Hello everyone,
I am new to Healing Well...so glad I found you!
I had emergency colon removal in May 2014 and a resultant ileostomy. Was very sick due to sepsis from my colon rupturing. Doctors didn't expect me to live. But I'm still here and trying to cope with this new life. I have been in rehab since early July working hard to learn how to walk again after 10 weeks in hospital (much of it in ICU).
My biggest (and scariest) problem at the moment is leakage around the ostomy wafer. I currently use a two-part convex system by Convatec due to many skin folds, most of which are caused by my
open surgical wound which is healing with a wet-to-dry dressing changed 2x a day. Originally, the wound was very large (15cm long x 11cm wide x 9cm deep); it is healing rapidly now, but it is located very close to my stoma. Leaks have actually gotten into my wound!
I am progressing in rehab but my biggest challenge is learning to change the ostomy and minimizing leakages. I can empty and rinse the bag by myself, and I know the steps for changing the wafer. Nurses here change it for me, but they often don't get it right. I MUST become independent. However, I also have rheumatoid arthritis that often affects my hands and I live alone. If the nurses have trouble with this with two good hands...well, you get the picture...
Any advice about
how to avoid leakages and how to put on the wafer with all of these skin folds (standing, laying down, sitting-folds get worse)? I am typically a real trooper. Since being in rehab, I've progressed from not being able to move my legs or support my weight, to walking with a walker, a cane sometimes, to dressing myself and taking a shower without assistance. I have grown from not being able to even look at the ostomy bag to emptying it myself (Na'Scent in-bag odor eliminator made it a LOT easier). But changing the wafer feels scary and overwhelming.
Thanks in advance for your advice.