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colostomy bag


Mon, December 01, 2008 8:54 PM

I recently had a colostomy and am adjusting to my wafer and pouch. Recently I have experienced an increase in the daily discharge which as caused leakage from the wafer. Sometimes the leakage is on the side in the adhesive area, some times it is where the plastic meets the adhesive. I am changing the wafer and ouch every day where I was changing it on average twice a week. I do not use the barrier ring because it tends to make the leakage easier. Any suggestions.


FPO julio b
Joined Dec 1, 2008

Tue, December 09, 2008 1:00 AM

 Reply posted for Julio B.

Hi Julio,

I have an illiostomy, and have had similar problems. One of the additional items I use is the Stoma paste as it does help stop the leaks. Hope this helps some what.

Best wishes,

Arnette

FPO arnette
Joined Apr 8, 2008

Sat, December 06, 2008 10:55 PM

 Reply posted for JeffDC.

Thanks JeffDC,

I realize it will take time and patience. I am going to try different wafers and ouches to figure out which one works best for me.

Best of luck.

Julio B

FPO julio b
Joined Dec 1, 2008

Sat, December 06, 2008 10:50 PM

 Reply posted for Julio B.

For the first two and a half weeks of my ileostomy, I averaged about 3 bags a week. I then tried a convex 1 inch round opening and went to about 5 days per bag.


That told me I was cutting the stoma hole wrong. My stoma was elliptical, and I was cutting the wafer in an elliptical manner.

Trial and error, patience and a sense of humor will help you determine which pattern, size... will work best for you.

FPO jeffdc
Joined Aug 25, 2008

Fri, December 05, 2008 1:00 AM

 Reply posted for sara1124.

Sara1124,

This is very helpful. I cut the most recent wafer closer to the stoma and it lasted two days. The adhesive came loose but no leakage. I will continue to experiment. Thank you.

Julio B

FPO julio b
Joined Dec 1, 2008

Fri, December 05, 2008 1:00 AM

 Reply posted for Julio B.

hey I dont have a colostomy, yet, but I am a nurse and have taken care of pediatric patients with colostomys. I had a teenage patient that talked me through the proper application of her bag.  Im not sure if any of this will help but she made sure that the waffer was cut so that it would fit right up next to her stoma.  Then she would have us put stoma adhesive in a syringe. So take the plunger out of the syringe (Cath tip prefered) and place the adhesive tube agains the opening where the plunger goes and fill the syringe with adhesive. Obviously you dont need much but it allows you to apply a small amount and get it exactly where you want it.  The rest was pretty simple jsut apply the adhesive to the waffer and then put the back on.  Her bags were usually good for at least a week.  The only thing here is that she was paralized so Im not sure how that would change if she were active but I thought the whole adhesive thing was a great trick!  Anyway I hope it helps!

FPO sara1124
Joined Nov 30, 2008

Tue, December 02, 2008 8:11 PM

 Reply posted for mtmcdaid.

Thanks. This helps a lot.

FPO julio b
Joined Dec 1, 2008

Tue, December 02, 2008 7:41 PM

 Reply posted for Julio B.

Julio,

I had a complete colectomy so I have an ileostomy versus a colostomy but I initially went through similar issues.

After a lot of trial and error, I settled on the Flextend two-piece system by Hollister. I am very active and with this system I am able to get away with changing the barrier about every 5 days or so.  You can give them a call and they will send you a free sample.

I learned a couple of other things along the way.  First, if you have hair, shave it off.  Second, when you remove the old wafer/barrier, rinse the skin only with water and dry it completely ( I use a hair dryer to make sure the skin is totally dry).  Finally, the adhesive bead size is critical to success.  I usually make mine about 1/4"-3/8" in diameter.

The bottom line is that you should not settle for anything that you are not happy with.  Make sure you find something that works for you and you are 100% confident with.  All of the suppliers will give you free samples so contact them all and have them tell you what they have and how best to use it.

Good Luck,

Mike

FPO mtmcdaid
Joined Nov 4, 2008

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