using eakin skin barriers in a new way to prevent leakage

[pete19382]

Folks,

We were over at the hospital today talking with the stoma nurses and discussing the leakage problems my wife has been having lately. Their suggested approach simply confounds me, so I want to share here and see if anyone else has tried this approach with any success.

Her last few leaks have come out at the bottom of the wafer. The stoma nurses took an eakin skin barrier, broke it in half, stretched in a little bit, and then placed the first piece about an inch below her stoma with the curve at the bottom (like the smile in a smiley face.) The second piece was placed partially overlapping the first and closer to her stoma, but still not particularly close to her stoma; certainly not touching it. They then applied the wafer, with no additional skin barrier, so the wafer fully covers the overlapping smiley faces of skin barrier.

Their assertion is that if/when the next leak occurs through the bottom, the skin barriers will act as a roadblock and force the leak back up to the bag.

I just can't wrap my head around how this is going to work, but on the other hand, these are two trained stoma nurses at a major cancer hospital.

Anybody got any experience with this approach?

Thanks
Pete

[Mysticobra]

Sounds reasonable to me.
Although it seems they ot in would put I closer to my stoma.
I get a leak occasionally on one side. For reasons I can explain but won't.
Anyhoo.
I use a full ring. It work 9 out of ten times. And lasts a week.
I hope she has had better luck with what they did. It doesn't hurt to try new ways.
That's a new way.
Interesting
Richard.

Richard

[Mara]

If I get leaks, sometimes they come under the Eakin and sometime on top of it.....This is what I see when I change my appliance. Often there is a little leakage but not enough to come out on the sides so I don't know about them until I change. Anyway, I really don't see how that can work....the stoma is opening into the pouch - how can something that comes out underneath go back in.....well, who knows. Please let us know, Pete!!

[fapope]

Using a Stoma adhesive paste worked for me.

[To Dream a Dream]

I was introduced to Eakin Seals many many years ago by an enterostomal ostomy nurse. (That was before ConvaTec brought out their SurFit Natura Moldable Durahesive with hydrocolloidal collar wafers.) At that time, they were a godsend for me. I did upgrade to the moldable Durahesive when they became available & have used them ever since.
I like the ability of Durahesive to conform to the shape of the stoma without irritating it. Have you & your wife contacted any of the major manufacturers for samples?

[oliveoyl]

Hi Pete
What they did doesn't sound good to me. The thing about nurses in the hospital is they don't have a stoma, and they're caring for patients that are laying prone in the bed. I've had to change my ostomy gear in the hospital before, and I've had several nurses gather around my bed to watch. It just didn't sound like it would work to me.

Eakin seals are great and they will stop those leaks. Here is my favorite YouTube video that helped me understand what was going on in the early days of my ostomy. Now, I will have my two stomas 10 years this year, and it was just about a year and a half ago that I developed the almost foolproof system of Eakin seal application that works for me. My stoma is about a half inch long, sticking up from my tummy.

In this video you see the seal is applied around the stoma and up the sides. Using a whole seal, I cut it open on one side,then cut off about one quarter of it. Put that aside, then open and stretch out the seal until you have a long rectangle that will go around your whole stoma. You can flatten it out a little bit if you want. I put it around the stoma so it touches my skin and goes up the sides of the stoma a bit. The quarter bit I roll out like a snake, connect the ends and press that around the cut opening of the wafer. When I put the wafter on my tummy it seals everything up really well.

Shoot, I can't seem to paste it in here. It's a YouTube video called How to Use Eakin Cohesive@ Seals and it's posted by TG Eakin and it is an animation. It's easy to find. If you go to YouTube and type in Eakin Seals it's like the first one that comes up. It's got a cartoon guy in a purple shirt in it. I hope this helps.

[steiconi]

I used to cut up the seals and just use them in the crease where leaks formed; a little bit rolled into a skinny worm to fill the crease, another small piece flattened very thin on top of that, to hold it in place. I used about 1/4 of a ring each time, worked great.

But now I use Durahesive wafers that contour to my body and don't need any other products. Except pouches, of course.

[pete19382]

Sorry for the delayed reply, folks. Thanks to all who have offered their thoughts. The approach suggested by the nurses didn't seem to accomplish anything, so we've bagged that idea and are back to simply playing ring around the stoma. We have received some sample products from other manufacturers and I believe she plans on trying the ConvaTec Moldable this coming weekend. Dream (or anyone else who uses the moldable) - do you use the rings with the moldable, or do you find that the wafer does a good enough job that you don't need them?
Thanks again to all,
Pete