DEFECTIVE PRODUCT FROM HOLLISTER

[Dijenga]

I use the 18133 57mm bags from Hollister.

With the problems I am already having with changing the wafers etc., now a new problem has popped up, or should I say "out" at me.

THREE DAYS IN A ROW, I have had this problem (see image):



The bags are pulling apart at the bottom. The bag literally pulls out of the ring it is mounted in. Of course, my insurer feels that 20 bags are sufficient for the month . . . but at this rate I'll exhaust my small cushion and be walking around with a garbage bag taped to my stomach. I'm unable to work, so I have no money to buy extra supplies from Hollister or anyone else.

If it isn't one thing it's ten others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have not changed how I wear the bag. Doc put the ostomy exactly where I used to wear my belt, Now I have to instead wear suspenders if I go out. Sweats barely go over bag, but put a downward pull which would cause its own set of problems.

Maybe I should just ship the defective ones back without emptying.

[ot dave]

Contact Hollister. They will most likely send you a new box. I've used Hollister for over 12 years and have not had that happen to me. You must have gotten a defective lot. Call them and let them know, and I'm sure they'll send you a replacement box.

[Mara]

I use Convatec products and whenever I have had a problem they have sent me another box of whatever it was....hopefully the same with Hollister...

[Dijenga]

Talked to Hollister Tuesday. Did I mention that I have no respect for people or businesses that say one thing and do another?

Hollister assured me that I would receive an email shortly after our conversation was over with information about how to proceed. That was before noon CDT on Tuesday.

As of 4:00 AM this morning, still no email or any other contact - they have my home and cell numbers as well as my email address, but are totally ignoring me.

As a former repo man and skiptracer I don't deal well with being ignored either. I've been almost 100% successful . . . except for that USAF pilot in Saudi Arabia, but that's a story best told face to face.

I have two boxes of this lot of 57mm bags - a month's supply - that have the same defect. Of course, being unable to work and unable to convince Social Security and the State of Arkansas that stage 4 colon cancer is a serious thing, I have no prospects of buying bags out of pocket. Good thing I had a small cushion that had accumulated over the previous 6 months.

Next step is to complain to my Insurance company about Hollister not making good on replacing defective product that are unusable. Maybe they will help, or not.

[ot dave]

Have you checked your spam/junk mail folder? I frequently forget to do that when I am waiting on an email. Especially from a corporation....

[Dijenga]

Checked spam.

Checked trash.

Unless they wrote message in Chinese it ain't there.

[Dijenga]

Not used to service like this:

Instead of replying to me by email, HollIster EXPEDITED those supplies to my home.

They went above and beyond their promise!

When I returned from my doctor visit my wife had the package on my recliner.

[ron in mich.]

Hi Dijenga i dont use hollister products as i usually use convatec but when i had resection surgery 3yrs. ago the surgeon put on a hollister system on me and sent me home with a months worth of supplys and i found that wearing my tighty whiteys caused the same problem as you so i went back to convatec products and pitched the hollister.

[niteseer]

So glad Hollister came through for you! It is heartening to see that they understand the urgency of the situation.

In reference to the wear and tear on the setup caused by clothing, I have found that wearing light weight stretch bands over my tummy area has made my pouches last longer, and prevented any disasters that might be caused by pulling pants up and down. (rushing to the bathroom in a hurry to pee, and yanking down my jeans and accidentally yanking the pouch off, is an experience I don't care to repeat. ) The best and cheapest I have found have been marketed as women's tube top. I just use the measurement around my tummy to determine the size, instead of a bust measurement. These things are also wonderful for "sexy time", when you want to feel maximally confident while minimally dressed.

In terms of simplifying my life with an ostomy, I think those stretchy bands have had the biggest reward for the least investment.

[Snowgoose]

I can relate to your problem and frustration.

I've been using Hollister for 9 years and lately have the same problem that you pictured. I have learned that any time I smell the odor, I need to check for that flaw. Yes, the tear could at times be helped by me or my clothing, but the bag should not have that weak spot. I can say that every time I call Hollister, describe the problem, and provide the lot number, they have replaced that box and any other boxes with the same lot number.

I cannot change brands because Hollister has the only product that fits my need. I'm thankful that Hollister is customer satisfaction oriented.

[Dijenga]

So glad Hollister came through for you! It is heartening to see that they understand the urgency of the situation.

In reference to the wear and tear on the setup caused by clothing, I have found that wearing light weight stretch bands over my tummy area has made my pouches last longer, and prevented any disasters that might be caused by pulling pants up and down . . .

In terms of simplifying my life with an ostomy, I think those stretchy bands have had the biggest reward for the least investment.

Wouldn't work for me. I have only 2 pair of jeans that I can wear because they are 2" larger than my waist. Can't wear a belt anymore because that is where they placed the stoma . . . exactly where I wore my belt. If I wear jeans that fit, it causes the bag to pack up and that causes a different kind of leak -- pushing out the back of the wafer. Unable to work at the office, so I've taken to gym shorts below and a long tee shirt on top while working from home. When I have to go for chemo, wear the jeans, the tee, and a button up shirt over the suspenders.

Some of the folks I've dealt with over the years have been guests of the penal system here in Arkansas as a direct result of their dealings with me -- a debt collector, skiptracer, and repo man. If I appeared as weak as I am some days, it would be over for me since I can't carry any weapons when I go to UAMS. They made that plain some years ago when my wife was being treated for her cancer. I was a hare's breath away from being arrested. They didn't like the hardware I was carrying and I had to surrender it in order to avoid the handcuffs.

[ot dave]

I haven't worn jeans for about 10 years now. I find that overalls are quite efficient when needing the durability of denim. You can wear a t-shirt under the overalls, and then whatever shirt you'd like over the top of the overalls. No one can tell that your not wearing just jeans....