Hello there,
For the second time I have an Ileostomy...Only that this time it's very close to the skin and the skin around the stoma it's red, bleeding and feels like it's burning...I think I'm going crazy, don't know what to do...I am currently using Hollister Convex wafer cause Im allergic to convatec...also use the eakin seals...I've tried almost everything...(paste, no paste, powder, no powder)However,I was reading on some of the posts to use "Ilex"...
will this hold the wafer to the skin??

And what about bonding cement?? can I use this with the eakin seals or it has to be used with no pastes or seals??

Does anyone recommend any of these 2 products?? I think these are the only two options I have left to try...

I'm desperate...as I am having a RV Vaginal fistula repair and don't know for how long I will have to stay with the ileostomy...

Please help!!!

Ok... take a breath! I know how hard it can be until you find the correct stuff to make life with illeo easier ( I had temp for 3 months and now end)
As for the red and itching/burning - very simple... You need to take off everything and stay in the shower and let some clean water hit it... Now when you are changing it (and if your skin is that bad I suggest you changing the whole thing a bit more then you are now unless its all the time cause of leaks)... Follow this:

Since you said your using eakins seals I will include them in the directions (I use them too)

1. Clean the area in the shower - dont have to use soap (if you do no lotion soap or foaming soap - I use the yellow Dial Bar)... Let the water hit it for about 15 20 min ... not right on it let water run over it... If the ostomy goes off in the shower who cares it goes down the drain

2. Dry the area good and then get ready to put everything on. A little trick so your illeo doesnt go off before time : Take a wet paper towel with cool wather and fold it and let it sit on illeo or hold it on it.. the cool water calms it

3. Take STOMA POWDER and put itall over the raw skin - If it gets on stoma who cares its fine!

4. Fan dry and let it there for about 45 sec. THEN take makeup brush and brush off the extra

5. Now take stoma adhesive spray and cover the whole raw area ( i spray the whole wafer area... I buy the spray cause the wipes sometimes wipe away the powder)

6. Now whe area is tacky you want to add the eakins *** REMEBER you want it close to the stoma and no skin showing.. Great thing with eakins is that if its to close it will break down for you!

7. Now add the wafer- If your cuting the wafer remember you want it the right size.. make sure it fits right.. if you cut to much then skin will show.. But thats why u want the eakins seal done right.. So the wafer cut is important and this little bugger shrink!

8. Now add the bag

9. Starting from the stoma area and rubbing it from center to outer.. run your fingers around the stoma and to the outside.. this will help press the eakins into place... not hard so it hurts, but some pressure

10. WHat I do then is lay down flat and hold my hand over the wafer area for a few min. The heat tends to let everything stick better

11. Ifyou wear a belt then add it now

Again, if your skin is that raw - mine use to be till i got what worked for me... You may want to change every 3 days or so.... Give it about 2 or 3 changes and you will notice a huge difference.

Any questions Pm Me and stay with it it will sort out! Good luck and hope it helps.. I am sure some others will hop in here and help!

*** I cant express how important it is to have the eakins seal and wafer cut the right size... If its just littleto big that stool will lay in skin there and cause issues.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JasonPa,

I personally haven't used Ilex but despite it being at the top of the screen all this time never heard of it. After reading about it wished I would have tried it. Anyways I also had to have a temporary ileostomy two times. Both times I had a lot of trouble. The first couldn't get it to stay on, probably could have used bonding cement for that. The second time very very bad skin irration, my stoma went underneat the skin not even flush it was below my skin level most the time. Anyways I basically had to change my bag everyday because my skin was always red, bleeding, very raw. The question is how long do you wait to change the wafer. I'm guessing after a day or so when you take your bag off to change theres fecal liquid on the area that is red. If this is the case I would try changing every 2 days or even one day and take good care of the skin. From what I read I would try the ilex and also you can try something called liquid bandage spray. That seemed to create a small barrier for atleast a day for me.

Just be careful doing it every day because when you take that wafer off it tends to pull some skin ..thats why the powder is important and the spray over it... I think if you can get 3 out of it in a change or two you will notice a huge difference... The key to me is to get a nice coat of powder on it ... adhesive and a proper seal and wafer and let it rest a few days before you do it again... Also, when you shower and clean the area DONT SCRUB IT WIth anything.. if its that raw let the water hit it and thats enough. My first temp illeo was flush and took me a few weeks to get it down (painful weeks) and now i have an end which is so simple! To me more changes may cause more issues then letting on a few days... Just my 2cents

I used Jason's method with two differences. Instead of Stomahesive powder on your freshly cleaned and dry skin, I used the thick, residue from a bottle of Mylanta (or generic antacid liquid). Do not shake the bottle. Drain most of the liquid and saturate a cotton ball with the thick residue from the bottom of the bottle. Daub it all over the irritated skin around your stoma. Use a hair dryer on low and dry the area around your stoma. Use a makeup brush to brush away any loose powder. Repeat the antacid residue application....dry it again, brush it again. Place the Eakin Seal around your stoma. Then....I used Smith+Nephew Skin Bond and brushed a layer of it on the entire area around my stoma....including over the Eakin Seal. Let it get "tacky" (sticky). Do the same thing on top of the surface of your wafer. Place the wafer on your belly. Put the baggy on anytime. Keep your hands pressed on the wafer to warm the area and help the bonding process. Add your ostomy belt. I was able to get 7 days + of wear this way and my skin returned to normal. No leaking. I even rinsed out my baggy every day while showering...while it was on me. The seal never weakened. My ET nurse gave me this suggestion. I wish I had follwed it from the start! When you remove the wafer for changing everything....push your belly away from the wafer, little by little. Do not tug on the wafer. Run a hairdryer on warm on your belly as you use your fingertip...not fingernail...to ball up any residue of the Skin Bond in order to leave the area clea. Get in the shower and let the entire area enjoy the shower. Oh, unlike Jason, I would never use Dial Soap. It is too harsh for me. I used a bar of Ivory. It was recommended to me by my ET nurse. Of course, you really don't need to use any soap on the area at all....just warm water. Best wishes!

You might want to call the people at iLEX. Virgil Pichierri - the developer of iLEX - may even be the one to answer the phone. I think that Virgil has an ostomy and can probably give you some great advice. Their number is: toll free at 1-800-443-6332.

I hope you get this all figured out!

kathy

Just chirping in to thank Jason for the cold-water-paper-towel tip. I never knew that that could calm the stoma!

Wow, the other Jason wrote an awesome guide. I've had my temp ileo for a few months but I definitely learned from the advice. Thanks Jason!

One more thing to add that I've found helpful (but might not be for everyone), is that I apply the eakin to the wafer before I put it on my skin. Then I can put it all on at once. I just find it quicker, so there's less chance of output during the application. My ET nurse first told me about this little trick. As Jason mentioned though, cutting it to the right size is critical, especially with the all-at-once method; skin that is not covered will get burned if it is cut wrong. Hope you feel better soon

If you use Ilex, you would use it instead of the powder on the irritated skin. Get it as "dry" as possible, put a thin amount on, then put some skin prep or 3M liquid bandage spray OVER the ILEX and make sure it dries, then put on your Eakin and then your wafer following Jason's directions. I think if you just put your wafer or Eakin over the ILEX without the skin prep/liquid bandage on top, it won't stick. You can use the skin cement to help hold your wafer or tape on, but it won't help your skin, and you'll need to use adhesive remover to get it off, but it does a great job of improving adhesion. I'd wait to try it until you get your skin under control.

Have you tried a convex wafer? That is usually good for stomas close to the skin.

Good luck and hang in there! Try posting in the ostomy forum too, and/or visiting Shaz's ostomy site for some more tips/support.

Lori

I had the Loop Ileo From Hell for 4.5 months (Counting the weeks? Who me?!). Using a convex wafer was the key for me. The difference was like night and day. Great advice from Jason and the others - good luck!!

You have to experiment a bit to figure out what is right for your stoma. It took me 6 months to finally settle on a system that was easy on my skin and lasted. You should probably go to an ET nurse and see what suggestions they have. (I also have sensitive skin, and I've found that Coloplast products are generally easiest on my skin).

Yesterday, I decided to make a illustrated tutorial of how I change my bag. I mainly did this for my friends who constantly ask "How does it work?" because they are curious. I posted here (my blog). I think the most important thing is to come up with a routine that works for you and never deviate from it.

Thank you all for the ideas and support...

A post of short words.. Please in a few changes let us know if anything helped.. others I am sure are reading this and will see what does and doesnt work and they may try

Sure Jason...I already ordered the cement from smith & nephew, a latex free one cause I'm allergic to latex...as soon as I get I'll try that as well as Ilex..and will let u guys know!!

RE Spray:

What brand spray do you recommend?

I am 4 weeks into this and also having issues
Tried Convatec and coloplast besides Hollister.
For now only Hollister stays on even 2-3 days.
Went back to the belt as I may have had it too tight before.

Still have swelling and tried seals/strips before with no success-will try again.
My issue is my right side/abdomen (after 5 surgeries) is like a bowl with mashed potatoes in it-or like 2 Capital letter 'C" s with gaps at the belly button (say 3 o'clock) and at 8 o'clock.

I bought Karaya powder which got rid of the cheese grater look, but still red due to constant changes.