Stoma irritation from output, need solutions. SOLVED!

[Shamrock4806]

Two years and never had this problem then all of a sudden my output is burning my stoma.

I've asked AI and it suggested I don't drink liquids unless first followed by food or a binder of some sort.

That's helps some but problem still remains.

I've taken out the liner holding the circle filter which was constraining output next to the stoma, it's helped some. The irritation seems to be primarily at the opening which is pointed at the 2 o'clock position and sort of cups output to hold it there, I feel slightly better when I rinse output off my stoma with a little gentle rubbing with clean rinse water.

So anyway I need some help because the AI on this is sorely lacking with answers. It's telling me my output is too watery, which exits the body rather fast and takes enzymes rich output which burns the stoma. However I didn't have any issue when I drank a glass of chilled ice tea this morning with a egg McMuffin, only when I got home and laid back down on the bed. Could it be my reclined position is causing it? It runs off to the right side off the stoma and if too much info dump so it's not sitting in contact with the stoma.

My diet consists of frozen meals, lactose free milk, sometimes with whey isolate protein powder, hot pockets and other small microwave meals, donuts, occasional apple juice, avocados the last two days only, Greek yogurt with fruit, applesauce in lieu of apple juice as it's a better binder.

I'm thinking it's my output that's extremely rich in enzymes, bile salts or whatever. Is there something I should be doing to reduce these effects or not contributing to it's excessiveness that I haven't realized before?

I'm at a loss here and not sure what to do.

I go on Medicare next month so I could see a gastro doc but currently I would have to pay under my ACA plan (it's only catastrophic, high deductible).

So anyway does anyone have a solution?

Thsnks

[Shamrock4806]

Looks like it's the donuts according to the AI, creates way more bile salts and I wasn't drinking enough water.

So no more fat and more water.


How it works, gallbladder produces bile salts to break down fats.

Too much fat = too much bile salts = burning at stoma opening.

[sandys]

Gosh Sham,

I eat donuts all the time and have never experienced this problem. In fact, I have never experienced my stoma burning, I thought it didnt have pain receptors!

[Mara]

I agree with sandys.....

[Shamrock4806]

Yea didn't think it had any pain receptors neither, apparently it does if irritated enough. And I do feel a slight cold when rinsing sometimes.

Might be a case that just affects me, according to the doctors and a pet scan they say the cancer is in my gallbladder.

However they also said I was going to die in under a year and it's been about 30 months now and this is the only issue I'm having.

I think it's because I lay down a lot as well, sitting with a hinged stoma causes a lot of belly crunches that has popped the wafer and causes leaks. Since I'm laying down quite a bit and my stoma hold is facing at the 2 o'clock position near the skin, that and the liner is holding the output against the opening where it's been irritated.

I'm going to order filter less bags the next time and go back to cutting the liner out of the current batch. I find the pancaking is much less severe without the inner liner.

[Shamrock4806]

Oops, ate some fatty chocolate chip cookies on an empty stomach during a long car trip and sure enough it started burning my poor stoma hole again.

I thought it and some low fat milk would bind and not cause a runny bag, I was wrong. As soon as I ate it I stopped at the next three exits to dump.

Added an hour to my road trip.

[Shamrock4806]

Okay discovered a trick, eat a large Tums (antacid) tablet just before eating something.

Also I think I need to enlarge my wafer hole just a tiny bit to account for it swelling a tiny bit.

[Shamrock4806]

Okay it's the liver that produces bile, not the pancreas which sort of regulates it some according to what one eats. Fats especially will trigger it.

I'm finding success with eating a large antacid tablet then a starch like mashed potatoes and/or rice before eating something potentially fatty like chicken seems to work.

Also I've cut back on the milk as it was just causing concentrated runny output despite being 2%, perhaps just a sip once a day. I'm trying to get my daily calcium in,. Using Greek yogurt a bit for that now.

It's always something with this thing and I just want a simple routine and get back to living for me and not for it.

[Shamrock4806]

Okay widened my wafer hole just a bit and that helped, although I'm still taking an antacid before meals.

What I think is occuring is the stoma is swelling just a bit and squeezing the stoma hole a bit casing output to squirt and that's what's causing the irritation.

So I'm alter my routine a bit so I can test the wafer backing on a bare stoma before preparing the wafer. Because I add support ridges around the wafer hole that will have to be done later so I can cut the wafer hole a bit larger if needed.

It's always something.

[Shamrock4806]

Enlarged my wafer hole even more, the thing is growing sideways on me.

I find keeping the wafer backing (that protects the adhesive) around for the next bag change helpful as I can test fit that to make adjustments to the next fitting.

So I'm thinking I've been choking it and it's been squirting thus the irritation.

Also I've quit the paste dome effect from the oozed out paste, I think it's been trapping output against the stoma irritating it. So now I've slightly altered how the paste is applied to my skin so it's flatter and remove the excess from inside the bag later using the butter knife so it's nice and flat in there. Guess thus would be easier with a two part but I can't justify spending that sort of money needlessly.

[Shamrock4806]

I think the problem is when I have thicker output because I had Lemon Chicken over spaghetti the last two meals which produced a lot of liquid output and didn't irritate poor George at all.

Woke up to a very full bag though.

Apparently the AI thinks my daily fluid intake of 64 oz is "borderline".

I just don't feel as thirsty now that I'm taking the salted hydration powder drink mix.

But stacking fats definitely does it, like breakfast with eggs, hash browns, French toast and sausage. I ate that got two meals and ripped my bag off a day earlier because of the irritation.

So I need a blander diet. Adjustments. Adjustments.