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WORST DAY EVERY! I HATE HOLLISTER!

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Posted 9/19/2008 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
ok! so my day was already going horribly considering that it was a payday and its the second pay period that i havent gotten paid!! bills are still due! and i left my other job at the beginning of a pay period  so this is going on my sixth week without income.

THEN, as u all know i tried the new hollister new image pouch the day b4 yesterday. Yesterday it did fine, this morning i woke up with a leak! so i change it this morning and go to work. Then by 9 '0 clock im talking to my kids and my stomach feels warm! leak again!! then i run in the bathroom, change into my moldables (thats what i have in my emergency kit since u dont have to cut and they'v never really given me a problem) by 1 oclock....LEAK AGAIN! note that i have on an off white sweater and i have to keep leaving my kids to go to the bathroom. 

And when i say leak, i mean NOTHING even went in the bag! when i changed both times i pushed it flat against my stomach to make sure that my stoma was protruding enough. and it was...i cant figure what im doing wrong! I hate this! now im afraid to move or go n e where for fear of the same thing happening. 

Iv had my bag since January and never n e thing like this happen b4 i've leaked maybe twice.  What am i dong wrong???? n e suggestions or similar situatioins?

Posted 9/19/2008 10:54 PM (GMT 0)
I know a lot of people here like Hollister. But, other than their pastes, I wasn't really a fan. Again, bear in mind, it's just my opinion. With the exception of trying out different things that are on the market, I've been using Convatec since I've had ostomy surgery back in '89. Mainly it's because I find their pouches are the least bulky. As for your problem though, it sounds like a wafer thing. Considering you've had an ostomy since January, I'm puzzled why you're having problems now. Other than trying a different appliance, are you sure your not doing anything differently? I think it's a longshot, but is it possible you might need to apply some adhesive remover to your skin? I doubt that's the problem, but it never hurts. Do you have any of your other appliances left?
Posted 9/19/2008 11:20 PM (GMT 0)

Oh NO!  It sounds like a BAD day:( 

Have you changed your soap or maybe have lotion residue on your hands that could have transfered to your skin?  Has your weight/stoma changed?...are you using paste or some kind of a seal?  The fact that it happened with two different brands makes it seem like it might be stoma/skin related rather than the appliance...

I hope things get better for you, I'll be thinking about you...

Posted 9/20/2008 6:20 AM (GMT 0)
praying4healing  did you check to see if your stoma has changed sizes ? A few times I had problems because it changed size and shape. Also if you get it a little to small the same thing will hapen good luck. smhair
Posted 9/20/2008 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
sounds like I very, very, very bad day. I understand how you must feel. Anyhow, I would suggest wiping the skin around the stoma with an achohol wipe (and let it dry good) before you put the wafer thing on. I was told by my nurse that it eliminates any soap residue etc. I also believe that it cuts out any bateria...which is a bonus I think because I have not had any skin rashes or problems.
Posted 9/20/2008 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
also, when you put it on, use a hair dryer around it, to help sort of melt it into your skin, and, i think that you get a better hold with the tupperware snap if you do it standing up, rather than laying down. I don't know, i just noticed that the few times i sealed it laying down and then didn't do it again standing up, it leaked.
Hope things go better
Posted 9/20/2008 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
I hope today was a better day!!
Posted 9/21/2008 1:36 AM (GMT 0)

Oh, I'm sorry you had such a bad day! shakehead Please don't let it get you down. It was just one bad day out of a lot of good ones. :-)

I've had good results with the Coloplast Assura Extended Wear wafer (no leaks and 7 days wear time). To get a good seal, I hold my hands around the outside of the wafer and press for about 30 seconds after putting it on to warm it up and make sure I've got a good seal. That works for me, and I hope it helps you, too.

Cecilia

Posted 9/21/2008 1:37 AM (GMT 0)
hi guys! i found an old coloplast wafer and i had some 10 inch bags left so i put that one on and had no problems. U guys asked had i done n e thing differently...the only think i can think of is that my insurance company stopped covering the allkare adhesive remover wipes so i had to use these reliamed generic looking ones and they were scented! i hate them.

but even with that, i didnt use those untili after the 1st leak to get the wafer off, b/c it was stuck so tightly in some places...so i still dont see why the hollister flange didnt work the first time. Also, with both of my changes that day i made absolutely sure that my stoma was protruding well out of the flange, and none of my output was in the bag! the liquid didnt even go in, i just dont understand the physics of that.

n e who, im now officially afraid to hollister again, although i did like the material of the flange. Has n e one ever tried mixing and matching? like mayb a coloplast flange with a hollister bag? is this possible? just wondering. I wish i could get all of the features i wanted in just one system!
Posted 9/21/2008 1:58 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah, those adhesive remover wipes are greasy, so it helps to wash the residue off with soap and water and dry your skin before putting another wafer on. I'm glad you've got a wafer on now that sticks! :-)
Posted 9/21/2008 2:57 AM (GMT 0)
i dont think you can mix and match, i mean you could always try, before you put them on!
Posted 9/21/2008 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
I have used Hollister for over a year. No major problems. I have never had any skin problems and the only leaks have been because of my doing
.Ralph
Posted 9/21/2008 8:22 PM (GMT 0)

Ralph,

I saw that you posted on this thread and just wanted to stop in long enough to shout out to ya!!!  It's been a long time since I last said hello.

How are you doing?

Posted 10/2/2008 12:55 PM (GMT 0)
Dear Praying4Healing,

So terribly sorry to hear about your worst day ever!! I have had an ileostomy for 10 months and I had periodic blowouts for the first 5 months, but I went back to my ostomy nurses and here is what works for me . . .
1. I use adhesive remover to get the old wafer off, but then wash the area really well to get the remover off (it's greasy)

2. I use the adhesive wipe next and be sure that it is dried to be "tacky"

3. I use an Eakin shield (like a sticky "donut") around the stoma before I put the wafer on (this was a miracle for me, and once I started using them, I never have had a blowout since)

4. I use the new Coloplast Sensura 2-piece system. I actually warm up the wafer in my hands before I apply it to my abdomen (the advise to use a hair dryer to warm it up sounds great too).

5. I make sure that the opening in the wafer is tight, but not constricting . . . you need to measure your stoma periodically to be sure that it hasn't changed sizes . . . even after only a few months, mine changed in size.

6. I am really careful now about making sure that the bag is totally sealed on all sides before I lock it in place . . .twice I thought I had it on OK, and it leaked because the bag was not sealed in one small spot.

7. I change the wafer and bag twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays). If I go more than 4 nights with the same wafer, my skin gets itchy/raw and the chance of a leak is greater . . .

I hope that this helps . . . . it's worked for me and best of luck!
Posted 10/2/2008 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
hey peggy! im good, working and waiting on my order bc im still on the last coloplast wafer lol they really are extended wear thank God.

blossom ur right one thing i am noticing is that i can wear it for a long time but after too long, even if there is no leak n e where my skin gets itchy and raw too. so i started ordering more wafers so i can change more often. thanks for the advice! oh and i did the big oops at target! thinking it was locked when it wasnt! that was actually the first time i tried it, surprisingly i survived and i like these the best so far. cant find one system with all of the features i want lol
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