Ostomy supplies

I change my Hollister about every 4 to 5 days BUT there are other times that I know when I need to do so. A. when the 'fabric' (if you are using the 'New Image) starts peeling back and B. in the hot weather when it gets a little stinky from sweat.

7 days is possible but seems a little long to me. If you feel itching or burning at your stoma site, change it. If you see stool on the inside of the wafer at all when you change it, change it 1 day earlier the next time. If it's clean, you can go that long or maybe a day longer next time.

Each week may be a little different also, depending on what you eat. As a poster explained above, sometimes the stool can be very acidic and eat away at the appliance around the stoma, other weeks it seems fine.

You'll figure it out, you'll begin to feel it. Depending on your financial situation, it won't hurt to change it early if you're not sure. It's trial and error in the begininning.

I use the disposable plastic bag from Colomajic and so far I am still using the same pouches I got when I got my colostomy( May 24/07) I have purchesed some closed bags now (much smaller and no tail or clip)The liner protects the bag from any stool and remains clean I usually wash the outer surface and rinse it out when changing to an alternate pouch for hygenic reasons so it's good to go for the next change
Basically, all I ever change and throw away is the wafer every 4-5 days or sooner i f required. I don't work for Colomajic nor do I even know anyone there, but I find them to be a real boon , especially if out and you get an overload, You can cary a spare and a med. glove in your walet or purse and change it anyplace. no need to have to rinse bag. Just "flush and go" I was put on to these my a retired doctor who has had a colostomy for 20 years.

Good Luck to all

i wear the hollister two piece also, and I have gotten 7 days out of the whole thing before, but I don't think I will try it again, i left it too long, it started itching and I should have changed it right away and I didn't and my skin got all sore and red! I just usually wear the bag until I change the whole thing, unless i get a little whole in the bottom of the bag, where the velcro is, sometimes my fingernails catch it.

i have the hollister new image two piece as well. while i was off work i changed both bag and flange every 7 days, that's with going to the gym and doing weights/cardio daily. now i'm back to work and change it every 5 days. i found the bags were wearing out because of all the movement i was getting. i always change a bag and a flange together, unless the bag gets a hole in it or something.

for red skin, wash the site with some warm water, let dry (i usually towel dry). then i put some stoma powder on the red areas, and give a little blow to be rid of any excess. then i spray on 3m no sting spray very liberally, wait until that dries and put the flange on. the trick for me was that i had to use a lot of no sting spray...just applying a little didn't do squat.

as for manufactuer's...i've tried them all. convatec bags are all clipped and i hate those. coloplast flanges kept lifting up on me, so i'm "stuck" with hollister. can't say i really have any complaints. you'll find something that works for you. call the manufactuer's, they'll be happy to send you samples of anything and everythign!

--matt

I have had an ileostomy since 1984 and have used the same appliance system this whole time - Convatec 2 piece.  Yeh, it has the little clips for the tail closure, but if it's not broken, why fix it?!!!  It really has worked very well for me.  Wear time is anywhere from 4-7 days, usually closer to the 7 days, depending on activity and foods.  

 I do, however, use a mild adhesive remover where the wafer is applied to remove any residue buld-up that normal soap and water won't necessarily remove, esp. after years of use.  You may not have to do this, but tuck this tip away for the future.  I didn't have to do it for many, many years.   I also use Neutrogena soap (soap residue wipes away very easily) and Viva paper towels in the wash, rinse, dry procedure - won't break the bank, and easy clean up!  The only other thing I use is Stomahesive paste... just a small ribbon of paste around the opening in the wafer.  I also am a HUGE fan of Ostofresh deodorizer - just a few drops in the pouch at each emptying and odors are neutralized amazingly well.

Best of Luck to ya - let us know about all of your sample trials.  I would be curious to hear.....

 

I just switched from the 2 piece to the 1 piece (convatec one-piece drainable), Active life, and the results are the same.  They last about 4-5 days. I have pushed it sometimes, only to wake up and I see around the wafer part, that it is starting to leak. I love the 1 piece, because I find it so much easier, I think. 

I finally found the Hollister New Image convex bag a year ago, and I've had great results with it. I too, use an Eakin Seal ( and powder if I am red and sore). Here in Fl. in the summertime, I change both bag & pouch every 6 days, in the wintertime 7 days.

Sandy B

I have used Convatec 2 piece for 18 years, and it has never come apart between the flange and bag. My pouch gets very full at night also, and I have never had an issue.

I like the 2 piece because I use the closed end pouches (hate clips and velcro closures, and it's a nice and soft cloth cover) and I can just change the pouch if I want, you get 30 pouches per box, and most insurances allow 2 boxes a month. I change my pouch at least every day, that way I never have to clean it, just dump and reattach.

I hate having to sit down on a public toilet to empty an open-end pouch also. This way I stand facing the toilet, open and dump the pouch and reattach. If my ostomy is very active and I'm worried about a leak if I take off the pouch, I just have another ready, take off the old, attach the new, wrap the old in tissue and dispose of.