UOAA Discussion Board

Morning folks,
As we look forward to summer activities, swimming comes up as a possibility. I searched for advice on swimming and SureSeal Rings from Active Lifestyle Products (alpglobal.com) seemed to be a popular solution. I went to their website and was able to order samples, but didn't hear back from them. Tried to call, but the phone rings twice and disconnects. Tried to send email to their "info@alpglobal.com" address, and the email immediately bounced back as non-deliverable. Hmmm.... One suspects that the company is gone but they forgot to turn off the website. It does look like they can still be ordered from Amazon and such, but does anybody know if another company has actually taken over the ownership of the SureSeal Rings?

(And if anyone has other hints/suggestions/advise on the general topic of swimming do's and don't's, I'd love to hear about those as well.)

Thanks,
Pete

Hi Pete: Thanks for your post. I just placed an order for Sure Seal Rings (squares) with Parthenon (out in Utah) earlier today & it was accepted. I certainly hope the company is still in business as they have greatly enhanced my own quality of life. Here is the Parthenon item number: ALRS0210 for the medium squares I use. Here is Parthenon's telephone number: 1-800-453-8898.
I also ordered some of the new Esenta barrier wipes that were formerly called Sensi-Care. Am hopeful that: 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,' holds true in this case, also. (My apologies to the Bard if I've misquoted.) They are convenient & gentle to sensitive skin.

Dream,

My apologies for taking so long to thank you for your response. I still haven't heard anything from Active Lifestyles, so I'm afraid they are probably gone, and no one else has stepped up and said "Hey, they're over here now!", so the product may be in the process of dying a quiet death. I've ordered some from Amazon, but am fearful that I'm finding something that works for my wife, but is then no longer available. Anyone got any other good solutions that don't appear to be going the way of the dinosaurs? For my wife, as soon as the flange gets wet, fungal infections seem to immediately follow.

Pete

pete19382 wrote: 2022-06-22 20:48:29 Dream,

My apologies for taking so long to thank you for your response. I still haven't heard anything from Active Lifestyles, so I'm afraid they are probably gone, and no one else has stepped up and said "Hey, they're over here now!", so the product may be in the process of dying a quiet death. I've ordered some from Amazon, but am fearful that I'm finding something that works for my wife, but is then no longer available. Anyone got any other good solutions that don't appear to be going the way of the dinosaurs? For my wife, as soon as the flange gets wet, fungal infections seem to immediately follow.

Pete

Pete, the Sureseals won't keep the flanges from getting wet. They help keep the edges down and hold leaks until you can replace the flange if needed. They do allow some moisture to get to the flange, especially around the stoma. The good thing about them is that they are breathable and allow the flange to dry out, even when they get wet under the seal. Just FYI from a fan of Sureseals. In fact, getting ready to go to the beach and use mine for a week!

David

Pete: I did receive my Parthenon order which included the Sure Seal Rings. 'Am so sorry to learn of the possibility of their being unavailable in future. They certainly have improved my own quality of life. If I learn of anything else, will keep you informed.
Dave: God bless you & yours during your beach trip.

https://alpglobal.com/products-info/ seems active

I don’t use the things myself. My skin loathes tegaderm and things like it

ileo73: Thanks so much for the link to their website which looks good to me. I'm old & do not like change, so this is a big relief for me. Did you read about their founder? An entrepreneurial young man who endured a multitude of surgeries since birth. A sincere word of thanks to him & all who reach past their own challenges to help others.
Pete: Check out the link posted above. Hopefully, this will continue to help your wife.

Dream - I don’t want to rain on the parade, but the website ileo73 is pointing us to is the same one I originally visited and found the phone was apparently disconnected and their emails bounced. I haven’t checked since, so perhaps things have changed, but …

As for my wife, I’m afraid I had some overly optimistic expectations. I initially thought these things were waterproof. Apparently they aren’t. She gets fungal infections if her flange gets wet, so these probably aren’t going to do us much good. Any other thoughts?

Thanks
Pete

Please forgive my over-optimism. I could not get thru on the phone either. I will give the folks at Parthenon a call tomorrow. I certainly hope the company is still viable.
Do you have a WOCN available to help you with the fungal infections? They may know of a medicated barrier or even a medication that would be effective.
Please let us know of any progress.

I get all of my needs from Byram Health Products and they include SureSeal Rings among their supplies. (I couldn't do without these rings!)

I have been ordering these to help with leakage from Edgepark without any problem. For my next order, I'm switching to Byram. I sure hope they will be available! I use a seal and Stomahesive strips -- and EASE tape or strips -- to TRY and prevent leakage and place these seals over everything. They're pretty effective but, due to pancaking, after a while, stool will seep out -- after 4 days.

I did contact Parthenon regarding & they seem to think they are still available. I ordered some more just in case.

A quick follow-up to the above. I was able to order & receive the Sure Seals thru Parthenon. Hopefully, it is just another case of a much-appreciated product being affected by the shortages & backlogs of our post-Covid world.