Ileostomy leaks/finding new products

[fletcherks]

I've had Crohns for almost 26 years and an ileostomy for 16. We tried to reverse it but the disease spread to my rectum so ended up getting a proctocolectomy about 9 years ago. I've used Hollister for all these years and the past year I think I became "allergic" to the materials. It is also important to note that I have a parastomal hernia. My ostomy nurses only see patients once a month, so I feel very along doing this with representatives over the phone who can't see what my stoma and the skin around looks like. I've gotten some Coloplast samples sent and my skin seems to like them better. I can't get away with wearing for more than a day because my output is so watery no matter what I eat. I'm trying paste now instead of the barrier rings. I've been told by some nurses to use the paste/protectant spray but this last time they told me not to use it. Anyone have similar issues that can offer tips?

[Shamrock4806]

My skin definitely likes the Coloplast better than the Hollister, and I hear of this frequently so your not alone on that.

I remember removing the Hollister wafers and it would always leave a nasty circle of irritation matching the wafer perfectly.

Now as far as your watery output that can be fixed either by controlling your diet or having the doctor administer medicine to thicken you up some.

So the options there are to see an ostomy dietician, perhaps get checked out for diabetes, blood work and such to narrow down the cause.

This came from my ostomy dietician and it's excellent, not available online.

viewtopic.php?t=27735

A simple fix might be your diet, too much food, caffeine, alcohol, excessive sugar or starches, too much fat, too much salt and a whole lot of other things could be causing it. Even drinking too much water believe it or not. If your urinating normally then you might want to cut back a little on your water intake and see if that fixes things.

If your urinating normally a yellow or clear that's a good sign your not dehydrated.

And watery output really isn't a problem for me, what I've found out is to get pastes and adhesive barriers to adhere well to the skin requires a better method than just using adhesive remover.

This is what I use and do now and getting excellent paste to skin bonding.

1: Get a few bottles of oil free eye makeup remover from the cosmetics isle at your drug or grocery store. Use that as your adhesive remover standing over the toilet.

2: Once the wafer is removed, dry wipe the stoma clean of output (no water or anything else), then gently scrape using a butter knife the stuck on paste from the skin, it will leave a film most likely.

3: Soak the oil free eye makeup remover onto clean toilet paper and hold against the area around the stoma to loosen and rub or scrape off remaining paste film. Make sure skin is absolutely clean of the paste residue. Rub the oil free around the wafer area and it will deep clean and moisturize the skin.

4: Now take a shower and wait until output has subsided, preferably BEFORE taking the wafer off naturally but stomas are a sometimes unpredictable.

5: Use only plain soap like Ivory around the stoma area because we need to remove the oil free eye makeup remover from the surface of the skin. Drag your finger around and the skin should squeak, that's your cue it's clean. Repeat if not. Now keep it that way without run off from shampoos or other stuff like output. You should exfoliate the skin using a light plastic scrubber around the stoma on healthy skin only basically gently roughing it up a little, helps shed the skin also.

6: Dry off and blow dry around the stoma area heating the skin up some. Use dry toilet paper to dab up any stoma moisture.

7: If you have leak burns an extremely light dusting of stoma powder just on the wounds and lock down with a spray skin protectant and wait 30+ seconds to dry.

8: Of course if output ruins your party you need to start over again in the shower until that thing stops.

9: Now of course you have your prepared wafer with paste all around, I found I have to use three thick beads of paste for mine. Now checking that the skin around the stoma is absolutely dry, place a half thick bead of paste right up tight around the stoma on the skin side. Just before you slap the wafer with it's paste on. Check that it's adhering good to the skin. This will squeeze the paste right up against it when the wafer is applied and even over the stoma if yours is short. This puts pressure right next to the stoma to get a tight seal against watery leaks. As long as the wafer hole isn't completely covered I've found the output will still squirt through. Press around the wafer hole first then the rest of the wafer down, use the extra large barrier strips to place pressure down as well OVER the belt hooks and stiff plastic if your not using them while exhaled. I hate belts because they cause the wafer to move, taping it down using the barrier strips is far better as it won't move with the belt moving.

10: Rest on your back for a few hours and the combination of low output and being still with the paste deflecting the output away from the skin will cause a much better adhesion. I go as far as putting wafer hole cut outs around the outside edge of the convex wafer bubble edge so not all the paste squirts out. Keeping the wafer just off the skin at a perfect height. If not it the wafer can dig into the skin and cause irritation or even graneoulmas.

The thing is with paste is it remains flexible, it doesn't get hard so the wafer can't move very much.

If your feeling any consistent irritation then you need to rip the wafer off and try again. I usually get three days with mine but I have a illeostomy in a belly fold so it's been most difficult. I even have to physically bend the convex wafer horizontally so it will flex when I bend or get up. The paste flexes along with it. Not easy believe me, took me two years to perfect it.