Does anyone have a favorite tip for bag survival?

nene........I'll have my colostomy 5 months tomorrow and am finished with all the draining, cleaning of the bags (have tried em all) and have resorted to using just the Convatec tape flanges and the disposable bags.....sooooooooo much simpler to dispose of and just put on another.......I always thought I'd have to see what was going on and wore the transparent but have learned my stoma has a mind of it's own so I quit all the fussing and worrying and decided to just keep it simple.....makes my emergency kit practically nil! a couple of wipes, a few disposeables and I'm off to the races! Ohhh..and I change my flange every 4-5 days for good measure........these disposables sure work for me.

Those are great tips! Here are a few of my own:

1. I like to cut the hole in the new wafer before I take the old one off. That way, I'm ready to put it on quickly if my little friend decides to become active.

2. Using adhesive remover wipes makes the wafer slide right off.

3. Shaving the little hairs on my belly around my stoma makes wafer removal much less painful.

4. Mouthwash makes a great deodorizer.

5. Eakin Seals last a lot longer than Stomahesive paste.

Cece

nene205 said...
Good idea. I have an illeostomy which drains alot. I do have some closed bags that were sent to me by mistake and I just kept them. Is that what you use? Don't think I can afford to use them all the time though. I'm with you when it comes to transparent bags. I just don't want to see what's going on!!! Glad to hear that you are doing well at 5 months.

Good morning!nene.......I don't know that much about illeostomies but I understand they're more of a nuisance than colostomies and am not sure if a closed disposable would be the right pouch for you depending on the frequency and amount of your output......I've had a couple of days where I had to change twice in one morning, but wore the 2nd. bag until the next morning......I buy them 60 in a box (have some insurance) but I also keep some reg. ones on hand for my Dr/Surgeon appointments......

You sound like you're doing good with your, ille, too.....thank you! This is my 2nd. colostomy in 20 yrs and you'd think I'd know the ropes but times sure have changed.......duhhhhh

 

ne ne! im so glad u asked about the moldables, i was just going to post on those, im ordering supplies today and was wondering if n e one used them and how they worked. I was going to try those, they seem like much less of a hassle. I dont like the cutting to fit part, and i hear theyr good for preventing leaks. how have they worked for u?

Also, sorry to hear about the polyps, but mayb its good they caught them in time! good luck w/those

A lot of folks really like the moldable wafers since there is no cutting involved. I guess I'm still old school (or just plain Cheap!), but I have stuck with my Convatec Surfit 2 pc since my surgery A Long Time Ago. I just added the Eakin Seals instead of the Stomahesive Paste. Wear time is at about 7 days. Eakins have eliminated my leaks.... knock on wood!!!

Like Shaz said, if it itches, change it! Now if I have a trip away from home planned for a week, or long weekend, I try to "time" my change so that I won't have to do it while I'm away. Otherwise, I've been changing on Sat or Sun mornings.

I also like to get everything ready to go for the change before starting it. Sometimes, I do that before I go to bed the night before so that I can "take care of business" right out of bed in the morning before my buddy becomes active (and before I drink or eat anything).

I love hearing how well all of you are adjusting and trying new products. I love to hear your critiques of the products too. Keep up the good work and do keep your positive attitudes.

Richard,

I was thinking about the very same thing.. I wonder what she's up to?  Maybe I will send her an email to check on her and let her know that we are thinking of her.  I'll let ya know if I get a response.

How have you been with working way too much and all?!

I've been wondering where Amy is, too. I hope she's doing okay. I miss her!

*still wondering where amey's been*

o, one tip that has helped me. i used to be really anal about cleaning the tail of my bag, id sit for like 20 mins trying to clean it w/anti bacterial wipes and tissue and so on. Now, when i empty, i cuff the tail of my bag back as far as i can. That way it doesnt get dirty, and therefore i dont have to spend time trying to clean it. Thats wonderful for me!