Need help for aunt with leaking daily+

Hi all, I have been reading posts here for a while looking for answers for my aunt. She is 87 and really stubborn and doesn't "believe" in support groups. Sigh...

She has an ileostomy and has used Convatec dainable bags with a convex, rigid ring and Eaken seals. This system work well for her for a long time (10+ years). Over the past two years she has had daily leaks, sometimes needing to change 2 or more times. Sleeping seems to be worse.

She is used to being very independent and gets irritated at me if I "take over" and make appts with ostomy nurses, etc. She keeps saying, "I have to call the ostomy nurse", but never makes the appt.

I think she isn't using any adhesive remover or skin prep, but used to. She cleans the skin with wadded up toilet paper and isn't warming or pushing the eaken seal up against the stoma, just slapping the seal on and then putting on the bag. Sometimes she uses tape on the outer edges, but the leaks seem to start around the stoma and quickly follow a scar that extends from the stoma outward.

I have gotten different bags for her to try, but nothing has worked. One time I had to buy bags on an emergency basis bcs she let her supply run out and it was 5pm on a Sunday. All I could find were closed Convatec bags with a soft seal (no wafer - is that what I mean?). She said these seemed to stick better, but she has a lot of liquid output and can't go more than a few hours without emptying the bag, so those would not work for long term. The bags with a velcro closure don't hold for her with the weight of the liquid. She uses a clip to close the bag

Also, she is very tiny now - probably has lost 3-4 inches in height and 20-30 lbs since she first had the ostomy. (prob 5' and 105 lbs now). I wonder if that rigid wafer thing is getting pushed sideways when she lies on her side to sleep making it loosen? The ostomy is in the upper, right portion of her abdomen. And she is allergic to Holister brand adhesives, so those won't work for her.

I feel that I need to just take over and make appointments for her and find supplies, but not having to deal with this for myself I don't really know where to start or what might work for her. Any suggestions would be very welcome and appreciated!

Thanks.

Hi Niece. Answers4me2 is right. You need to convince your aunt you can help make things better. If her skin gets too bad you guys will have a way bigger mess than you have now. Your obsevations seem to be dead on but convincing an 87 year old can be difficult. Do what you can to encourage her to see the ostomy nurse.
She's so fortunate to have you and, maybe, she'll recognize it.
Respectfully,
Michael A

Niece,
How I wish you were mine! Elderly people are difficult to convince with anything, if she is just using toilet tissue to wipe off before putting on new pouches there is probably residue not allowing new pouch to stick. There is a lot of great advice here esp. from ostomates much wiser than me.
I wish you success in getting the problem rectified.
One way we could get my mother to go to an appointment, we'd tell her the insurance demands it, as in "before you can get more...bags...." Forgive me for those lil' white lies" they weren't meant for harm. Sometimes worked, sometimes not.
Again, all the best...

Refined carbs are actually great for slowing output. Plain cake and crackers should be fine. Other good foods for her would be white rice, white bread, smooth peanut butter, bananas. Things that can make watery output worse are high fibre foods (e.g. fruit skins, dried fruit, whole grain cereals, nuts, seeds, some salad vegetables), and some people find high sugar things like fruit juice give them loose output. Alcohol can as well. Coffee may not be helping either.

https://www.charter.co.uk/Charter/coloplast/brava/rings-paste-and-tape/brava-tube-paste/

That's a paste that I've used, there should be equivalent products available in other countries. You use it to fill in the dips in the skin, e.g. scarred areas, to give an even surface for the bag to stick to.

This I find very useful for extra security against leaks: /www.charter.co.uk/Charter/coloplast/brava/rings-paste-and-tape/brava-elastic-tape/

This guide helps explain how to identify problems and find solutions:

www.coloplast.co.uk/Stoma/People-with-a-stoma/Living-with-a-stoma/Brava-Accessory-Guide/

If you click to go straight to the accessory range on the right hand side and click the "start" button, then select the "reduce leakage" tab. If you click on each product it has a video guide showing how to use them.

Are you in the US? Hopefully someone else from there will be able to give you a list of suppliers there.

Post Edited (AnnaIvy) : 7/5/2015 10:08:09 AM (GMT-6)