UOAA Discussion Board

I have a long chest scar that runs down the center through the belly button because they opened me up like a fish to take a good look inside.

I have a illeostomy as a result of part of my intestines and colon removed due to infection or cancer or whatever it was.

So my problem is the chest scar where it runs alongside the belly button is sensitive to the wafer and the barrier strips from grabbing it, so I've tried to keep it off of that and just grab the skin around it. But this forms an air pocket which later grows mold and itches eventually undermines the barrier adhesive and causes a leak or even a blowout.

I though I found a remedy by cutting an extra large barrier strip around the belly button to protect the skin from causing sweat then covering the area with another to float over the empty area of the belly button but obviously the scar tissue not being covered causes it to itch there instead.

Basically I have no place to provide barrier or wafer adhesive support around the belly button so when a filled bag, tends to pull on that area and dislodges the barrier adhesive (I use paste) from the skin and causes a leak.

So I've reasoned mold grows because of moisture being trapped in the empty air pocket and since I can't cover the sensitive scar with a barrier strip to stop it and I need the support of the skin on the other side of the belly button.

So I was getting away with putting lotion on the scar tissue as prevent this but it fails after a few days. But it wasn't a problem when I had three day wear time but now I get 6 days and the lotion wears out.

So I'm thinking about using petroleum jelly instead as a skin cover to prevent the mold from forming there.

Just seeing if anyone else has a better solution to this problem.

I should note I also have a chest scar divot running vertically so can't use a belt, in fact the belt actually pulls the wafer up.

So I ran it by the AI and it says to cover the sensitive scar tissue (it's about 1.5 inches) with a couple of coats of skin protectant to reduce the grap ability right there, this also stops the moisture mold/fungus issue. Then layer barrier strips around the scar tissue sensitive part to fill in and making things level, then flattening the sensitive scar tissue with paste then apply the wafer and the final barrier strips.

How does that sound to you guys and gals?

Checking to see if anyone has a better solution.

Okay AI says NOT to use petroleum jelly as it will undermine the adhesives so instead I put two pieces of cut barrier strip into the belly button stacked, then a custom cut piece around the belly button but about 1/4 away from the stoma, then using the wafer backing as a template, placed it over the stoma to see where the low spots were and filled them with two layers of cut barrier strips, then covered the sensitive scar tissue with (earlier) two coats of the skin protectant and then filled the belly button hole (remaining) and covered the sensitive scar tissue with paste. Then finally covered all around with two extra large full sized barrier strips but this time under the belt hooks, I was previously covering them and it could be they were pulling the barrier strips and wafer up some, digging into the skin some making things a bit more uncomfortable.

Definitely feels more solid now, so we will see how this goes.

The AI suggested filling the belly button and area with ring material but I can't justify spending that kind of money just for filler pieces, the barrier strips are much more cost effective.