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PAM for slippery stool?

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Posted 9/30/2015 3:33 AM (GMT 0)
Yippee!! My stool is at the "right" consistency for now….but it's really sticking to the bag like crazy. I'm on my third bag today cuz I can't get the stool out of the bag well enough.

I have read about using PAM cooking spray to help the stool slide out of the bag easier / so it doesn't stick to the sides so bad.

Anyone tried it? Or something similar?

If so, how much and every time you empty or just the first time when you apply a new bag? Avoid the filter right?

Any bad experiences using that? Does it ever erode or damage the integrity of the bag?

Yes, I do freak out with each new thing I am encountering! But it's another sign of health (and a new life)!!


Thanks.
Posted 9/30/2015 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
I think I would be very careful about using any kind of oil in my pouch. Even baby oil. In my experience, the oils I've tried seemed to compromise the seal around my stoma and I developed a leak.
Posted 9/30/2015 2:32 PM (GMT 0)
I don't quite understand why you need to get the stool out "well enough"??? So, when you empty- there will be stuff stuck in the bag, it's not a "clean" bag. Then you just wipe the ends clean. Where's the problem? I wouldn't use PAM either, or any oily stuff. They do have bag lubricants, Coloplast sends me free samples a lot- they work for about 2-3 empties, then the stuff just sticks inside like usual.
Posted 9/30/2015 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with Eva Lou, I have thick output, sometimes so sticky I open the bag (I use 2-pc Hollister), and pick off the lump with toilet paper. I've tried both the Hollister and Coloplast lubricating deodorants, and find neither is very good at lubricating or deodorizing. I just squeeze it down and out as best I can. The inside of the bag is never going to be really clean; a little more or less gunk in there is not going to matter.

I do know that some people use baby oil, or even cheap cooking oil, apparently without ill effect, but I doubt they are any more effective than the specialty products, and most likely just a waste of money.

Ann
Posted 9/30/2015 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for info about PAM and other products. I will stay away from those! But does anyone have a good idea of how to clean the inside of the bag (just enough to close it) when it's caked with stool?

@Eva Lou:
Sorry if I was unclear: The reason I was asking is not about getting the inside of the bag super clean, it's that when i go to empty it and squeeze out what I can, the part right inside the bag that needs to be cleaned in order to close it has the thickest layer of stool imaginable. It's just that it's so thick and so sticky that it's really hard to even clean enough off to be able to close my bag. (I use the velcro kind, so it has to be folded over a few times).

So, i was hoping if the stool was "slippery", I wouldn't end up with such a thick layer at the bottom. It's just a huge mess and awful time trying to clean that out.

I appreciate the feedback and apologize that I wasn't very clear about my question. I think lots of times when I write online, I tend to write the same way I would talk with someone--where they could ask questions to clarify, and it just is simpler. I'll try to be more aware that I need to be more specific. I know I have done the same thing in the past--it's like I know what i mean / what i'm thinking about, but forget that others are not inside my head.
Posted 9/30/2015 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Ah, yes, the velcro closing. The bags I use have those, and it is sometimes a problem. I clean it by wrapping a couple of pieces of toilet paper around a clothespin, and run it around the inside of the folding section. Sometimes I have to do it two or even three times.

I've also just wrapped the TP around my finger when the clothespin has got out of reach, but I can reach further down with the clothespin. I've often thought of getting an old toothbrush and wrapping the TP around the handle, to really get down to the last folding section, but haven't tried it yet.

Hope this helps!

Ann
Posted 9/30/2015 8:18 PM (GMT 0)
Sunny:
Get a small squirt bottle and add fill it with 4-6 oz of warm water. Use the squirt bottle to add a few ounces of warm water via the tail/outlet of the bag. Close the tail and allow the water to swish back-and-forth in the bag. open the tail and empty. Thickened output is easily dislodged. Warm water works better than cold water.

In effect, you are giving an internal rinse to the bag. I do not worry about cleaning the bag out completely. The swish and rinse technique is useful in removing output that is the consistency of peanut butter.

The UOAA (United Ostomy Association of America) forum is also a place to visit for ideas. I think the link is: www.uoaa.org

I have never had any compromise to the wafer/flange using a small amount of water.

- Karen -
Posted 10/1/2015 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
Karen is right. You don't need to get the water all the way up to the stoma area if you are concerned about compromising the seal. You can just swish the water in the bottom part of the pouch to clean the last 2-3 inches and then dry inside and out with some TP.

I must say, I have never understood how warm or cool water would ever break the seal any more than hot & caustic output. Just sayin' :-)
Posted 10/1/2015 3:03 AM (GMT 0)
I do what CJ described. I only use water in the way end. I squeeze it in and let it flow out freely, then I wipe and there is nothing to wipe because it's already rinsed. Have you tried lubricating drops or gelling packets? I used gelling once and they made my output way too difficult to empty but you should give it a shot.
Posted 10/1/2015 10:44 AM (GMT 0)
I think it depends on just how thick your output is. I've tried the squirt bottle, but it just doesn't move the stuff out. I have to use toilet paper, wrapped around the clothespin or my finger, to get the outlet empty enough to roll it back up and fasten the velcro.
Posted 10/1/2015 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
My output is like peanut butter, maybe even thicker and stickier.

I don't care at all about the inside of the bag, just the "tail" or the part I have to be able to fold to close. Just need the bag to close well (so there are no surprise openings of it) and to keep the stool far enough away from the end/tail so I don't smell.
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