So i thought that Sammy Stoma and I had been getting along, but then I went to do my bag change this morning and realized that he apparently is trying to pull a disappearing act and had shrunken away from the seal and the skin around him is Not Happy. There's a really red circle of skin around my stoma as well as a white kind of cratery area on the top right. The stoma is now pretty much flush with my skin (so much for all my regular flanges) so I put on a convex flange which my hospital nurse had given me as a sample. I put some powder on the red skin but how much do I use? Does it have to be a thick coat because on some areas it didn't really seem to stay on very well. Is there something else I should be using to protect the skin? How long will it take to heal? When I put on the Eakin seal should it be right up against the stoma? Now that the stoma is flush I wasn't sure what to do because the Eakins are kind of thick. This is tricky!

Hey Pixie - You should PM Shell Worrell, she had the same problem with her wee willie doing a disappearing act. If I remember correctly, she put sugar on him. I know, it sounds weird.

In response to your other questions: Put stoma powder all around the stoma, it doesn't matter if you get some on the stoma. Use a good non-sting barrier wipe, and wipe all the skin around and up to the stoma.

When you use the eakin seal, (my ostomy nurse taught me this) use only one-half of a ring, make it into a little ring that fits TIGHT around the stoma. After you wiped with non-sting barrier (or use a spray) then put the eakin seal/ring around the stoma. Make sure if you are cutting a barrier to fit, that's its not too tight or you'll choke Sammy Stoma, but don't make it too loose 'cause that's how poo will leak onto the skin making it worse.

Its tough to heal skin that's under the appliance, but if you get your barrier on properly and change every 3-4 days or so, it should heal on its own. Also, I have experienced more redness around my stoma if I use a convex ring because it pushes harder on that area around the stoma.

Try the Convatec "sur-fit moldable durahesive skin barrier with hydrocolloid flexible collar" because it comes precut and it will mold up around the stoma, like a little turtleneck.

Good luck and I hope you get some relief for your tender skin soon. Another good product, which you need a prescription for, is Luxiq which is a foam that you put onto your skin to heal and protect it.

Catherine

Hi Pixie,

Catherine has offered some excellent advice and is correct in that Wee Willie tends to retract (disappear) from time to time but he also likes to telescope or swell up sometimes too. However, I only ever put surgar on him if he's swollen so don't try this on your retracted stoma because it will only make him even smaller!

Even though Wee Willie is long for a stoma (1.5" - 2") I still have to wear a convex wafer because of the times when he retracts. I think you have a handle on this as you are following the right steps. The powder should be brushed off with a make-up brush or blown with a cool hairdrier so that it only sticks to the weepy skin, it doesn't need to be too thick or it will interfere with the adhesion of your wafer. Then pat with a no-sting barrier wipe or spray with something like Cavalon barrier spray over the powdered area and allow to dry thoroughly before applying your eakin and wafer.

Also try showering with no appliance and spray the skin around (not on) your stoma for about 10 mins as this helps the skin to heal and feels really soothing. Make sure you are completely dry before starting your wafer regime.

Let us know how things go.

Take care

Shell

? for Shell- The powder should go before the barrier wipe?

Hi Annie,

Yes, sprinkle the powder over any weepy areas of skin so that it absorbs any wetness, gently brush or blow off any excess powder and then pat over with the barrier wipe and allow to dry so that it forms a thin crust before you apply your wafer. Use a hairdrier on low heat setting to speed things up if time is of the essence.

Good luck

Shell

Thanks Shell!

well i did a change this morning and my skin is looking a bit better. i also switched from coloplast to hollister and i find the flanges much more flexible in conforming to my stoma/body. i did notice though that there is a hole on one side between the stoma and the skin, it seems to be a bit bigger than i remember it being last time. i'm not sure if maybe because my stoma is shrinking and the skin hasn't grown in fast enough? has anyone else had this happen?

Hi Pixie,

I notice that you are only a couple of weeks out of surgery so the hole could just be where one of your sutures has dissolved. The skin around your stoma doesn't need to grow in because the stoma is actually stitched to it so it will shrink along with the stoma.

I'd keep a close eye on it though and maybe get your stoma nurse to take a look just to be on the safe side. In the meantime, put some of your stomahesive powder in the hole next time you do a wafer change and dab over with the barrier wipe.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Take care

Shell

Hello,
I just thought i'd write a little update to this post. It's been a month now with my temp ileo and things (ie. the skin) are looking much much better. Which is such a relief. I no longer have a feeling of dread wash over me when I pull off my wafer on change day. The redness has pretty much disappeared except for right under where the stoma's exit is because this is right underneath next to the skin. I think stomahesive powder and the eakins were really my saving grace!

When using the Eakins do you use adhesive paste as well or just the Eakins?

I'm having weepy skin right now, very frustrating

I used the eakins by themselves. I would put a bit of powder on the areas that where the skin was broke, brush off excess powder with dry gauze, and then dab with cavilon sting free barrier wipe. you need the skin really dry before placing the eakin so i'd kind of fan it dry and then use gauze to pat right around the stoma. I'd warm the eakin a bit with a hair dryer and then squish it out a bit on the outside edges because they're so thick. I'd place the eakin on my skin, pressing it firmly down, then place the wafer on, I would then use a Q-tip and press down on the circle of wafer that's between your stoma and the circle where the bag attaches. I'd use the Q-tip to make sure the eakin under the wafer was squished right up against the stoma so it couldn't leak. Then I'd snap the bag on and lie down with my hand over the wafer to soften things and I'd press down quite firmly all around to make sure things were really 'stuck' on. The mouth of my stoma faced down and was almost flush with my skin so I did a full change every 3 days.