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Number of times you empty your pouch

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Posted 6/12/2010 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
I am sure this has been answered a thousand times, but I was just curious as to the number of times you guys do it. Do you wait till the bag is full, 3/4, 1/2, or even 1/4? I have a temp ileo right now and empty a little more than usual, but it is expected. The thing is, I think I have OCD with it, because even if it fills 1/4 of the way I find myself emptying it. I just hate the feeling of that bulge. Dunno, just curious. Hope all is well with everyone, and have a great weekend.

- A
Posted 6/13/2010 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
I empty my pouch every time I pee, that's 6-7 times a day.
Starting from last week, I sometimes rinse my pouch after I empty it. I fill a bottle with lukewarm tap water and pour it slowly into the pouch, then turn the pouch upside down (actually downside up) until the water reaches my stoma and somewhat cleans it. Then I carefully drain the water away. I feel like having a new pouch afterwards.
The rinsing doesn't damage the pouch or the wafer. And I have never had a leak.
But certainly I can only do the rinsing when I am at home.
Posted 6/13/2010 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
i empty mine 5-8 times a day depending what i ate, and at home i wash it out with water.
Posted 6/13/2010 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
about 4-6 times, depending on what i eat or drink.
I wash mine out with water if its very thick or lumpy, and i wash it out with a water mouthwash mix, if i have eaten fish or something smelly, lol
But only at home. I cant understand how people are carrying bottles around with them in public bathrooms! its gross!
Posted 6/13/2010 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
about 4 to 8 depending on how much I eat and drink.
My ostomy nurse told me a trick about mixing baby oil, mouthwash wash, and water in a spray bottle and to spray the insside of the pouch to make it smell better and to prevent stool from sticking to the top.
Posted 6/13/2010 4:39 AM (GMT 0)
wouldnt the baby oil break it down though?
Posted 6/13/2010 10:13 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks everone ... I empty mine about 5-10 times/day. I eat a lot and at random times so I kinda expect the changing to increase. I probably should stop eating a pound of pasta at 2 am. I like the water and mouthwash trick. It is a pain when the output is so thick. I am going to try that today actually.
Posted 6/13/2010 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
I had to empty all the time, but my output was crazy. I had a very large bag because I had a bar holding up my stoma and the wafer needed to be very large to get around it. So, my bag 1/2 full was A LOT of liquid. I did not like it to ever get more than half full because then the liquid would be pooling around the stoma and I had lots of leakage issues. I slept on my side a lot so it would go to one way and not pool around the middle so much, but I still had to get up a lot on the night to empty it. It was always bulging, so it was not unnoticeable like most people's are. You could only ever not see it if I had JUST emptied and then it would fill up again.
Posted 6/13/2010 12:40 PM (GMT 0)
4-6 times a day...usually when I have to pee. I usually use the Full Size Coloplast Pouch but if I use a smaller one, it's more, so pouch size has to be taken into consideration.

It's personal preference whether you empty at 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 full...be careful if you go over half because gravity can take over and make a mess!!
Posted 6/13/2010 4:14 PM (GMT 0)
lol, yeah, I know what you mean by gravity. I just eat a lot, and at random times, so I can expect that I will need to evacuate quite a bit. It doesn't bother me, just curious as to the frequency of others. I seem to land within the general ranges that you guys have spoken of if I keep to a normal eating habit of which I don't.
Posted 6/21/2010 1:53 AM (GMT 0)
I have a temporary ileostomy and I find myself emptying it at least 2x per hour....I have an OCD with it as well because when it gets 1/4 to 1/2 full it seems to pull on my skin and makes my stomach hurt. I have only had it about 6 weeks now but I had a colostomy prior to this that wasn't as bad. I think with an ileostomy there is so much more liquid output there is a lot more emptying involved....it drives me crazy! I am sooo looking forward to my reversal surgery :)
Posted 6/21/2010 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
My stoma nurse said to empty when it gets 1/3rd full because the wafers weren't meant to carry much more weight. Hope this helps. Rosemary
Posted 6/21/2010 2:40 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, it def. helps. and racerwife ... I am about the same thing ... but that is because I eat a tremendous amount trying to gain weight before my next surgery. It is a little annoying, but I manage. A temp ileo is a very hard thing to tame. I am about 8 weeks post surgery. Stay well!
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