Disposal of colostomy bags

Hi calmted,

Good to hear your hubbie is doing well enough to be planning going away on holiday! I can understand his reluctance because of the disposal of his pouches, but ask the question... how do mothers dispose of their baby's nappies when abroad? That should be the answer to your question! I'm quite sure that hotels etc won't want anything except toilet paper flushed down their toilets so there will be bins of some description. I wouldn't worry about using them.. that's what they are for! You could always ask your travel agent about the facilities abroad, or even look at the websites of the hotels and see if you can see the bathrooms. 

Hope this gives you something to think about. Have a fab holiday... you will both deserve it!

Linda :-)

Thanks Linda - will find out about nappies - never crossed my mind! I appreciate your very quick reply.

Sheena :-)

Hi and welcome to the online community and our own little poo corner where we discuss everything to do with poo.

Trust you stoma nurse and get away for a few days and relax.

As it I read it your question is in two parts and we'll go over them individually.

At home

When disposing of the used colostomy bag which I take to be a closed bag the easiest way to do it is too wash out the bag and flush any excess poo contents down the toilet bowl, then place the bag into the black disposable bag as supplied by your supplier and dispose in the domestic rubbish as you doing, but with collections being spaced out further you could ask your supplier if they supply heavier stronger bags and the way I do it is to put everything into the black bag and tie it up making sure all the air is out then I place it in the stronger bag and they are self sealing and place in the domestic refuge bin as mother's do with used nappies.

But as your local authority empties your bin every weeks I would ask them if they supply yellow contaminated waste sacks, the sacks would probably be collected more often but you might have to get your GP to sign a form for you to get them.

On holiday

Virtually the same as at home but if in a hotel you could ask them about disposing of the waste bags and if necessary take your own yellow sacks with you to show willing.

If you are self catering double wrap the bag after washing it and place it and the waste  refuge bins.

Depending on the self catering establishment the bins are normally more frequently than at home.

To be honest I've never had a problem with disposing of my bags when I am away from home, I just adopt my double wrapping principle and either place it the bin or ask the establishment if I can personally dispose of the waste in their outside refuse bins and have never had a problem anywhere I've been.

The biggest problem you have is deciding whether or not you want to share with the hotel that your husband has a stoma.

I don't think the worry of disposing of the bags should deter you and your husband having a holiday.

You do know that you can be supplied on prescription deodorant sprays that you can spray into the disposal bags and also into bins.

Word of suggestion take with you a translation into German of a Can't wait Toilet card. 

Don't let a little thing like disposing of the waste bags deter you having a holiday go off and enjoy yourselves. There is nothing like a holiday to refresh you.

If you need anymore advice on anything to do with stoma management don't hesitate to ask, no matter how small I am here to help you at all times especially if you need advice about travelling.

Please keep in touch with me and let me know if you have any problems and we'll we'll solve them together.

Ian

Thanks so much Ian - plenty of information I didn't know about here. Since you've volunteered to help I would like to ask you about what hubbie calls "pancaking".  I've had to get him really big T shirts (he's now 17 st - was 15 st before op) as he wears a T shirt then braces and covers them with another t shirt.  He will not have stoma bag inside trousers and he's constantly fiddling with it to try to stop it going flat. He squirts a little oil into the closed bag and puts a couple of sheets of scrunched up loo paper in bottom of bag to try to stop the pancaking.  Sometimes when he is sitting you can see the bag - he also has peripheral neuropathy and alodinia and can't bear clothing next to his lower right back.  At home it's OK but he gets angry with me for telling him to cover it up when we're at friends houses. He uses the little paper things to cover holes in bag to keep air in but whenever he's been driving etc it gets flat!  As he has the clear bags this is not a good look.  He has tried various bags given to him by stoma sister but finds it difficult to deal with the non- seethrough bags.

He does not want to talk about this so it is quite difficult.  He does not know how anyone could wear bag inside trousers let alone inside underwear!  You may just be the very pwerson to convince him that it can be done.  He is very negative about all this even to saying how can you flush out a closed bag - my answer woould be to cut off top but I'm afraid to even suggest it.

Background to all this was 8 hour op in November where he was supposed to get temporary ileostomy and his bowel rejoined later but they did all the keyhole surgery fine then were unable to get staple gun into pelvic area as his pelvis was too narrow. He was understandably devastated but on the whole has dealt very well with it. He is presently on 7th cyle of 8 chermo pills - due to finish in 4 weeks.  I got so uptight about him not taking his pills at appropriate times that doctor gave me Setraline to calm me down.

Sorry for all the rambling but it really has helped, me at any rate, to have someone to talk to who is actually coping with this and will undersatnd how husband is feeling.

Thank you very much for your time.  I will give my computer a rest now and watch some TV!

Sheena

Hi Sheena

I'll certainly help you to try and convince hubby to do something to hide his bag and will have something out together for you later on.

But I mentioned this in my previous message and I hope it will help when abroad

 Can't wait Toilet card 

Sir, Madam, Miss
URGENT
I have a medical condition
and need to use the toilet
urgently,
Please may I use yours
thank you
Not all disabilities are visible

German

mein Herr, Frau, Fräulein
DRINGEND
Ich habe eine Erkrankung
und müssen die Toilette benutzen
dringend,
Darf ich deine verwenden?
Danke dir
Nicht alle Behinderungen sind sichtbar

Back soon

Ian

Hi Sheena,

Just read your responses and have a couple of thoughts for you. Firstly, speak to your stoma nurses about opaque colostomy pouches - your hubby shouldn't be on the ones with the clear plastic front now! Secondly, there is a procedure called irrigation whereby you wash out the bowel and for some folks, the results are up to 48 hours without any output - some are even fortunate enough to wear what's called a cap, or a very small pouch. I irrigate every day and have some control in that I can get most of the poo away in the morning and occasionally have some breakthrough, but mainly I can go all day with no breakthrough. It gives me back some control and gives me much more confidence too! Just a couple of thoughts for you...

Linda :-)

Hi Sheena

Do you want me to add anymore to this from the male point of view with regard to pancaking issues and possible cures, clothing problems and how to cover up a bag that hubby is wearing outside his trousers.

I am ½ way through putting my response together with my thoughts and suggestions for hubby but I don't want to bog you down with too much information.

If you could let me know I'll do what I can to help you persuade hubby to cover up and how to do it.

Ian 

The more info you can give the better if it's not too much trouble.  Tracet (stoma nurse) always gets him to put bag inside clothing but he just is too afraid to keep it ther. He's going about like a pregnant fairy right now s with the weight he's gained he's quite round - this my be part of problem with the bg - and he keeps pulling at it through his T shirt.  He says he's got to keep checking it hasn't gone flat.

If he could realise it really is ok to keep bag covered.  I found website vanillablush - they sell specific black underwear with pouch in so bag is not next to skin.  I told him about it but he says no use because of pancaking.  He is a bie OCD about various things nothing to do with health so maybe it's just his nature!

How to do it is a problem. I tried to get him to register at this site but no go.  I could just let him read your reply.  He is aware I have contacted you.  Thank you once again.

Hi Sheena and Sheena's husband.

This is something I don't normally do I'm going to speak about myself for a while.

I am a male 5'7" tall and weighing in at about 90 kilos and have a permanent Ileostomy which is different to a colostomy as most of my output is watery whilst your husband's output should be more solid. To overcome pancaking oiling (baby oil or you can get on prescription lubricating gel sachets) both internal sides of the bag can help as can blowing into the bag to separate the sides, being polythene/plastic static can be a problem and cause the two sides to stick together stopping the poo from falling down. Scrunched up toilet paper or a cotton wool ball near the top of the pouch can help to keep the sides apart.

There is available on prescription a product called Stoma Bridge and they come in two sizes. They are foam squares with an adhesive back which attaches to one side of the pouch and helps to keep the sides apart you can read about them here 

http://www.opus-healthcare.co.uk/clearway.htm

Samples are available and it might be worth a trial 

Taking it fluids can also help to make the stools easier to fall down, is he drinking enough during the day.

I am also interested in why hubby can only use clear pouches, opaque pouches are definitely better and he should persevere with them if not for his sake but yours.

Wearing trousers should not interfere with his bag providing the waist band does not cut the bag in half which could lead to pancaking.

I wear jogging trousers with an elastic waistband plus a support girdle for my hernia and also support underwear which are just like shorts and have a internal pocket to hold the pouch (although I never have the pouch in the pocket) all my garments are supplied on prescription and I get a good yearly allowance. The manufacturers,will come to the house and do an assessment and measure him up before suggesting a suitable product for him. Don't buy them yourself.

The company I use is called AMI Medical SupportX,  I have also used Comfizz. To save you looking it up I can send you links to both companies if you want 

Another product that might be of interest is a belt which is deep enough to cover the pouch and has a fair bit of stretch to allow for the bag expanding when it fills up, ideally it is worn on the skin but he could wear it open his trousers and will not flatten the bag. It has, velcro strips to keep the two sides together which means it can also be adjusted during the day as our bodies do tend to swell up.

If he insists in having his bag out you can get pouch covers and I think that Respond still supply them on prescription but there are many suppliers who will make them up especially for you and you can supply your own material. My stoma nurse told me once that she had a patient who insisted that his pouch cover was made,up in his football clubs colours and that might be another suggestion for you again if interested I can send you some links.

You can threaten to buy him a nice floral scarf or wrap to go round his waist when sitting around the house or when out visiting I'm sure he would look very fetching with one round his waist!, Sorry hubby but we need to keep the bag covered and under wraps at all times.

He need not be continually checking to see if the pouch is flat but there is nothing wrong in giving the pouch a gentle pat to help the poo to drop down.

Can I stress again providing his trousers are not too tight and the waist band is not cutting into his bag providing he ensures that there is air in the bag with his paper or a stoma bridge near the top of the pouch he should not experiencing pancaking but as you say he maybe just have a fear that it will happen and blow his bag off.

He should try to forget he is wearing a bag sometimes I forget, even after 6 years, that I have a bag on until it gets too full and that is with wearing joggers and the two sets of support garments and as I mentioned I am big and quite rounded and two years ago I was well over 100 kilos so I am/was the same as hubby and what we males call cuddly!

If husband doesn't want to speak on the open forum he can speak to me in private using the friends messaging service and it will only be between the two of us, you can click on my name and when my page opens up click on friend request and we'll take it from there.

If you think it would help him have a word with the stoma care nurse about irrigation and ask her to explain the benefits and how it works. The basic system is available on the NHS but there is also an all singing and dancing version which is very expensive and some CCG's won't authorise them on prescription due to the cost, but the saving on 30 pouches plus per month at £45 approx per box the cost would be recouped within about 6 months.

To summarise

Pancaking should not be a problem

Wearing the pouch inside clothing should not cause pancaking .

Pulling at the pouch is a confidence thing, an occasional pat to dislodge any sticky poo is okay and also serves to guage the contents of the pouch.

Flushing out the pouch with clean water into the toilet bowl is an easy job if the top or bottom is cut off.

There is one pouch on the market that should not have any paper placed in it as it damages the filter.

The little sticky patches that come in the boxes can stop air escaping through the filter.

Does hubby attend to his stoma, management himself or does he need your help.

Can I ask is it a one piece or a two piece bag hubby is using.

Can you tell me the supply company that delivers the pouches etc so I can make sure you are getting all the complimentary items they supply.

When you are travelling to Germany what mode of transport will you be using I might have useful information for you depending on how you travel. You will need to inform the holiday insurance company that hubby has a stoma and why it was formed our Travel Insurance group will give you advice on the companies they have found to offer reasonable rates and not silly money.

I think I've covered most of the points you've raised if I missed anything or you think of anything else please come back to me it's part of my role as the online community champion for the Ileostomy, colostomy and stoma support to help to solve problems and make life easier all round.

Please be assured that you can ask me anything and I will give you an answer which will no problem for me to do so.

Keep in touch with me 

Ian

Sheena, sorry I've made an amendment to the previous,reply just in case you've read it before I made the change which is

You can threaten to buy him a nice floral scarf or wrap to go round his waist when sitting around the house or when out visiting I'm sure he would look very fetching with one round his waist!, Sorry hubby but we need to keep the bag covered and under wraps at all times.

Ian