Seals

Byram had sent me Hollister Adapt seals to check out and i took one look at them and had NO idea what i was supposed to do with them, and put them away. So i was just talking with the people at Coloplast because i order the wrong pouches and wanted to make sure i got it right this time. The guy on the phone asked me if i wanted some Eakin seals to try out. I said sure, but that i had received the Adapt version and didn't really know what to do with them. So he basically gave me the info on what and how they were used. Maybe i should have at least tried to use them, because i didn't know they stretched out like they do. But i have to ask, do they work??  I now understand that they can stretch to the size or even shape of my stoma, but how do they make the wafer work better?? If i'm using a wafer with a flange size of 1 3/4, then the actual part of wafer that sticks to my skin really isn't that much. So how can putting something under that make it work better?  The tape part of the wafer certainly isn't going to hold it on. I can't imagine using the Adapt or Eakin it'll help the wafer stick to me.  Ugh, i know there was plenty of talk about the Eakin seals on here but i'm just to lazy to look for it.

   On the plus side my surgeon said i can return to work next week as long as my wife is fine with packing my butt......never thought i'd hear myself say that. 

So does the wafer stick right to the Eakin seal as it does to the skin? How much space is left on the wafer that actually comes in contact and stick to your skin? Thats what i'm worried about, that the wafer won't have enough area that actually sticks to my skin and the Eakin or Adapt won't be able to hold it on. Like i said the wafer i use itsn't all that big. 4 x 4 tape colar with 1 3/4 flange. So if my stoma is 1 1/8, and i stretch out the Eakin to go around my stoma, that doesn't seem to leave much area of the wafer to skin to my skin, and there is no way the tape will hold it on. Does your wafer stay " stuck" to you? Do you need a belt with it? Any leaks with the Eakin? I guess i'm wondering whats the difference between these seals and the paste that i use once in a while. Seems that the paste would be just as easy since i wouldn't have to "smoosh" it like the seal.

Ahhh, that does make more sense. The seal just seemed kinda think and it didn't seem that it would allow much of the wafer to stick to me, which really makes me nervous. But i also noticed on the Byram website that Hollister makes a Adapt Barrier STRIP. Which i assume would cut down on the cutting of the round seal. Anyway, thank you Amey. Very helpful. Of course if i do try it and it leaks.......i'll be lookin' for ya.

AAAh, I'm glad you asked this, Slice! I have played around with the seals and have wondered the same thing, but couldn't figure out how to explain it! But you did a superb job! I am finding that I almost wish the sticky part of wafer were bigger, becasue it seems like it would leak less. The hard plastic part where the bag pops on to the wafer can stay small. My stoma is 1 inch. When it was bigger, I didn't leak as much. That's why I think it would work if the skin barrier part were bigger. But the barrier part gets smaller as the stoma hole gets smaller....Am I making sense?

Slice,

I just finished posting the below message on another thread just a few minutes ago, so I am going to copy it here for you too.

An Eakin Seal is very similar to the sticky part of the wafer, like on the Convatec system (I use the Convatec 2 pc). BUT it holds much, much better and provides more of a barrier so that the output doesn't degrade the wafter so quickly.

There are 2 types: Eakin Seals and Eakin Strips. I buy the Eakin Seals, which look like a flat round disk, and make my own strips since the only area that really degrades quickest on me is right around the stoma. Think of them as a firm, but sticky, stomahesive paste (if you ever have used that). I simply cut the seals into strips and line the back side of the wafer just around the stoma opening hole. You can also apply it directly to the skin right around the stoma. I find applying it to the wafer better for me. I can also press it firmly against the wafer, esp around the edges of the already cut or pre-cut hole in the wafer to create a really tight seal between the wafer and the Eakin before applying to my skin. Some folks use the entire Eakin Seal by cutting the area that fits around the stoma the same size that you cut your wafer. Eakin Seals come in a small size and a large size. Small being about 3" across from one side to the other, and large being about 6" across. Again, I personally just need the extra help just around the stoma and cutting it into strips works fine for me.

 

Clear as mud, right?!

Laura,

Is the Adapt sticky on both sides, like th Eakin are?

Peggy,

Yes, they're sticky on both sides and there is paper on both sides with a hole cut out in the middle and a little tab to grab to peel it off. I peel off one side, put the sticky side down on my skin and smoosh it to fit using my fingers on the top side where the paper still is. Then I grab the tab and just peel it right off the top side from the sticky part. The Adapt seals are a little less expensive than the Eakins too. A rep at Byram first told me about them. I like Eakin also, but my fingers get stuck to the sticky part and I usually end up pulling it up off my skin a little trying to "release" it.

I guess when i pulled the paper off the Hollister ones they sent it they just didn't seem all that "sticky". At least not as sticky as the wafer itself. I will try it. Byram is sending me samples of the Eakin ones, which i'll probably use since some of you say they aren't as think. Although i haven't had any leaks for a while now, and the paste hasn't failed me yet. Hmmm, if it ain't broke?

Byram Healthcare is a distributor. You can order pretty much anything from all the major manufacturers either online or by phone.

Amey... I promise we'll keep all we can here in GA. My children already resent that we don't live in the Arctic where they can have snow all the time! Plus, we have too many relatives in FL that won't let us visit if we did something nasty like sent snow their way. :)  Enjoy your bike ride - I'm looking forward to doing that again soon myself.  My husband got me a beautiful Trek last spring, but I couldn't get away from the bathroom long enough to try it out at the time! I did a "Rainman" and rode up and down the driveway...lol    -Laura

Slice,

Any photos of the snowman?

So you actually packed it yourself??? I'll admit to being completely stupid about this surgery. After it was done in November i really had NO idea i had another.....umm....hole back there. I always thought the drainage was coming from my...ummm anus? Hole? Not sure what the best word would be. It wasn't until i asked my surgeon how i could be draining from my butt since he told me when they removed my rectum it was all sewn up. Shows how much trust i put in these doctors i guess. It just needs to be packed until it heals from the inside out. It closed up the last time and thats why i ended up back in the hospital because it got really infected.
hahah i'm sorry, but i'm not sure i would ever be able to get the visual of me bending over in front of a mirror so i can pack my own butt. I'm sure there are internet sites for that though.