Back home from step 2 of 3. Numbness and loop ileo questions

Elif posted:

Also, I came home with a loop ileostomy with peristomal skin in very bad shape. The nurses could not take care of it at the hospital. Did this happen to anyone else? I have no margin for error in changing appliance now due to this condition, and I changed my appliance 5 times in the last two days. I am using a convex flange but the pressure it applies to my abdomen causes discomfort. Will this cause problems? 

I have six months experience with a temp ileostomy, which was so easy to take care of compared to the one I have right now. I feel so sorry for anyone who had a loop stoma as their first stoma; with zero experience. 

I had the loop ileo for 3 months and it was an endless cycle of these kinds of issues.  When I was at Mount Sinai in NYC the ostomy nurses were always able to get a good seal, but when left to my own devices after discharge, I had nonstop leakage issues, constantly had to change the appliance, and the skin was raw and weeping around the stoma and a yeast infection was developing.  Fortunately, it was only 3 months dealing with this, and after takedown, it ceased being a problem and the skin healed.  But it was a total nightmare.

I am not sure exactly what access you have to an ostomy nurse, but when they did my appliance, they could do a seal that would last for a week.  That's really the only suggestion I have. Keep the skin around the ostomy as dry as you can under the circumstances. I know it's not easy. And just remember all these issues will quickly go away once you have takedown, so hang in there until then.

No idea regarding numbness and I had my abdomen cut open, didn’t experience any.

in regard to skin erosion, heavily smear ilex protectant pasts around your stoma, over/on top of the damaged skin, whether broken or not and apply your convex flange over it.

Leave the ilex paste on until it peels off by itself, during the next appliance change.

I found, that within 2 to 3 days, my eroded and festering skin around the stoma had completely healed, although I continued to apply the ilex paste (as a precaution), until takedown but didn’t apply it so heavily. 

At the time, I used ConvaTec mouldable flanges; made all the difference, not having to cut out the hole; I also used Salts Stoma Collars, which help direct the output away from the skin.

I had the numbness for a few months, but it faded away and feeling returned.

As for the difficult loop, mine was a nightmare. I had a tiny, retracted stoma. It improved over a few weeks as some swelling in my belly subsided, causing it to protrude just a tiny bit, but even that milimeter or so helped. 

I managed the seal with a barrier-ring and barrier paste. Also convex wafers.
I would cut the hole in the wafer just a bit larger, and used skin-protectant wipes. My skin was difficult to manage because I have a hairy belly, which I had to shave every few days, in order to get a seal. The shaving was very difficult, because the skin was already irritated. It was kind of a vicious cycle. The skin-protectant wipes helped a lot, though. They leave behind kind of a film on the skin, which dries and creates a layer of protection.