UOAA Discussion Board

15th am and now it's the 23rd, same one piece on.

It gets sore a little bit where the adhesive meets the skin, I rub it a bit and I'm fine. It hasn't been leaking or burning. I rinse from below with a 10% mouthwash/water solution so it stays rather fresh.

I'm very delighted because I have a difficult stoma and getting a good bag for longer than a few days has been quite a challenge.

My reason to keep it on is to give the damaged skin around the stoma a chance to heal up good.

Question is, am I going to have any unforseen issues keeping a bag on for this long or even longer?

Hello.
I have an end ileo.
I change every seven days.
I can go longer. But I want to take a really good shower and put a new appliance on.
That's just me. When I pull it off I see I can go longer.
But I don't. I'm happy to get seven days and change.
You. Like me are fortunate.
To be able to keep one on this long.
Some have problems and have to change way more often.
I do sometimes get a leak. Placement is not always the same.
But even if I do get a leak it only takes 15-20 minutes to swap it out.
As for having issues with leaving it on past seven days?
I don't want to find out.
If your not having issues go for it.
Me. I just want a fresh wafer on.
That's just me.
R.

Thanks, I've been having trouble getting a good bag on to last longer than a few days, so now 9 days so far for my first long term bag is simply awesome.

It takes me far longer than 20 minutes to get a bag on and I have to time it perfectly with diet and eating a skinless apple to soak up and stop the bile long enough to get it on good, which involves a lot of blow drying of the skin.

But I've been taking short warm showers with a bench seat and a hose sprayer as not to generate a sweat to make the bag loosen. I also avoid getting the bag area wet.

But yea a good long hot shower to really sweat out the pores would be nice.

So if I can keep up with keeping a bag on consistently past 7 days, I might opt for changing it once a week like you do

Day 9 and I went ahead and changed it out following the same process I did before.

A slight improvement, since my stoma hole is on the side, I made sure the sheet hole was right next to the stoma hole as deflect or take the brunt of the output squirts.

There was a small leak, the skin protectant held well that I didn't feel anything..the leak must have sealed itself and the output dried and was growing mold.

The leak occurred on my weakest side, the scar + belly button area. A typical leak area for me as the belt isn't as strong there neither due to longer body space on that side. Will consider options.

Wow, you both have very long wear times. That's great! Due to much output, I can't wait that long to change my pouching system. I do sometimes use a 1-piece if I don't have time to put on a 2-piece -- which is when I apply a seal, stomahesive strips, and tape to keep it all secure.

Are you SURE that was mold growing? If yes, I MIGHT change it more often. Mold can cause some nasty infections.

I use a Nu-Hope belt that was designed for my body. What kind of belt are you using?

I also have exocrine pancreatic issues now along with bile output. An ostomy nurse gave me a prescription for Cholestyramine powder to help with that. I found it does NOT dissolve easily in liquid. My GI doctor told me to mix it in applesauce and that works. Just in case you end up using this. Not real tasty though orange-flavored.

I'm impressed! Keep having such good luck!

Diane C wrote: 2024-07-24 13:26:37 Wow, you both have very long wear times. That's great! Due to much output, I can't wait that long to change my pouching system. I do sometimes use a 1-piece if I don't have time to put on a 2-piece -- which is when I apply a seal, stomahesive strips, and tape to keep it all secure.

Are you SURE that was mold growing? If yes, I MIGHT change it more often. Mold can cause some nasty infections.

I use a Nu-Hope belt that was designed for my body. What kind of belt are you using?

I also have exocrine pancreatic issues now along with bile output. An ostomy nurse gave me a prescription for Cholestyramine powder to help with that. I found it does NOT dissolve easily in liquid. My GI doctor told me to mix it in applesauce and that works. Just in case you end up using this. Not real tasty though orange-flavored.

I'm impressed! Keep having such good luck!

Thanks Dianne,


The next bag I put on (after the 9 day moldy one, black mold too, not good) only lasted one day.

I quite don't know what I did wrong this time or right with the 9 day bag.

So today I got a new bag on and hopefully it will hang on for another 9 days. It seems to be just luck of the draw. But there is hope I may duplicate the 9 day bag steps again and figure it out.

I'm starting to think it's perhaps my sleeping patterns that may be loosing the seal. I sleep mainly on my back and right side, to relieve pressure points on either side. So back and forth like that during the night.

It might be that with the 9 day bag the stoma was rather quiet long after putting the bag on, so the paste had adequate time to harden up.

I thinking of devising a small ring that I can, once the paste is on, stick it around the stoma as to push output up and not push the fresh paste off sideways and causing a leak. The protective sheet would provide support to keep it in place and it top paste also, then it would protrude into the appliance. The stoma would extend itself through this ring and not cause sideways friction to push paste off.

The ring would likely have some sort of tabs as to keep it in place and not be pushed off.

Anyway I'm thinking and tweaking anyway.

Thanks for responding.

To answer your question I use Coloplast's four hook belt and keep it on tight as I use a convex to push the near flush stoma up and out into the appliance.

I usually fast all night then when only bile in the bag in the morning, eat a skinless apple and wait a bit for it to take affect, then the stoma is quiet for a shower and bag change.

The idea I'm thinking with the ring is that the stoma is going up and down, thus pushing paste off, thus with the ring there would be less friction on the paste. Likely a small moldable plastic ring with tabs on the bottom to keep it anchored down.

I've never used a 1 piece system yet. The thought of that and a closed pouch just doesn't make sense to me either. I did use an open ended 2 piece system after my surgery but, soon after the closed ended. So, perhaps it would be a better experience to use a 2 piece open ended for ease in landing the wafer and rinsing the pouch? This way you can inspect the wafer and add powder to the stoma if needed.

I use a two peice.
It does give me the ability to see how well it's centered.
I couldn't use a one piece . Wouldn't be able to see what I've done.
But even then no two applications are the same.
It's a potshot every time. Whether it will leak during the week or not.
I consider myself fortunate to have it last.. And not change all the time.
I know there are some who struggle with leaks. And I feel for you.
I had leaks all the time at the beginning. Changing every two and sometimes same day. That's no fun.
But after trial and much error I've got mine figured out the best I can.
I still have leaks. But that's just part of it.
Good luck getting it to last. I wouldn't push 9 days myself.
I just want to take it off and take a good shower.
I take showers with the bag on but taped and covered.
Don't like drying it after a shower.
I use convetec wafers. They have white tape around the celluloid center
It gets crusty if it gets wet.

Instead of using a two piece, which weakens if I mess with it to get the belt and bag portion off (I have a near flush stoma) I use a non sting paste applied thinly, a protective sheet cut very close to stoma (and off scar tissue) then a leveling amount of alcohol paste and the one piece convex applied on that with extra adhesive strips and the belt.

The appliance hole is intentionally larger than the stoma as it doesn't have to be accurate, the protective sheet I can see and adjust correctly when applying so it's nice and tight.

I spread both paste types out to 1/2 inch from the stoma all around. I found a 1/4 inch is just to small and may leak.

I rinse from the bottom using 10% mouthwash + water sometimes twice to lay down and get it up closer to the top. If the bacteria is killed (and I watch my diet) the bag usually won't build up a big stink. (seafood and asparagus stink up bad regardless).

Since I need to keep my belt on tight all the time, only removing it when a bag change is needed.

I'll use a bench and a shower wand with warm, but not hot, water as to avoid sweating if a bag is on, sweating causes adhesion to loosen, also to keep water off the bag area.

If bag off I'm taking a sweat producing shower and waiting quite a bit for the body to stop and cool down, dry enough using blow dryer to put a bag on. Sometimes I have to sit in the shower just rinsing the stoma as it might produce output while I'm cooling down. I try to time bag changes and hot showers with low stoma output using diet control, like fasting all night and eating unpeeled apples to thicken/stop output for a about a half an hour.

I don't like loosening the tight bond any like what occurs with a two piece. With my method it stays right on tight on my near flush stoma all the time.

Blow drying a wet bag usually isn't a problem.

Okay I think I've identified the issue.

It's not so much a leak that's the problem but stress of the appliance. The leak occurs afterwards.

So I've made some changes.

1: Now rinsing from the bottom with a dish soap water solution as to avoid possible alcohol of the mouthwash losing the paste. I may switch to a liquid anti bacterial dish soap next. The mouthwash was costing me way too much money and too bulky.

2: My convex appliance has a large flat area, so I'm thinking when I bend over it's placing stress. So what I did was bend the appliance back and forth horizontally as to make it more flexible.

3: When I apply my mess, I'm usually laying flat on my back, which is fine as long as I'm staying flat, however if sitting for awhile then stress occurs. So now I do a crunch and right where my stoma is is a belly fold, I then apply the sheet into the fold and then the slightly folded convex after that.

I think it takes time for paste to harden up and when it does it doesn't like stress and begins pulling on the skin causing irritation. So after laying flat all night I'm not getting any stress.

So we will see what happens now.

All I use is an adapt ring.
I use precut convetec wafers. Two peice system.
Once I shower and change I sit with a heating pad for 20 minutes to melt it all together and to my skin.
That's all I do.
Less is best.
R.

Similar to Mysticobra, I also use a two-piece Convatec but with an Eakin Seal.....and I agree that less is best....

I have a near flush stoma, with slightly damaged skin right around it less than 1/8". Plus irregularities that require paste to level.

So I do my best to dry, use a little bit of stoma powder and spread the paste on, if it doesn't stick in certain areas I remove it dry and try until it does..I can't do this with a ring.

The ring is pretty much a one shot deal and the skin needs to be normal, level and the stoma sticking out decently.

I also require my convex to maintain pressure with the belt, to push the stoma up, so I can't remove it to switch a bag out.

Consider yourselves fortunate.

I have been using a two-piece system. I have bee changing the bag every 4 or 5 days. I have no leaks from the ring system glued around the stoma.

My question is how often should I change the ring system glued around the stoma? There is no significant pancaking and no noticeable mold, but it has been 2 1/2 weeks of bag changes with no re-glue work. My wife thinks I should discard the glued ring soon.