Hi I’ don’t know many people with 2 stomas and at present I’m 10 months since I had my surgery. I’m having trouble at the minute with my colostomy bag as keeps bursting. Got barrier rings to try at the minute and see how I go. Also very itchy. My stoma has shrunk a lot and sinks in.
Hi Star10473
I remember suggesting things before but don’t know if you’ve tried different things yet apart from the barrier rings? Have you h spoken to your stoma nurse, have you had your stoma re measured, tried different types of bags, used barrier spray or stoma powder? Have you looked at your diet to see if any changes could help if you have a lot of output?
Sarah xx
Ok…since you’ve tried various things and none of them have worked, your stoma nurse is the best person to advise on what you could try next.
Sarah xx
How many other types of bags have you tried? You said you’d tried all the things I’d mentioned, but there are many different brands and types of colostomy bag-It’s just a case of finding the right one for you.
Sarah xx
What is “designer stoma”? Sorry, I’ve no idea what that means. Trying one brand and it doesn’t work out means you should be trying more. I did ask if you’d tried others and you said you’d tried all my suggestions, so I assumed that meant other brands/bags?
I’m sorry - I’m finding it difficult to help with the limited information you’re giving in your responses.
Sarah xx
Ah…so your friend had another surgery to re-form her stoma, is that right?
I did reply to you in another thread about this a couple of months ago, but I’ll summarise what you might want to do.
Talk to the stoma nurse again. Ask what type of bag might be better for you. Ask if she has samples of any bags she could give you to try.
Make sure the stoma has been measured exactly-you mentioned before that your stoma had shrunk and you were using pre cut bags. When your stoma changes you need different sized bags based on exact measurements. Has the stoma nurse measured your stoma or have you done it yourself?
You can find stoma supply companies on the Internet- a few suggestions are Hollister, Salts, Coloplast, CliniMed. They make a variety of different products and if you go on their websites there will be a form to complete to order free supplies and you can get a few different products to try. I’ve personally done this lots of times to try new and different things, some worked, some didn’t.
For me, when either of my stomas changed over time, I got new measurements, and tried new products until I settled on types I liked and suited my needs. I did mention to you before about additional products to help with adhesion-Brava elastic strips and Fusion independence applicators. These have helped me immensely and you may want to ask your stoma nurse about them and try some samples to see if they might help. They give me much more confidence. I hope some of these suggestions might be useful for you.
Sarah xx
