6 weeks since B had the ileostomy. I thought we were doing ok, but then had 2 leaks one after the other. The second in a fancy restaurant 
. Don't want to repeat that experience!
We're trying to figure out why 'Dora' should suddenly loose the good adhesion she seemed to have before.
We use a 2 piece Hollister set. Post op the stoma nurse sprayed some 'skin protector ' immediately before applying the 'wax' ring& flange. Worked fine. I took that spray home, she said it also help adhesión. That supply ran out and I bought (19€!!) the recommended replacement 'Convatec skin barrier spray'.
I used that for the two changes when it leaked. Have I bought the right stuff? Did I use too much? Is there a different skin protector/ adhesive spray I could use/ maybe I used too much?
In the end yesterday I did not use the spray, and I hope his skin is ok when it gets changed again on Saturday.
Another theory is that he's started to wear pants/ underwear because of occasional mucus leaks. The elastic is underneath the stoma, but perhaps caused some constriction in flow/ back up pressure???
The temperature has dropped about so it's not 30C in the bedroom where supplies are kept. Maybe the flange needs to be warmed up to be more maleable? I sat on it for 10 minutes yesterday and so far so good!
Any ideas would be most gratefully received. We cancelled a fiesta lunch today as our confidence has plummeted!
That All for now folks, over to you ...
Elcano
Hi Elcano
Sorry to read of the leaks-it’s awful when that happens isn’t it? Have you thought that if things were going well before maybe you don’t actually need to use the barrier spray? There are lots of different types of barrier spray so no reason to think you used the wrong stuff as they all seem to do the same thing. It’s possible you maybe used too much? I don’t use it myself but I have done in the early stages of recovery. I couldn’t see any benefit, so stopped.
Another thing to think about is that the stoma can change size in the early days so it’s important to make sure that the bag is cut to the correct size of hole. Have you checked that? I remember using the template provided with the boxes of supplies to measure mine very regularly and it did change until it finally settled to the size it is now.
Warming the flange is always a good idea to help with adhesion-sitting on it is a new one to me! I use a hairdryer myself! I’ve had many leaks over the years for various reasons, but never had much problem with my skin. If I do, I use calomine lotion spread on the skin round my stoma with a cotton pad and dry it gently and thoroughly with the hair dryer on a cool setting. It’s cheaper than a 19 euro barrier spray and it’s calmed my skin very well and had it back to normal by the next day. You just need to use it sparingly and make sure the area is fully dry before putting the bag on.
I hope you can get back to going out for fiesta lunches and the like, but I understand£ what a dent it is to confidence when this happens.
Sarah xx
