need advice: skin breakdown and bags last only thirty minutes

I feel for you as I am going through the same thing...... I was good for 2 weeks and everything started all over.... I am changing about every 12 hours.....using convex and eakin seals...the nurses are stumped....as they are putting one on and then I end up having to change it in the evening.... I havent slept well in 3 days......... It has too stop sooner or later.

Well, the bag we put on yesterday morning leaked by 7pm. So I did not put on another bag. I stayed in bed drying skin and absorbing the ooze as it came out of stoma. Because I did not eat, I functioned pretty well. I cut up paper towels into small, med, and large pieces. I keep water with four wash clothes handy. I was able to sleep toward morning and would wake up with the poop over me even with all the absorbtion pads over stoma

At 2 pm today, I talked with ostomy nurse and she told me what convexity bags to order. My elkin seals arrived today. Husb put on new bag at 3pm this afternoon. I was quite dehydrated, and have been drinking and eating since.

this is what I did with the seal when i used it. I mashed down the inner circle of seal all around. I was taught to do this by nurse. I shaped seal to size of stoma. then pressed seal to bag. Husb put bag over stoma, and we rubbed the seal through the bag to secure. Also put hand over stoma area to warm up. Used hair dryer for about fifteen seconds. Stayed in bed about five minutes.

Nurse has told me when convexity bags arrive, for me to cut the size of stoma and then apply the bag without any treatment (powder, paste, seal) directly over stoma! Apply heat. She said if that did not work to apply paste next time, then if that does not work, to apply powder with seal. She might have meant seal instead paste.

I have appt with my family MD next week to discuss my depression and to get rx for my insurance comp (requested by ostomy nurse) that I am having problems getting a good seal. She seems to think this will help get them to pay for supplies.

Thanks to everyone for helping me thru this stage.

tkctwbd--Oh, I am SO sorry you are going through this!!

I have just gone back to the Convatec brand, and have to say, I don't know why I changed!!!  Well, yeah, the filters sux, but that's another story...

I hope the nurse had you get the Durahesive brand...it is specially made to with stand a liquid output...and add an Eakin Seal and you'd should be okay.

Here's a question I have for you...since you spend a lot of time with your stoma not covered...does it do 'funky' things when it is active?  Mine does, and when I was have unexplained leaks, so I watched it for about 20 minutes one day...I went to a wafer with a much smaller opening (my stoma is small and it would pull back behind the wafer) and that fixed my problem...The Convatec doesn't damage the stoma, it 'turtlenecks' it and does a really good job of keeping the output on the right side of it...Just me thinking out loud, we must be close to finding the problem

Oh my, memories. I had the exact same problems. I was also in tears.....thinking I would never be able to leave my house. I went though 3 weeks of this. Finally found that works. My 'oz' in my stoma is flush with my skin. My skin was horrible around the stoma, I had to go to the hospital to get them to remove one of the leaking wafers....that's how much pain and how red and sore I was in. I found that ConvaTec SUR-FIT Natura, 2 piece, is WONDERFUL. I pull the skin on top of my stoma and that makes my stoma protrude from my stomach, so that it sticks out and then I am able to put the wafer on and then the pouch. I have not had a problem since.......I can wear them for 7 days at a time ...... I sure hope this works for you. I have had my ileostomy for 10 months now, and am getting ready to have it reversed......so, I'm in for a whole new set of problems.......! Good Luck!

dswmom12
I have asked ConvaTec to send me some sample convexity one piece bags. But I was told by original ostomy nurse that I would never be able to use a two piece. Well, my current nurse says not.

anyway, that is great that you found the right bag. I put on convexity which lasted 30 hrs, then my current Hollister convexity has lasted 40 hrs! What a relief. Life is so unsettling with skin breakdown and leakage. Thanks for your encouragement.

I've heard rumors that eventually i may not need the elkin seals or the paste, powder or barrier wipes. Hard to believe.

For your reversal, have you had dye put up your butt to see if your pouch is leaking?

And, the adhesive part of the wafer is soft and molds to your skin........

I had the dye, both rectally and through my ostomy. I didn't get to watch it rectally, because I was turned away from the screen, but when they went through my stoma, I got to watch what I could see, because I was able to turn my head and see the screen, after they gave my glasses back to me. I asked for them, after they made some comment about did I see something, and I said I can't see anything, because I don't have my glasses on. <G> Neither one was painful, the rectal part was uncomfortable, but not what I would consider painful at all. Just be sure that when you're getting dressed afterwards, your cell phone isn't in your pocket where it can fall in the toilet. <G> Also, if they go through your stoma, you will need to either have a two piece appliance on, or be prepared to put a new appliance on when they're done. I took the stuff to put a new one on, because I wear a one piece convetec appliance with convexity.

TKC....... where do you live.... I have soooo many samples of ones I tried and couldnt do. I have some one piece by hollister convexity. I have 3 boxes of them if you would like to try them. I have settled for coloplast convexity that gives me 4 days of relief...so I will stay with them. Let me know if I can help you out. My yahoo email is [email protected]

tkctwbd,
Sorry, I was out of town for a few days. The actual test is not bad, not great, but not bad. It's just a little uncomfortable. I had a bad time because I was run down from chemo and had to have IV's after the test. But, all in all, not too bad! How are things with the bags>? Any luck?