Skin protective products for bowel incontinence....also, nausea management.

Hi!

Hope everyone is having a good day, or at least finding a reason to smile today.

Wasn't sure where to post this, so I did post it also on the Ostomy forum as well.

Met with the ostomy/wound care nurse at Mayo a few days ago, partly because the GI doc was concerned about skin breakdown and irritation on my behind, due to incontinence/bowel leakage and the moisture from it. Said that if I did not start caring for it better, I would end up with ulcers and could need multiple surgeries and a crazy long time to try to heal it all. That's enough motivation for me to take better care! Guess I haven't given it much attention, especially because I have no sensation there, so no pain. I was told that's an added danger because it could get really bad and the problem could go rather deep without me even knowing it.

So, anyway, I was given samples of 2 products to use: Calmoseptine ointment (barrier cream) and B-SURE absorbent pads to wick away moisture. The nurse said I will need to reapply the ointment and change the pads a few times a day to be safe. Will need to do that until after surgery (colostomy) and healing is complete. No surgery date set yet. Just got back from testing at Mayo and haven't even talked to my GI doc here at home about what happens next. Ok. I can deal. Just wondering if anyone has used either of those products before and if so, what do you think of them? Any hints or advice? Like how much ointment to put on or whatever? Also wondering if there is a way to get them covered by insurance....I know they aren't crazy expensive or anything, but being on disability, my dollars are stretched pretty thin already, and every little bit counts. If I can't get it covered, no big deal, I'll manage.

I have another area I'd like advice about....I suffer from a lot of nausea, comes and goes all day, every day pretty much. I do have 8mg Zofran that I can take, but really shouldn't rely on that too much. I haven't looked into it too much, but have heard a little about non-Rx ways to manage it. Wondering if any of you have suggestions of things that have worked well for you, or things that weren't worth spending the $$ on. Looking for something that can be used daily, works relatively quickly. The exact cause of my nausea is not known, it's likely a combination of gastritis, build-up of stuff from chronic constipation, some food intolerances, side effects of being on close to 20 different meds, and even stress and anxiety. So, the best I have been able to do is be careful about what I eat and try to work on managing stress better.

Please help!!

Thanks for listening, and if you have any suggestions or anything, I'd love to hear them!!