finally trying the Mio!

I'm finally giving the Mio a go! I had received a few samples right after surgery, one-pieces. I put off using them, because I was not confident enough in my ostomy abilities to use a 1 piece. I'm a HUGE fan of Hollister Flex-tend 2 piece- have basically used it exclusively since I came home from the hospital. Today was bag change day, & I noticed the Mio samples laying around in my box of tricks. Figured I'd had enough experience to use a 1 piece by now. So far, it's comfy... I've been leery of them, because for every 5 people who use them, 4 spring a leak within a day, & 1 loves it. Used my regular powder, Eakin, & slapped on the 1 piece Mio. It really does feel like skin, there's not that feeling of "something" sticking onto your skin. There is a wrinkle in the bottom of the wafer, under the stoma- I always seem to have a hard time getting that part totally smooth. SO I figure if it's gonna leak, it'll be from there. But the wrinkle is on the outer edge, the actual super sticky stuff seems to be ok. I normally change bags every 2-3 days, wafers every 5 days. I'm hoping the bag itself won't get too gross before the wafer is due for a change. Anyways, will let you all know how it goes- if the wafer holds up with no leaks, this may be my new fave! Even the 1 piece- the profile is so much lower than a 2 piece, you can barely see any bulge or bump. And it is super comfortable...

Hi Eva Lou! I LOVE the Mio. I use the 2-piece and I've never sprung a leak or had a blowout. I change every 6-7 days and have only changed the bag without the wafer about 3 times. I never get the wafer completely smooth, there's always a little wrinkle...no problem!

I've never tried a one piece and I'm curious to hear how you make out.
My nine month "stomaversary" was the other day, so you must be coming up on your one-year soon, huh?

Hoping that your little girl is doing well!

xo
Caren

Eva Lou...are you folding back that bottom flap so it sticks to the velcro when you empty? That doubles up the thickness and makes it stiffer.

The bottom of the bag is one of the reasons I love it so much. The edges of Hollister bags bottom, used to scratch and irritate my leg. I love how you can take the bottom of the Mio and tuck it up, and it's held in place by velcro. So much better for me.
😘

here we are on Day 3, everything still in place... BUT- I keep getting a whiff of something, I swear it's leaking. Every now & then... so I've been checking the wafer often. No leaks, everything is fine. So I go back to what I'm doing, then about 10 minutes later... another whiff. Could be phantom odor, I know it's a real phenomenon. Or, could be the bottom of the bag- after 3 days, while it's clean as I can get it, it's just not so fresh. No one else seems to smell anything. I don't know if the material used is just not as odor resistant as others, but never do I get any smells using Hollister. Also- the wider opening causes a lot of splashing when emptying, even with tp in the bowl. Still splashes. Sooo... I'm "meh" about the Mio- it really is comfortable, yet I'm not 100% confident with it. I hope to go 'til Thursday, but doubt I'll be able to. I may order a box, just for variety. And when all is said & done, my Hollister flex-tend is as comfy & flexible as the Mio wafer.

CRAFT FOAM!! YESS!!!
Thats EXACTLY how I felt about the closure.

I have a friend who is a newbie and loves her Mio that she tried about a month out from surgery.

I have tried Coloplast and didnt like how hard/stiff the wafer was... my convatec seems to pliable and moves with my body.

The only bags with a filter worth a dang (from what I've gathered asking in support groups) is the Coloplast Mio - so I really want to try one!

Except... I need convex... grrrr! But I'm getting on the wait list for when they make a Mio Convex!

Love my convatec 2 piece moldable - - but REALLY am interested in a filter that works because I am a gassy gassy girl - almost no matter what I eat! Hmpf.

From what I have read and found to be true for myself is that filters are useless for those of us with ileostomies.

For gas there are "Osto-Vents". I have some of them, but have never tried them. Some swear by them. You can release the gas as it builds as often as needed.

And, for those needing convexity and wanting to try the Mio, there is [or was] a convex Hollister barrier ring, which is like the Eakin seal, only convex. I have some of them, but have not tried them either because the Eakin works well for me.

I read about all these cool things [well, as cool as any ostomy gadget can actually be] and order samples or order from Edgepark when my deductible has been met. I seem to get along well with my current set-up and figure, "if it ain't broke--don't fix it" and never have the need to try them.

craft foam!!! Priceless, & entirely accurate... I'm torn, at this point. Day 4, no leaks, no irritation, & that odor I was getting is gone. So maybe it wasn't me after all! I showered last night, & thought for sure it would weaken the wafer, but nope. Plus, the bag dries in like minutes, compared to Hollister. Still just don't like the soft closure, I can't seem to get it clean either- it jsut bends when I try to really wipe it! But, my skin had been getting mildly irritated with Hollister Flex-tend- just along the edges, where the wafer meets the skin, not under the wafer itself. And with the Mio, zero itching or irritation. So.... it's a nice break for my skin. I think I will order a box of the 1 piece Mio's, & switch 'em up. I do prefer Hollister, overall. I'm curious to see how easy it is to get any residue off the skin, when I do change the whole shebang. I don't notice the Mio filter to be any better/worse than any other filter. I also like being able to trim the wafer edges- with Hollister, I cut the wafer so that's it just a neat little circle. With the Mio, I don't know that you could cut so much off & still get good adhesion.

You guys got me to thinking maybe I should give the Mio another try with the Brava Strips for longer wear time. So, I pulled out my 2 remaining sample Mio's.

Honestly, the closure on the Mio is not like the other "craft foam" closures on the other Coloplast appliances I have tried. I had forgotten that.

I would really like to find a 1-piece appliance that delivers the same wear time as my Convatec moldable. I don't really need a 2-piece, just love the moldable and it's solid 7+ worry free days

well, after my usual 5 days, I'm back to good old Hollister Flex-tend. Mio was easy to remove, did not leave tons of adhesive on my skin. And it got me thru 5 days, no leaks! While the 1 piece was nice in terms of a lower profile, & one less step to deal with to put on, I did not like having to use the same bag for a full 5 days. I think that's why the smushy closure got to me, it was sort of gross by the time I changed everything this AM. My skin is in good shape, no irritation from the Mio. And it was a nice break from Hollister wafers, which were starting to itch here & there. Sooo..... I've got tons of Hollister supplies to use, & my insurance won't allow me to buy anymore stuff until they feel I need it. I probably will buy a box of the 1 piece Mio's, & use them maybe every 2-3 bag changes, just to mix it up. I'm glad I tried it though, & do have 1 more 1 piece sample to use up. I think I ordered some 2 piece Mio's too, samples, so they should be arriving soon.

k-del:

The Convatec moldables I have used are:

Flat 411802

Convex 404593

I thought at one time that I really needed the convex, but I have found I do just as well with the flat one.

Either way I still have to cut off the taped border due to sensitivity and then secure the remnants with Brava Barrier Strips. But, I love the moldable feature and with an Eakin seal, I get 7+ days. I am willing to do a little tweaking in order to get longer wear time.

K-del, when you order the Mio pre-cut, the wafers are smaller for some reason!

CarenZ, I wonder why the pre-cuts would be smaller. That's interesting. Thanks for the info. Once my stoma settles into it's "forever" size, I should give the pre-cut a try.

Giving the 2-piece a try. I had my 3-week checkup at the surgeon's office yesterday, and my incision is healing very well. So I decided to try the Mio, and I asked the ostomy nurse to help me change my bag.

I think she may have been more excited about the Mio than I was, lol. She said it was the "Cadillac" of bags, and loved the material and the extra features that it has. I really like the bag material too, and the way the tail folds up to make it shorter, etc. I also love how nice and flat it is. I have been thinking about the bag sticking out as we finally moving into t-shirt season. :)

It is still early, but so far, I really like it. I have had zero ballooning as of yet, and the wafer is staying put all around, even where it crosses onto my incision.(knock on wood) I could not go even 24 hours without ballooning with the Hollister bag I previously used. I am also using the Brava barrier ring for extra security.

For me, the only thing the Hollister has over the Mio is the smaller wafer size. I will post back in a few days.