Re-Using Pouches?

Yeah too much coffee for sure.

Hubby removes the pouch and gently wipes off any residue on the inner circle of the wafer - first thing in the morning when the stoma is not active as he has had nothing to eat or drink - and then puts on a new one which works well.

Also I assume you can rinse it out and reapply if you are low on pouches.  I cleaned out a long neck ketchup bottle that he keeps on the back of the toilet with water in it which was suggested by his home health care nurse. This might be useful too for you to gently squirt some water into the opening of the pouch to loosen or clean out any buildup.  Don't squeeze with too much force as it was recommended NOT to let it get too far up and wet the stoma area and possibly contribute to or cause the wafer to be undermined.

Post Edited (Another UC wife) : 5/13/2011 1:07:20 PM (GMT-6)

Thank U again, Another UC wife, and Disneynut...I just hate trying to empty pouch and not being able to get it all out...I feel dirty then, and yet 2-more days before I can change it (if i follow the instructions of my Ostomy Nurse).

The reason I asked is, I didn't know if any bacteria could cause any problems.
Serenitee

it's not necessary to rinse the pouch out everytime, if you want to that's fine. but don't worry about bacteria, your stoma came from inside, it's used to have junk in it! 

you could rinse it and reuse it, but i think it's a pain to put a bag back on, i always make a mess,i get 6 days or so out of the bag too.

I don't do any of that....I just make sure to clean the tail really well every time I empty. I've never really worried about the bacteria or anything and haven't had any problems. I usually go 4 days between changes.

A stoma nurse who came to my house right after the surgery said that rinsing the bag every time was like giving yourself an enema every time you go to the bathroom -- just not necessary. The bag is replacing a pretty dirty organ, and it's ok for it to be dirty inside.

But if cleaning it makes you feel better, go for it. Like some of the others, I just worry about the end. It's going to get dirty again inside in a few minutes....

It just amazing as to how everyone does these basic things differently.  In the hospital, I used to take off the bag and wash it out entirely and wipe the wafer/stoma area.  I disliked it because of the mess and didn't see the purpose.  My WOCN that came to my home said that pulling off and reattaching the bag gives some effort and your compromising your tight seal.  So, I do rinse at every emptying.  My sink has a close faucet and I just let alittle water in, making sure not to get too high up, turn to the toilet and let it drop, repeat until clear.  If I'm out, I just wipe the tail closure w/o rinsing or use my squirt bottle that I've kept postpartum that I've let my kids use in the bath (came in handy again ).  I feel clean because the bag is and its of great comfort, get 7-11 days wear.  Though, couple of months ago, this would make it 6 months post op, I was experiencing burning, pinching pain from my stoma.  Unaware of what was occurring, I tolerated the pain for couple more days until appliance change.  When I removed my appliance,  my stoma was covered in waste that had dried.  It never moistened and fell.  Was worried at first but the stoma is coming from a 'dirty' place with 100's of bacteria.  Now I realize the pain if it were to ever occur again.

I'm another who doesn't bother rinsing since the stoma is your intestine and used to having stool on it. I just wipe the tail end with toilet paper after I've emptied, do it up again and I'm good to go. To my way of thinking, there's no need to make the procedure more complicated than it needs to be :)