are just some general guidelines. If you find your output is liquid-like and you’re emptying too often, you can talk to your colorectal surgeon or WOCN about adding Imodium or prescription Lomotil to slow things down.

My last caveat is when your stoma is brand new, it may act very differently than after it’s a month or two old. When my ileostomy stoma was new, it did nothing all day and pooped all night. Luckily, it soon settled down into a more workable rhythm!

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