Hi, I had the first of my two step surgery on june 23. So have had the bag about 9 weeks now. I only have 6 weeks until my next surgery, but am having major irritation issues around the edge of the bag site(occasionally the area under the adhesive area is irritated but not as much). Up until now I have just dealt with it, as the issue of the burning around the stoma was my major concern (and has been addressed successfully) But I am looking for any suggestions on how to handle it. As i said is just the area around the outside of the bag that itches like crazy. Suggestions are welcome. I can't recall the bag type I use at the moment, but any adhesive irritates me, so changing types would probably not change irritation.

Thanks in advance for the help

Janet,

It may be an allergic reaction, or it may be a yeast infection. If you have any anti-fungal powder, that may help. Or if the problem area is right at the outer edge of where the wafer covers, you might be able to trim a little off the wafer so the affected skin is exposed to the air.

I had that problem and found this product : Skin Tac Liquid Adhesive Barrier

http://www.torbot.com/ecom/product/search/69/

Worked well and 1 small bottle lasted for the 1 1/2 years that I needed the bag. I just cleaned the area where the wafer is placed / dried / then applied this barrier ... let it sit for a few seconds then put the wafer on.

My skin cleared up quickly and I didn't have any more issues with irritation the rest of my time. Give it a shot.

Mark.

quote:

any adhesive irritates me, so changing types would probably not change irritation.

That may or may not be true. My son was wildly allergic to some wafers (a Coloplast wafer actually caused blistering in only two hours), not to others. The ConvaTec Natura was the only one that worked for him. He was allergic to most tapes. Mefix and 3M medipore, both of which are cloth surgical tapes, were the least irritating.

I agree with Connie. My son was 3 when he had his colectomy and had/has super sensitive baby skin. The first thing we ditched was anything and everything with alcohol in it. No paste, barrier wipes etc... and only use alcohol free adhesive remover. Second we had to experiment with wafers. He was also allergic to coloplast and had some trouble with others. We now use new image by hollister. The wafer specific for ileos with taped edges and an eakin.
Good luck.

Thanks for the help all... In my search for the skin tac adhesive stuff I found a barrier that is working well. I ony have 27 more days until the reversal, but when you have highly irritated skin it makes the time seem slower. But it is getting close and I am having far less issues. So that is good.

Which barrior worked for you. I am going to a permanent ileostomy and my greatest fear is irritation under the wafer.