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Brava barrier ring, ouch!! Is Eakin seal more gentle?

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Posted 10/17/2015 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
So my bag change today did not go as well as the first two. I used a brava barrier ring with the Mio bag and it was so sticky it was awful trying to get it off and I had to leave some residue I just Could not get off!!

I was going to use an Eakin seal this time with the Hollister bag I put on but was too scared after that mess so I just used the paste that the hospital gave me.

I know lots of folks on here use Eakin Seals. Do they come off easier? Maybe I should just stick to paste. This bag change was awful and kind of traumatized me.
Posted 10/17/2015 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
I used Eakin seals for a while, and didn't have too much trouble getting the residue off my skin, though it took some effort. The naked shower helped. I stopped using seals some months ago when I ran out, and found I had much less leakage without them. In the early days, I had samples from adapt, salts, but I don't think I ever had brava. Eakins were the ones I liked best, especially the slims, but I don't recall if some were harder than others to clean up. What I did notice after a while was the little bits and pieces that stuck to my floor. I have dark tiles and didn't notice until I got down on my hands and knees to chase a pill I had dropped. It sure took some scrubbing to get the stuff off the floor!

Ann
Posted 10/17/2015 11:25 PM (GMT 0)
I think the adapt rings come off much better than the Eakins. Hardly any residue.
Posted 10/18/2015 2:23 AM (GMT 0)
I think they all hurt. haha, you sound like me. I am traumatized and I have to change constantly becuase my loop is short and pointing down :(
Posted 10/18/2015 4:19 AM (GMT 0)
I use Eakin seals. Tried the brava ring once and it did come off a little easier but I also got way less wear time. I get six days with Eakin, consistently. No leaks. So here's what I do to get them off ( yes they are a pain). After I get my stuff all layed out, I get two squares of fabric wet with really hot water. Wring them out so they are not dripping but still fairly wet. I take the old appliance off and then place the fabric over the whole stoma for about 20 seconds and it softens up the remaining residue of seal. Then I wrap it around my finger and gently wipe the rest away. As the residue sticks on the fabric I move it to a new spot and wrap that around my finger until no more residue comes off. This works really well for me and I'm pretty picky about getting every last bit off. The best fabric I use is to buy the large beach towels that have the really soft nap, almost like a velveteen. The cheaper ones work best because they are thin enough to get around your finger and still be able to manuver. I cut it in about 7" squares and zigzag around the edge with my sewing machine to keep from raveling. Another tip, dark colors show the residue better than light colors so you can see when you've got it all. One towel makes lots. After several months with use they get less effective and I pitch them and grab a few new ones. Works great.
Posted 10/18/2015 5:38 AM (GMT 0)
I use Eakin seals; have never had a leak when using them. I also use Coloplast Brava adhesive remover (spray can). When I remove my appliance I wipe the stoma area with a Viva paper towel, spray and then step into a warm shower. The spray, heat of the water and then applying a dab of Head and Shoulders Classic (contains zinc) pretty much does the trick for me. I am very vigilante about removing old adhesive.
Posted 10/18/2015 1:56 PM (GMT 0)
MBTS - that is good tip with the towel, might try next bag change.

NSSG - I actually thought of you during my disaster change because it hurt so much and I had a spot of irritated skin and thought how are people dealing with this daily! The Hollister wafer I put on is already itching and I don't feel very comfortable but I hope it calms down because I don't want to have to change for awhile!

I used an Adapt thin the first time and that seemed to swell up and pull right off, this Brava ring did not and seemed just as sticky as when I put it on. I used paste this time. I am going to see how that does and maybe next change do the Adapt thin again.

One problem is I am getting close to needing to do my first order and I don't what I should order!!!
Posted 10/18/2015 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
cupcake, are you wearing a 2 piece hollister? Their wafers are my favorite, and if i don't use a ring, they come off so easily. I use smith and nephew wipes and they come right off without any pain. If I use a ring, they are harder to remove for sure. I have some no alcohol wipes by safe n simple that are for cleaning and adhesive removal. I use those to get closer to the stoma and to get the ring adhesive off.

Are you on your own or do you still have a nurse coming? I had 5 visits with a home nurse. Is your stoma short? Mine always has been, and with convex, I never needed rings. With my loop, it's a gamble; ring, no ring, I don't know what's going to happen. Right now I have no ring and it seems okay. I changed late last night though - I usually get 12 of 24 hours before the burning.

What does your insurance cover? Do you have any out of pocket costs? My first order was really tough because I wanted to sample everything. I thought you love the mio? After I got my first bill and it was zero, I have been freely ordering whatever I need. I already paid my entire out of pocket so I pay $0. I did however get denied some products because "it's too soon to order that particular item", which I thought was BS. I need a lot of stuff because I change 2x a day sometimes.

So I think you need to figure out, do you need rings? why? If it's because of short stoma, maybe you need convex and no ring? Loops are definitely tricky. I am loading up on random supplies.
Posted 10/18/2015 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
I am over my out of pokect as well and my insurance confirmed I'm covered at 100% until the end of the year. (Another reason I'm hoping to get my take down done by December).

I did really like the Mio but think I can't get as long of wear. I don't think I need a ring because my stoma nurse said I have a great stoma, it makes a perfect spout and is not short. I haven't had any trouble with flat wafers. I used the rings that I got as samples more because I thought the paste was messy and scared to use nothing since I haven't had a leak yet. Although it seems there are quite a few people on here who say less is more and do fine with just the wafer.

I think I am going to order one box of the Mio 2 piece and one box of the Hollister 2 piece since I like both a lot but have different things I like about each.
Posted 10/18/2015 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
Ironically my home nurse discharged me on Friday because I had done a few changes on my own with no issues. My surgeon's office does have a great Ostomy nurse that I can schedule to see if I keep having issues. I'm going to wait and see how the next change goes and hope the brava ring was my issue.
Posted 10/18/2015 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
I wish I could use a hollister wafer with a mio pouch. That would be a dream.
I love the mio but there is no convex mio yet.

I think you should try using nothing. if you have a good length stoma and it points forward, you will love the easy route :)

With my end, I would cut and slop on a hollister, no powder, no barrier and I would get 7 days. So easy. Seriously, i could change in 2 minutes but I rarely had to because I never had problems. I think less is more with this stuff. If your skin is healthy, no reason to put a bunch of products on there.

are you ordering through edgepark? They get my stuff here the next day. One thing I can recommend is ordering everything you think you might use. They have to get approval from your dr office for the products, but once you get approval, you can order the approved products as much as you want without them calling the doctor's office. it also takes a few days to get them to validate your insurance so don't wait too long.

I am on the December deadline too for my insurance.
Posted 10/18/2015 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
I've never used the Brava rings but I have used Eakin and the Hollister Adapt rings. The Eakin's came off easily but left tons of residue and pieces all over. Very tough to clean up. The Adapt rings don't leave much of any residue, but their seal is so solid that they are difficult to get off of the skin. When I do get it off, it comes off in one piece at least.

So, what is the solution? Marinmom mentioned the Brava adhesive remover spray. Use either that or the Convatec Sensi-Care Releaser Spray. These things are awesome. They are silicone-based sprays, so they don't sting, and they evaporate leaving no residue. The Adapt ring comes right off when I use that. If there are any pieces or residue after that, they make wipes with the same silicone formula as the sprays (Sensi-Care, Brava, and Welland all make them).

I like the rings and once I started using them I had a lot fewer leaks and skin irritation. The clean-up and removal of them can be a problem, so use a combination of the spray and the wipes and all works fine. Good luck!
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