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5 wks post surgery..stomahesive strip removal

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Posted 12/1/2008 1:53 PM (GMT 0)
Well its been 5 weeks since step 1. I'll give you guys the short version of my surgery experience. Started vomiting a few days after surgery, had the NG tube... FUNNNNN!!! Then I had an allergic reaction to the IV, had a bad fever, started shaking so violently that my friends couldnt hold me down. I soon passed out and woke up fine. Then I got an infection in my incision (due to a rush job when the ostomy nurse changed my appliance). The contents of my pouch went all over me. They had to open my incision. The antibiotics werent working but the doctor said that my body pretty much fought off the infection. A day later the Infectious Disease Doctor came in and said I needed to be quarantined!!!! I freaked out!!! But it ended up being for my best and I got a free private room :). They also put me on a very powerful antibiotic to make sure the infection was knocked out. Five days later I was home. My incision was left open so I have to take care of it and clean it but it has shrunk a lot, I cant believe its closing. I thought it would be like that forever...lol. It is a real pain in the ass cuz the appliance is very close to it. I have to basically customize the appliance to fit correctly. But all in all I thank God for my girlfriend, family, friends and the beautifully amazing people at Mt. Sinai, and to be honest this whole thing im going through is not as bad as I thought. I have one question.... when I change my appliance there always seems to be reside left from the strip. As much as I try to clean it off there is always some left there. Is this ok? Is there a trick to removing it all? Thank you
Posted 12/1/2008 5:18 PM (GMT 0)
there are wipes you can get to remove that adhesive. But if you still have adhesive left if you change your bag after say, 3 days, then you can probably wear it for 4. Does that make sense?
Posted 12/5/2008 10:01 PM (GMT 0)

I had the same problem with the stoma close to my open wound.  Every time I changed the pouch, I had to be creative in cutting the hole and trimming the adhesive strip.  It never worked right.  Then I changed pouches to a Hollister 88400.  The wafer is small and there is no adhesive strip.  Therefore, it didn't overlap my wound.   The wafer is thinner so I change the pouch more often (every 3 days) but it was much easier to deal with the wound.

I've 7 weeks out and my wound has healed (I had 2 open spots along the incision).  The pain is gone too.  Life is so much better.

Good luck.

Posted 12/6/2008 1:56 AM (GMT 0)
I use an adhesive remover that is very gentle.  I've had my ileostomy since 1984 and only began using adhesive remover in the last few years.  I had a build up form on my skin causing problems with the flange adhering.  Weird, huh?  Anyway it wasn't sticky, but the skin was actually shiny, like it was sealed and really smooth.   I was hesitant about the wipes working but I was willing to try anything. They worked and I've continued to use them.  They are really inexpensive and worth it for the confidence.

 

Posted 12/6/2008 5:00 AM (GMT 0)
my skin is really smooth feeling too, almost like plastic, i just thought it was from not being exposed to air or anything. but the sealant stuff makes more sense.
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