Changing Wafer

Do you change on a particular day, after a certain number of days or do you change when you think it's time to change?

I usually change after 4 or 5 days, if i make it that long. Sometimes I change at day 5 and I could probably wait a few more days if i wanted. Is it okay to wait until you NEED to change or is that asking for trouble?

by need i mean, adhesive looks like it's starting to peel on the edge, not leak happening of course.

I think you can usually tell when it's time. For me, it's when the wafer begins to feel not so secure, like it wiggles on my skin a bit more than usual. Generally, if I change on a Monday, I can hold out until the following Monday. That's not counting leaks, obviously.

If you habitually have leaks closer to when it's time to change, I wouldn't wait till the last minute.

Day 5 or 6 for me, unless I need to change earlier- I've only had 2 actual leaks in 16 months, but I have had faulty wafers, bags, etc. Even on Day 5 or 6, the wafer is still holding up pretty well, but I figure better safe than sorry!

Marin: I use a two piece. I've never done the bagless shower thing, but I don't see how it could be impossible. I'd just be worried about water pushing past the seal and causing leaks when I was done. However, if you have trouble getting the wafer off before a change, I could see a bagless shower being a good solution.

I used to have to change mine every other day. My stoma was sunken in a bit so stool would always escape and get under the wafer. I had such awful skin damage. I only had the wonderful loop not an end Ileo. I went through a ton of supplies with that stupid loop. When you get your loop ileo make sure your surgeon makes you a good stoma. Mine was terrible.

I tried everything at that time....I just had a lot of trouble with it. I was never so happy as I was then to see it go!

Since I found the right combination of products (it took a full year), I have been changing every 6 days. I selected that as a goal early on, because when I was on home care, that was how they tried to schedule the nurse visits. Though they always came right away during the first few weeks when I was having leaks galore. I don't know if it's just habit, but I nearly always feel ready on Day 6, sometimes get a bit of a prickly feeling, but I never find any irritation to the skin when I do change.

I don't very often change the bag between wafer changes. I shower every second day, and soap the entire outside surface of the bag and rinse well. I do the naked shower on change days.

I always wondered about showering with no bag, just the wafer, to give the wafer a good cleaning, but was nervous that the warm water would work its way under the wafer. Recently I was talking to the Hollister people on another subject, and asked if was OK to do that. She said yes, go ahead, so I tried it, but just the once. I didn't really enjoy it, and found the wafer difficult and unpleasant to clean. So I've just reverted to my previous head-in-sand position, that the wafer and bag are just an extension of the colon so don't have to be totally cleaned out unless you're going for a colostomy. I've never understood how some of you clean the bag -- I've tried running water through it for up to 10 minutes, and it never ever runs clean. I guess it's because my output is quite thick.

Ann

I think with a one piece you get a lot more supplies so I would imagine that you could change every other day without a problem in the US. With these 2 piece, they give you limited wafers it seems like.

I don't know, I have private insurance. Last month I received 3 boxes of hollister wafers, 2 boxes of hollister pouches, one box (20) hollister mini bags and I received 10 convatec wafers and pouches - all for free. I also got free eakin rings, lubricating drops, ostomy wraps, underwear, powder, room freshener, adhesive remover... :) Maybe it's because i have a group plan through work. In reality this stuff will probably last me through the end of my surgeries.