Tried something different again...
Posted: 2024-10-01 18:57:35
Okay disclaimer first.
Any of my experiments are exactly that and may not be suitable for your situation.
I'm documenting my experience here to learn as well as others can learn from these experiments. Also for entertainment purposes.
Edit: This experiment failed...
Okay I have a near flush stoma in a belly fold that isn't there when lying down but does appear when bending.
I've been using a one piece convex with a strong four hook belt, Flonaze (nose stuff) as a enzyme wound pain reducer and skin protectant, no sting paste, a protective sheet and extra adhesive strips all around.
But alas I ran out of protective sheets, and my last wafer on was just skin protectant, paste and the one piece. Well it lasted a whole day, the shear damage from the stiffer convex was obvious, my skin wounds doubled in size.
So what I'm thinking what is going on is this, the stiff convex, despite my horizontally bending the wafer to fit better and be more flexible in my belly fold is causing shear damage, loosening the paste and causing stoma output to leak underneath.
The protective sheet I normally use (with another layer of paste on top to marry with the wafer) was protecting the skin and allowing the wafer shearing to occur on top of the sheet, thus protecting the skin from the burning enzymes.
So since I didn't have any protective sheets on hand, I decided to experiment.
I took my adhesive barrier strips, since they are curved and have tapered edges, cut them to fit around my stoma, but just a hair away from it. One on top and one on the bottom covering my enzyme burn wounds, then another on each side. Then on top I placed a little no sting paste and jammed it around the stoma and protecting the edge of the strips. Then a thicker layer to marry to the convex wafer and smashed the whole mess down using my medical tape tube as it's just thick enough and oval to match my stoma.
So my objective here, since my burn wounds are now twice as big, is to provide protection from the paste pulling on it as well as any new stoma output. If any wafer shear occurs that hopefully it's transferred on top of the strips much like it was using the protective sheet.
I also used antibacterial dish soap around the stoma to wash each time it spewed in the shower followed by conditioner. Naturally to kill any infection caused by the digestive enzymes and to moisture the skin. A lot better than using iodine or alcohol. The wounds seemed to dry well to the touch after blow drying and didn't weep like older attempts.
I of course gave a generous coating of skin protectant and dried well before applying the strips. No paste underneath this time, just along the edge where the stoma is.
I need these wounds to heal and I've never had my wounds get so big when I used the protective sheet, they often were small. So I'm thinking the stiff convex is not the way to go in my case. Neither is using much paste on the skin.
Dave here suggested that thinner, stickier and more flexible wafer membrane may suit my needs better.
The barrier strips are much thinner than the protective sheet and have that tapered edge, and as long as the skin is dry and heated, they stick very well. So I'm giving it a shot and see how it goes.
I am using the belt still of course. And using Tums dissolved in water (takes awhile) to use as a bag flush and leave some inside for a enzyme neutralizer. It helps keep any burning (and the smell) down, but doesn't eliminate it, just delays it. I might be hours away from home so this works somewhat to keep me from screaming my head off.
Stay tuned!
Any of my experiments are exactly that and may not be suitable for your situation.
I'm documenting my experience here to learn as well as others can learn from these experiments. Also for entertainment purposes.
Edit: This experiment failed...
Okay I have a near flush stoma in a belly fold that isn't there when lying down but does appear when bending.
I've been using a one piece convex with a strong four hook belt, Flonaze (nose stuff) as a enzyme wound pain reducer and skin protectant, no sting paste, a protective sheet and extra adhesive strips all around.
But alas I ran out of protective sheets, and my last wafer on was just skin protectant, paste and the one piece. Well it lasted a whole day, the shear damage from the stiffer convex was obvious, my skin wounds doubled in size.
So what I'm thinking what is going on is this, the stiff convex, despite my horizontally bending the wafer to fit better and be more flexible in my belly fold is causing shear damage, loosening the paste and causing stoma output to leak underneath.
The protective sheet I normally use (with another layer of paste on top to marry with the wafer) was protecting the skin and allowing the wafer shearing to occur on top of the sheet, thus protecting the skin from the burning enzymes.
So since I didn't have any protective sheets on hand, I decided to experiment.
I took my adhesive barrier strips, since they are curved and have tapered edges, cut them to fit around my stoma, but just a hair away from it. One on top and one on the bottom covering my enzyme burn wounds, then another on each side. Then on top I placed a little no sting paste and jammed it around the stoma and protecting the edge of the strips. Then a thicker layer to marry to the convex wafer and smashed the whole mess down using my medical tape tube as it's just thick enough and oval to match my stoma.
So my objective here, since my burn wounds are now twice as big, is to provide protection from the paste pulling on it as well as any new stoma output. If any wafer shear occurs that hopefully it's transferred on top of the strips much like it was using the protective sheet.
I also used antibacterial dish soap around the stoma to wash each time it spewed in the shower followed by conditioner. Naturally to kill any infection caused by the digestive enzymes and to moisture the skin. A lot better than using iodine or alcohol. The wounds seemed to dry well to the touch after blow drying and didn't weep like older attempts.
I of course gave a generous coating of skin protectant and dried well before applying the strips. No paste underneath this time, just along the edge where the stoma is.
I need these wounds to heal and I've never had my wounds get so big when I used the protective sheet, they often were small. So I'm thinking the stiff convex is not the way to go in my case. Neither is using much paste on the skin.
Dave here suggested that thinner, stickier and more flexible wafer membrane may suit my needs better.
The barrier strips are much thinner than the protective sheet and have that tapered edge, and as long as the skin is dry and heated, they stick very well. So I'm giving it a shot and see how it goes.
I am using the belt still of course. And using Tums dissolved in water (takes awhile) to use as a bag flush and leave some inside for a enzyme neutralizer. It helps keep any burning (and the smell) down, but doesn't eliminate it, just delays it. I might be hours away from home so this works somewhat to keep me from screaming my head off.
Stay tuned!