Bowel cancer and stoma bag

Hi Emma

Im sorry you’re having this issue with your stoma 

This is a great place to get lots of advice. It’s also worth joining the ileostomy colostomy stoma support group. There’s every issue with these stoma’s addressed and some funny stories too 

Im an ileostomy so my output tends to be loose rather than a colostomy so it my advice is based on my experience on that. 

Baby oil in the opening and massage it about. I add lavender oil. Convex bags are my favourites. Plenty of fluids. I drank isotonic in the early days now I’m anything goes. 
Diet  make a food diary which you probably already have. 
I hope this helps.

Hi Emma. I always had a loose output but here’s a link to a previous post about ‘pancaking’. It’s an oldish post but the advice is relevant and although Bodach is no longer on the board he was the resident expert for a long time. The filter covers that they refer to are often right at the bottom of the box and are little round sticky things!

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_experiences/ileostomy-and-colostomy-discussions-forum/f/ileostomy_and_colostomy_discussions-forum/186082/pancaking-with-colostomy

Hope things start to improve for you and you could always pop over to the other board and put pancaking in the search box to see previous posts

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_experiences/ileostomy-and-colostomy-discussions-forum

Take care

Karen x

Thank you for your reply I've tried all the above and nothing is working I've had 3 different bags and all doing the same just pancakes all the time I drink 3 bottles of water a day I eat bran flakes for breakfast plenty of bread mash potatoes vegetables crisps jelly babies fish eggs so don't know were im going wrong 

Are you a colostomy or ileostomy ? 

Hi Emma,

I’m so sorry to hear you’re having issues with pancaking, I know how these things get to you after a while – I had issues with leaks around 6 weeks after my surgery when things had been relatively fine beforehand, it really got me down. I started using Salts Aloe rings under my Mio convex bags and that sorted the problem – however, I’m meticulous how I attach everything and the time I take to warm things and how long I continue to press them down after attaching.

I had another bout of leaks with pancaking starting last December and couldn’t work out what the problem was and ended up ringing the Salts people to see if the rings I use under my convex bags could be a bad lot number (which they weren’t).

Anyway, to cut a long story short. Since my chemotherapy ended (last May) I have been eating a probiotic yoghurt with fresh blueberries almost every day. In retrospect during the build-up to Christmas my diet became a bit richer and I wasn’t having the probiotic yoghurt and blueberries as often as before. I started having quite a lot of leaks, my output turned greener and started pancaking and my skin became a real mess due to the output burning it. I’ve also noticed, in the past, that if I ate too many vegetables (not root) or salad stuff I get more pancaking.

Since returning to eating the yoghurt and blueberries everyday things have settled down and no more leaks or pancaking. It could well be coincidence or maybe the probiotic changes the digestion in my stomach, but it seems to work for me. Might be worth a try?

Best wishes,

Net77x

Hi Nett.

Thanks for the recommendation in the other group. I have pro bio every day and my issues have improved though I have cut down on all the Christmas treats I was eating too. Food got masses to do with consistency. 

Hi nett77 thank you for your help unfortunately I don't do dairy products and only eat certain fruits as there's a few I don't like will just keep trying other things to c how I get on I've been like this from day 1 

Colostomy

Thanks. I noticed Karen already found you some info. She’s wonderful. I’m pretty new too had my LAR August. For my output when it’s loose i use jelly baby’s and marshmallows. Crisps dry crackers cereal all pad out my output to thicken it. If you left off the thickening  foods that may help. 

OK wll try that really try anything at this stage was just wondering if my ibs would be not helping matters either because I'm eating foods that I havnt had in about 6 years because of the ibs I just lived on tea and biscuits lol if I wanted to eat something I took cocodomol but then became constipated so that wasn't good so don't know if the ibs would be having an impact on my stoma output has any1 any ideas