Ostomy belts totally blow

[Shamrock4806]

If one can use barrier strips as a form of tape to hold the wafer more in place one should most certainly try it.

Belts move around and cause the wafer to dig into the skin. I have two graneoulmas because of that dam belt. So by using barrier strips I'm able to put downward pressure right where I need it. More on the left side and less on the right to reduce irritation. The belt was putting more pressure on the right than the left.

Also learned to put stacked wafer cutout pieces (because paste and rings melt) on either side of my belly fold prevents the wafer and the bag from touching the skin or stoma irritating my graneoulmas.

There is a harder part of the wafer and that's where the downward pressure (of the belt normally) of the barrier strips should be applied. Yes on top of the belt hooks.

So the combination of the barrier strips providing downward pressure and the wafer cutout pieces stopping the wafer from going any further down, I get the wafer to be at the right exact height I need it to be, instead of some stupid belt moving everything around

I fill in the gaps with paste and I'm rocking because paste does not harden up and will just ooze out, so will rings for that matter. Paste sticks better IMO because I don't have to touch it and spoil it's adhesion with my fingers.

Little by little, step by step I'm becoming a much more happier ostomate.

[Shamrock4806]

Ah so much better.

Apparently when I used the belt before I wasn't putting the extra large barrier strips tight up around the wafer because of the belt hooks. So I was getting leakage along the bottom of the stoma because of too much wafer play.

So now instead of putting four extra barrier strips I just put the two on top of the hard flange, over the belt hooks and they join together at the top perfectly. No more cutting or wasted barrier strips.

My peristomal skin has healed up quite a bit and I had no leakage this bag change. Just a thin 1/16 inch of irritated skin going around the stoma now, so almost there.

So I'll see if I can get away with two barrier strips.

Edit: I just doubled up in place to make sure the wafer stays down.

I can't stress enough how the oil free eye makeup remover followed by a little soap and water to wash it off has GREATLY improved my adhesion factor. The paste is no longer melting and sliding exposing skin.

Happy days finally.

[Shamrock4806]

Great results no pain, no leaks, just replaced as a matter of routine.

Peristomal skin looks good, just a very slight irritation along the edge next to the stoma. Stoma graneoulma has shrunk and isn't irritated by touch. Peristomal graneoulma is still there, just a small raised bump. Not so irritable as before, just the same actually, likely will never go away fully.

True beforehand I was trying to use the ostomy paste as an adhesive, it's sticky and thick enough, but if the gap between the wafer and the skin is too much, moves around or there's not a good adhesion to the skin it (and rings) will run and ooze out. It's really just a sticky filler and doesn't harden up. So placing the extra large barrier strips over the belt hooks and on top the hard part of the wafer places the same downward pressure for my convex as a belt would, keeping everything in place better than a belt in my case.

My main problem has always been poor adhesion to the skin which the ostomy company adhesive remover wasn't doing such of a good job of cleaning and prepping the skin. My new method using oil free eye makeup remover followed by a little soap and water works great. Squeaky clean results Everytime. That and the wafer cutout pieces used to shield the graneoulmas from wafer pressure and keeping the paste more anchored really is working out well.

I'm less depressed, eating better and hopefully soon can return to an active lifestyle confident that my bag isn't going to spring a leak or have a total blowout far from any source of remedy.

It's been a very long and tiresome journey and still have the problem of just excessive use of the toilet, despite my meger diet, no solution for that problem exists yet. That and the smell, I rinse each dump but old spew left in the body all night usually stinks to high heaven in the mornings. Faster spews after meals not so much.

We will achieve perfection!

[Shamrock4806]

A little leak along the top of the stoma, likely caused by aggressive rinsing and squeezing the bag too hard.

Not a biggie, nothing like I have been suffering with for ages now.

It's been three days anyway, so that's my cycle.