So I learned how to sweat the bag off in the shower

[Shamrock4806]

I always knew this but wanted to avoid any potential mess in there as its a place to get clean, not foot fungus, but I came up with a clever solution I'm currently experimenting with.

Instead of removing the entire bag off, I instead use the hot water running on it to loosen just the adhesive of the wafer and barrier strips, leaving the barrier adhesive intact, then remove the rest over the toilet and clean there instead.

Since I only have extremely tiny leaks now I can do something like this, but obviously not if I have a major blowout or something.

What this method does is cut down on the use of adhesive remover or in my case I use oil free eye makeup remover as neither doesn't seem to work as well cleaning the skin around the stoma if it's wet with water first, only if it's dry. Guess it has to do with it entering the pores to clean or something.

So my process is as follows.

Drain bag.

Hot shower with water running on adhesive.

Peel all around without detaching barrier adhesive

Dry off, proceed to toilet

Remove rest of wafer and barrier adhesive, using a butter knife if necessary to scrap it off the skin.

Dry wipe stoma clean, use no water

Use eye makeup remover soaked into toilet paper around stoma to remove fine leftover whatever and clean out the pores.

Shower other areas using regular products

Lastly cleaning area around stoma three times with Ivory soap (non moisturizing) using a gental plastic scrubby once to exfoliate the skin and remove stubborn stuck on fine material.

Dry thoroughly and proceed with bag attachment process.

If this procedure holds up I will be adding it to my regiment. So far so good.

I've been a much happier camper since I started using high pressure (using a toilet paper tube) through the wafer around the stoma for a good 3+ minutes to secure the barrier adhesive properly to the skin. Removing any trapped air underneath the adhesive. Also being able to detect the slightest pain of a leak or the cold feeling when rinsing the bag with water after a dump. That's a sure signal of a leak right there.

[Shamrock4806]

Well I've improved on the sweating the bag off in the shower routine, while I'm waiting there with the warm water hitting the adhesive I just go ahead and do the rest of my shower routine first, thus avoiding the under the water area getting any moisturizing soaps or conditioners etc. on that skin that will prevent good adhesion of the paste barrier.

By the time I'm done usually the wafer and barrier strip adhesive just peels off leaving just the paste barrier and wafer attached. Then I dry off some and head to the toilet and when it's off and the area clean, back into the shower to finish.

Been working like a champ.