Benzoin Tincture vs. paste

Yes, my skin was so bad the surgeon actually had to cut about an inch of it away during my takedown. Try the powder and cavillon crusting method - I sent you about 5 bottles if powder, enough to last probably a year! That was the only thing that helped me at all, and the benzoin just helped me with keeping the appliance on longer, but it's supposed to help heal too, so hopefully it will help you.

It sounds to me like your skin may be reacting to those sutures, which can become real irritants and bacterial nests... They may need to be snipped away, as Pluot said yesterday. Do ask about this soon, as I doubt the sutures are needed structurally anymore.

Ah OK, just wondering. The stoma/skin should be totally healed after three weeks, pred can slow it down but at least the half of stoma I saw was healed.

See what the WOCN says. I was super anxious about my first stoma and went to see her practically weekly for the first month, always convinced that there was something really wrong with it. Most of the time she'd tell me it was the nicest stoma/skin she'd seen that week!

music
Have you changed since you applied the benzoin tincture? Did you put anything else on with the benzoin? It is also a first aid healing compound.
When you talk to your WOCN he/she will probably never have heard of the benzoin tincture.

Dan

polishdan - I did a site query on the procedure. I removed my old appliance, used adhesive remover, took a nice shower, dried peristomal skin with towel and a hairdryer. I then applied the Benzoin *oweeee* , next I dried the tincture with the hairdryer & placed my new setup on. No paste, powder, etc. Just Benzoin, wafer & pouch. I can say that today my skin feels the most pain free I've been since before my reaction to the paste. Tuesday & Wednesday were rough & I almost changed the appliance again - glad I waited. Today my surgeon is going to look at my sutures.

Pluot - thanks so much for the supplies! It's like Christmas over here :)

My first application was on Monday night. Tuesday morn - Wednesday morn I had the burn/sting around my stoma. But - Wednesday afternoon it was gone. On Thursday 3pm at my appointment with the surgeon when I removed my wafer - it was the best my peristomal skin has looked & the tincture didn't burn because my open skin had healed over!! My surgeon knew about the tincture (I forgot he commutes from Canada to Buffalo for work). They have bottles of it in the office.

Thanks so much for them & to all others who sent me supplies. One other person sent some swabs as well.

The surgeon did look at my sutures - he said for now he is not concerned, but if it's no better at my next appointment - he will be. If I develop a hole in the crevice between my skin and stoma - then to call him.

I feel like a new woman with my staples removed :)

LinCee - that's a great idea on a local support group. I do have info on a few two hours away! One thing I'm noticing though - around here I must be one of the youngest with an ostomy. My home visiting nurses (not ostomy) were all excited to have a young patient. The pharmacies that I've talked with continually refer me to Medicare -- I'm 40 years old.

Ha, that is so true. When I was in for my 2nd op and the WOCN visited, she said "There's another young lady here who just got an ileostomy too!" -- the other young lady was 50 years old

I was once visiting the out-patient WOCN and sitting in the waiting room when a teenage girl walked in. I was SO EXCITED because I had never seen anyone anywhere close to my age at the WOCN/CRS office, except sometimes people my age accompanying their parent. Well, the girl walked up to the receptionist and said "I need to talk to the nurse, we have some questions about my Grandpa's colostomy." :sigh: ! I know there are ostomates out there who are my age, just never met one.

MM
Is it "Friar's balsam compound benzoin tincture" made by Rougier in Canada that your surgeon has? Rougier does not or cannot ship it to the US. Perhaps your surgeon knows why. Would you mind if I contacted his office? I have some of Rougier's but will run out one day.

Dan

Dan, I was ordering supplies at Edgepark and I saw the Tincture of benzoin swabsticks that I ordered on their website now. It is not in their 2013 catalog and it was not there last month, so it must be a new item.

Here is the link.

https://www.edgepark.com/shopcatalog/item/pys42450

I have used them the last 2 changes and so far so good. This will be a true testament to how good it works. I have been driving a school bus with no air conditioning and it has been so hot. I have been trying to change my appliance every 3 to 4 days to be sure yeast doesn't take hold as I struggled all summer with a terrible yeast infection.

I also found that taking a small Q-Tip and dipping it into the bottom of the of the pouch where there was alot of the Tincture of benzoin pooled so I could rub it easier around the stoma and closer to the edge of the stoma. I have touched the stoma with the Tincture Benzoin and I hope that is okay. It looks okay.

I hope it helps me get through the rest of the summer. I have had skin issues all summer from losing weight and from a huge parastomal hernia that looks like I'm 5 months pregnant on my right side. UGH