Need advice about stoma which I have had since January this year

Hi I have just come across this thread and I want to thank you the Bodach for such useful info throughout the thread.

im still learning about everything, as you know it is not me that has a stoma but my hubby. But he is too ill to do any of it for himself I am just about ready to do an order for bags but so unsure what to ask for but your suggestion of asking for samples I like.

my husband has a small patch of skin that seems to have been affected by bag or output and is a little raw, it’s only small but I want it better ASAP 

thanks again 

I hope you are back home soon and feeling much better xxx

process

With regard to ordering bags you should give the ones suggested by the hospital stoma care nurse a few months to see how hubby gets on with them. 

You will know the name of the supplier that the hospital has registered you with and you can order direct with them either by telephone or do an online order.

If you have arranged with your GP to have all of hubby's prescriptions dispensed by your local high street pharmacy you should have the supply company added to be preferred pharmacy for the supply of all his stoma items, there are many reasons for not using the local pharmacy.

With regard the small patch of raw skin this could be caused by faeces or removing the bag.

If the skin is broken and/or weeping a small dusting of stoma powder over the area and rubbed in with all excess removed might help, but it is essential that all of the excess powder is removed otherwise the new bag won't adhere properly. The powder has no medicinal properties.

Personally I prefer to use a combined protective barrier film and adhesive enhancer called 

Fusion Protective Barrier Applicators 

Usually the broken skin clears up quite quickly but if not speak to stoma care nurse who will be able to suggest a topical cream to apply.

process please don't hesitate to contact me if you need some more information and I'll do what I can to help but please note I may not respond as either of us would want whilst I'm still in hospital.

Keep in touch

Ian

Stoma Support Group CC

you lucky only to leak every few weeks I leak every day they haven't made a bag yet that does not leak

cream is no good the bags wont stick try powder or white of an egg for sore skin

I use oakmed bags at night I put a 2ins dia polothene pipe to the bottom of the bag leading to plastic bottle I use pluming connectors this system was devised in h8 ward in Salford royal hospital Manchester works very well I have high output stoma

Over the last ten days, I have leaked eleven times. No idea what I am doing wrong. It is making me so upset. Sent a message to the stoma nurse who looked after me in hospital and she is going to send me alternative products. I hope they come with clear instructions or I will just go through the same thing again.

Jennylou so sorry to hear about eleven leaks in ten days what can I suggest this time.

Let's look at the things that you may be doing differently (note not wrong)

have you maybe lost or heaven forbid put on some weight or

have you been doing  something strenuous that could have put pressure on your stoma causing the wafer to lift.

Have you had a change of diet

We do things without thinking daily that puts stress on the stoma wafer.

One of the things that causes me a problem is how I position my flange on my skin, my stoma is an irregular shape 50mm deep x 30mm wide but I have indentations all round which means a few mm out my wafer can be raised and cause a leak.

Have you examined the soiled pouch against your skin, washed out to see if you can spot where and why the leak is coming from, it could be a small dip in your skin that you could apply a small pea sized drop of stoma paste to even out the skin

So many things that can wrong but going back to basics can work wonders

Just keep checking your wafer throughout the day.

Please do keep talking to me sometimes something said in a conversation can provide the answer.

Ian

Stoma Support Group CC 

Hi Ian your stoma sounds like my husbands it’s a strange shape with little nodules I presume because he had two major surgery in 5 days first colostomy then loop illleistiomy. 
I am interested you said about weight as he lust 3 stone but is now slowly putting weight back on I was hoping to get bags precut soon as I don’t trust myself cutting them, but will stoma change again if he continues to put weight on, which he needs to do? 

thank you

process xxx

Hi Ian, hope you are out of hospital.

as far as I am concerned I am not doing anything differently other than being more stressed my routine remains the same.

since I left hospital in Feb I have been fluctuating between eight stone and eight stone three so weight change isn't an issue. I do nothing more strenuous than a slow walk round my garden. Diet pretty much the same. 

I am quite a petite person, my stoma is pretty close to my belly button with my wound still healing immediately below so the wafer does get very close to these two things indeed at the moment my fresh bag that I had to put on at 1am this morning following another leak is actually partly inside the belly button. I assume this could be an issue but surely only when it leaks that side.

i have got a patch of red skin around the stoma which is quite painful to the touch so maybe the wafer is not sticking to it properly.

I've been given a sample of concave bags by the stoma nurse and they have been much more effective than the bags I had previously.  Certainly worth trying them for anyone experiencing leaks.