Okay, thanks again for everyone that wrote to my last post. Seems now I am having problems with just wearing an appliance for basically <24-48 hours. I am on my 8th bag since May 23 – that is 11 days since surgery to get my loop ileo. I have basically had to change most of these out due to leakage. We have tried paste on 3 of them now with no luck. It seems like the area on the wafer right around the stoma breaks down so fast with my skin / stool, becomes exposed and gets itchy and irritated. My skin is so itchy now and irritated, plus I have a blister (in a spot no stool has gotten). AAARRRGGGHHH.

Did any of you have this problem at first? Did it get better? What brands of products or other things did you try? So far the nurses have only brought me Convatec products (and only 2 different ones). The home health care nurses aren’t really any help. I have an appointment tomorrow with my doctor’s WOCN nurse, hopefully she will be more help and get me on the road to the 3-5 days you guys always talk about for wear time!

Any help or advice would be appreciated!

Try eakin seals...they are moldable rings taht you put under the wafer. They might buy you some extra time.

The first two months of my perm ileo I found challenging until my skin adjusted. I was constantly changing my bag, though as the 2 months wore on, the frequency got less and leveled out to every 3 days which works best for me.

Also, try a convex wafer. It might pop the stoma up enough to keep the stool from hitting your skin as it goes into the bag.

Weather can be an issue too...where are you keeping your appliances? YOu might want to store them some place cool and dry instead of in the bathroom where moisture and temperature might affect the adhesive.

My wear time went up and no leaks when I started wearing an ostomy belt, If your not allready using one I would suggest trying one.

Thanks Jill, I will see if I can get some samples of these rings.

Keeping the appliances in the bedroom, but thanks for mentioning the moisture in the bathroom, hadn't though about that. Its where I was planning on storing them, but now I will think twice about that!

DMC, interesting, I will see about a belt - the appliances I have don't allow a belt, but hopefully I will try some others (perhaps convex as Jill mentions) that have the things for belt

Thanks

I think that the best advice I can give you is to measure your stoma, so that you have a really good fit. If the opening in your wafer is too big, you'll have stool on your skin and YEOW that's painful. If the opening is too small it squeezes your stoma and I can't remember why, but that's a bad thing.

Remember that your stoma will, in all likelihood, SHRINK somewhat with time, so measuring it, at least until it stops shrinking, is really important.

I use the Convatec two-piece system, where the wafers have the convex feature. It pushes down on the skin around your stoma, making the stoma "pop" out a bit, which is very helpful with loop ileos.

Good luck!

I think a lot of us had a hard time with a new stoma. I certainly did. The advice already given is what I'd recommend. You might also want to make sure to shower thoroughly when you change appliances. Your skin is undoubtedly getting pretty worn out from changing so frequently.

I highly recommend Eakin seals. The paste strips made by Coloplast can work wonders too, and don;t have the alcohol sting that regular paste can have.

If you haven't already tried it, I recommend ConvaTec's durahesive wafers. As much as I like them though, they may not be THE appliance for you. Call ConvaTec, Coloplast and Hollister and ask for samples from them. Try out a few different ones to see if any of them work better for you than others.

I definitely recommend working with a WOCN nurse. I adore the one I worked woth for almost a year after my permanent ileo. They can be very knoweldgable, and a Godsend when it comes to navigating insurance and other hurdles to getting supplies.

-Rae

I've had a very difficult time with my loop ileo as well, being that my stomach is now misshapen and doesn't lie flat due to an obstruction surgery right after step 2. I use a convex wafer and a barrier ring by HOllister, but I still have to change the wafer every day. It stinks, but takedown is in 25 more days. I had no luck with the paste, either. It just seemed to eat right through it. Try the seals, I think that may help.

BigBird - I have to agree with many of the comments from the other posters. I also use Convatec. The Hollister product kept leaking. Convatec makes a cool product called: "SUR-FIT Natura® Moldable Stomahesive® Skin Barrier with Hydrocolloid Flexible Collar". Check out the web site for Convatec, its got lots of great stuff for consumers. I don't even have to use paste or an eakin seal with the Convatec barrier/appliance. Its precut so it makes like a little "turtleneck" around the stoma.

I use the closed-pouch that snaps onto this and its wonderful. I can get 4-5 days wear time. I usually change within 3 to 4 days though because I have very very sensitive skin and it gets rashy and itchy if I leave the wafer on for too many days. Its also a good idea to shower with the appliance off and then let your skin get some air. The best trick I've learned thus far is take a couple of immodium and eat 2-3 marshmallows, wait 1/2 hour and you'll be able to change without your stoma squirking all over the place.

My doctor also prescribed a cortisone foam, called "Luxiq", for dermatitis which really helps with the itching and redness.

Do you have help from an ostomy nurse? They can be a wealth of information and may have samples of various products you can try first. That's how I learned about what works best for me. My ostomy nurse gave me samples and I tried appliances until I found the perfect fit. I think less is better, so my skin feels better the less stuff I put on it.

Good luck to you.

cmkbirdlady
aka Catherine

Thanks for all of your help and advice. I saw a different nurse yesterday that came highly recommended. My skin is still irritated and I am now on appliance #9 in 13 days, but I am hopeful that what she tried will work. We tried a different brand totally, including a moldable ring (they look similar to the Eakins rings mentioned). It hasn't even been 24 hours yet, so I can't really say how it is going to do, but so far less itchy already and it feels a lot better because the bag is more cloth like instead of so plastic Plus its a Velcro type closure at the end, which surprisingly is much better than the clip.

Now, just to fit into my clothes. I am pretty sad / frustrated right now. I used to wear what I think are cute little shirts. Turns out they are tighter than I though because you can really see the appliance. All my pants for work are low-rise type and they seem too tight to let the bag go into my underwear, I am worried the poop won't fall down into there because the pant waste is too tight. The waste on everything is either too low or too high, I can't seem to find anything (in my closet) that doesn't just accentuate the appliance. Anyone have any advice on this?

Thanks!

Lycra Magic Knickers.

Or any high waisted good quality lycra underwear. It will support your bag and give you a smoother look under your clothes.

Also, try wearing your appliance at an angle so that the velcro fastening is sitting in the oppostite leg crease/groin area to your stoma. This will not only stop you from feeling lopsided when the bag begins to fill, but the bag will also fit easier into your underwear and be better supported.

I wear all the clothes that I wore before I had Wee Willie (my end ileo) including close fitting stretch jeans and skirts. Honestly, no one can see what you have under there! Wee Willie is quite long as stomas go (1.5 - 2 inches long) and you still can't see him under my clothes.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Shell

Hi...I know EXACTLY what you are going thru!! Shell gave me the same good advice and it works! I bought "flexee's" and I think they are made by Maidenform. Bali also has some lyrca undies. The support feels great and it does hide a lot. I also felt like I couldn't wear any of my old clothes. I am usually a 4-6, but I did buy some 8's just so I would not feel all tight around the waist and stoma. Who cares is my philosophy now... Another trick I do is wear my regular pant and not zip them all the way. I take a safety pin and pin across the zipper where it feels most comfortable and won't "unzip", and wear a longer top. This way, I can still wear all my older clothes. I work in a high school and need to look put together and so far, so good. AND after the first couple days back to work, nobody cared anyway. Good luck and don't be discouraged.
nys

I know you don't want to hear these words: "Mom jeans"!
But when I had the loop ileo it definitely was more comfortable to wear pants with a higher waist.