Problems with my Eakins ring....

Hi everyone. I'm hoping you can help me with an issue I'm having. I've had a great system since I've had my ileostomy. I wear the Mio 2-piece bag with an Eakins ring. I've never had a problem and typically get about a week wearing time and change because I don't want to take a chance going longer, not because I have to.

A few weeks ago, I started to develop an irritation under the ring....red, itchy, very uncomfortable. I ordered my wafer a size down so I could try going without the ring. I still had a little gap around my stoma, and really don't like this smaller size. My stoma is a little more bulbous in the front, so it's a tight squeeze to get it over that part, and then there's a gap once I get it towards the base.

So now I'm trying the Brava ring and I'm not crazy about it. Twice, I've had the beginning of a leak (first time ever!) and I don't think they hold up as well as the Eakins. I'm frustrated and gave the Eakins another try yesterday....no luck...it lasted a day and then the irritation began again.

Have any of you developed an irritation after using a product for so long? Any suggestions for me?

I've called different manufactures and ordered some samples of rings to try. I'm just sad that after almost a year and a half of smooth sailing, I feel like I'm starting over. ☹

I used to use the eakins but switched to the adapt rings from Hollister. You could give them a try. I find they leave less residue than the eakins and maybe that will help. You could also use skin prep (with or without powder) or compound benzoin tincture under the ring.

Have you gained or lost weight?

With my first stoma I was fine for a long time and then started having problems. What helped then was to put some strip paste on over the wafer -- so I had a ring, then the wafer, then some strip paste, then the bag.

It is a drag when a system doesn't work after it has for a while, but one thing I've found is that after going through that and working it out, I got a bit more confident that even when there were problems, there could be another solution.

It's also possible that you had a bad box of wafers or of rings.

Hope something works.

Thank you ladies for your responses!

Eva Lou, I took your suggestion and called Convatec, who makes the Eakins. The nurse I spoke with asked a ton of questions, and is sending out some different rings. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to use a skin prep with the rings. Oops! Oh well, it's always worked for me untill now. Ive never used the paste, I guess I'll have to get some of that to try. Thank you for your suggestions....you've always been so helpful to me.

Blueglass, I'm going to order the benzoin tincture that so many of you swear by. I thought maybe I had a bad batch of the Eakins, but I went back to some of my older stash, same problem. I've definitely gained weight, over the last year, it was much needed. But nothing significant lately.

Superblanks, that company doesn't ship to the US but thanks for the suggestion.

I did a change today, and there was a lot of moisture under the ring. Not poop, just the moisture from my stoma. These Brava rings do not stick to my skin as well as the Eakins.
I know that I will figure out a solution eventually, but I'm leaving for Mexico in a couple of days for a week long family vacation, and it stinks that I have to deal with this problem while I'm away. And I won't be home to get the new products being sent to me. I'm going to have to pack plenty of supplies in case I have to do super frequent changes.

Thank you all for listening to me complain, and for your support and suggestions. As my husband says, this problem is better than having to poop 20+ times a day.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'd also recommend trying Hollister Adapt, they sorted a lot of problems for me.

Aint this the life? Having to sit around worrying and wondering whether or not our pouches are going to leak? I went for years wearing Hollister Karaya pouches and could waer them 3 days with no problems no matter how hard I worked (splitting woods, working a raNCH- lifting bales of hay, carrying firewood etc- all very physical work in high heat)- then Hollister started getting sloppy constructing them- the karaya was not glued to the pouch as well as they used to be- I even documented the difference, send back defective pouches where you could see daylight between the karaya and pouch where it wasn't glued down tight- and they DENIED there was a problem- flat out denied it0- despite me sending back pouches with arrows drawn on them pointing right to the problem areas- Called them many times- and still they kept denying it saying "We're not getting many complaints- therefore... it's just you' basically implying that-

Some boxes would be ok, most however were not- entire boxes would be defective- I tried everything- even using super glue to try to glue the karaya to the plastic belt ring- nothing worked- the pouches would leak between the karaya ring and the plastic ring of the pouch

Switched to flexwear pouches, they worked fine (but could only get 1 day out of them) and wore them for years- then they go and completely change the wafer- unreal! No warning, no nothing. New flexwear does not stick nearly as well as old one- I called them and they told me the wafer ingredients were the same- I asked 'if they are the same, why do they not stick like the old wafer did?" and the woman's answer was 'There could be many reasons- everyone is different' (unbelievable)

I've gained a little weight now, it seems ot be causing a problem with the skin not beign flat enough htrough the day and causing the barrier seal to lift in two spots (on either side of the ileostomy)- I know have to go through the day trying not to lean forward when sitting, laying back in chairs to try to keep skin from folding too much, and I have to worry every day now whether or not the seal is going to leak or not- and have to go to bed each night worrying whether I'll wake up I na mess (so far the seals have held- but just barely, they are leaking underneath them almost to the edge of the seal- For 35 years I never had such issues- now apparently My life has changed to one where I just never know what's going to happen- no more confidence in pouch- I used to have compelte confidence before- I only ever had about 4 blowouts in 35 years and those were because of extreme physical activity where I pushed the pouch too far)

Trying an eakin seal today- but I've not had luck with them in past- now I have to worry all day whether it's leaking, and going to sleep tonight, if it makes it that far, is going to be nerve wracking

Enough of my issue- I found for 35 years that Hollister medical adhesive, applies both to skin around stoma, and on pouch seal, would help the pouch to stick to skin long enough for the seal to begin melting to skin (karaya would melt more than flexwear of course)- never had issues with pouches sticking when using medical adhesive- I would occasionally have issues when I didn't use the spray adhesive- the seals without adhesive spray never stuck well to my skin- with the spray- it used to always stick very well- now not so much for some unknown reason at this point

I sued Hollister spray on my skin- on Eakins seal where it sticks to skin, on top of the eakin seal where it attached to pouch, and on pouch seal (sounds like a lot, but it's very thin layers)

We'll see how it works- I have my doubts- didn't have luck with Eakins before- kindal ong story- but basically had to have nurse put one on after a sigmoidascope test blew out the seal- and woke up from anesthesia with a huge mess- got home, and the eakin seal failed miserably- been reluctant to try them again- but have no choice now0- this time I used spray adhesive so we'll see what happens