A nurse is assisting with teaching a client who is preoperative for a sigmoid colostomy. Which of the following statements should the nurse include?

Rationale: A. A healthy stoma is not typically painful, even postoperatively. Patients may experience mild discomfort from surgery, but the stoma itself has no nerve endings and should not cause significant pain. Persistent pain could indicate complications such as ischemia or infection. B. A purple stoma indicates poor blood supply or ischemia, which is an emergency. A normal stoma should be beefy red, moist, and slightly protruding, indicating adequate perfusion. C. The consistency of stool depends on the location of the colostomy. A sigmoid colostomy, being located in the lower part of the colon, generally produces formed stool rather than liquid output. This is in contrast to ascending or transverse colostomies, where output may be more liquid. D. A sigmoid colostomy is surgically placed in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen, which is consistent with the location of the sigmoid colon. Educating the patient about stoma location helps with self-care, appliance placement, and expectations postoperatively.