Ostomy Bag Problems
Sun, September 04, 2011 12:40 AM
Does anyone else have problems with ostomy bags leaking, not staying attached, or breaking open?
I found that Coloplast bags tended to leak, especially at night. They would fill up during the night so I would wake up to the feeling of stool pouring out of it. It would also sometimes become less sticky during the day- apparently from getting wet after I showered.
I switched to Hollister bags, but last week one broke open just before I left for work. Stool poured all over my leg and the floor. My toilet was not working, so that prolonged the cleanup. The next day essentially the same thing happened.
I have been setting my alarm to go off in the middle of the night so I can change the bag before it fills up. Does everyone else need to do that?
Joined May 3, 2009
Sun, February 05, 2012 11:00 PM
Reply posted for NorthStar.
I have tried probably every bag out there and I've had a problem with all of them. Mostly because I'm severely allergic to adhesives and tape. Oh, the wafers worked good for the first couple of weeks. After a while, my skin breaks down so much, it's weepy and extremely red, inflammed and painful. I came across something called 'permanent osotmy bags' from Perma-type. They have no adhesives and they are made of rubber. That means, I can take them off any time of day to shower and just put it back on. All you have to do is rinse them thoroughly before securing it. You do have to wear a belt with it but it gives my skin the opportunity to breathe. .With these, I can apply rash ointments, creams or powders without worrying if it will come 'unglued'. Perma-type has to be special ordered to fit your stoma size and shape and you can choose from 1 or two piece and the length and flange size. You can get two and have two different lengths. I wear the longer one at night because they hold more and don't 'blow up' during the night when emptying is put off for hours. They are very sturdy. I wear my 'baby; bag during the day because the flange is super small and the pouch is shorter. You can exercise and sweat all you want and then you can choose to shower with or without it. I prefer to take it off to cleanse the skin. It's comforting to know that I can use any kind of body wash and not worry that the moisturizing ingredients will keep the wafer from sticking. If you haven't found out about Perma-type, look in to it.
Joined Nov 22, 2011
Sat, October 01, 2011 2:48 AM
Reply posted for NorthStar.
I just had my colon removed last week and have had trouble with my skin barrier not staying sealed. Made an appointment with a fantastic ostomy nurse and she talked with me about lots of tricks.
I recommend you contact your local ostomy nurse. They are there to help!
christip727Joined Oct 1, 2011
Wed, September 28, 2011 9:09 PM
Reply posted for NorthStar.
I always used Hollister bags and for the first 45 days was very lucky to have a bag last more than 2 days, later discovered it was due to operator error.
Then I tried experimenting with different types of bags, different sized openings....Once I found the convex bag with a one inch circle for the opening, I started hitting 4 and 5 days consistently.
I only had one small accident at night, but that may be due to my waking up in the middle of the night to empty a half full bag.
So I am glad you are experimenting with different companies to try something different, but widen the type of bags.
Taking sponge baths instead of showers helps.
jeffdcJoined Aug 25, 2008
Sun, September 04, 2011 10:28 PM
Reply posted for NorthStar.
A couple things I can think of. If you have a prob with your collar around your pouch "sticking" after you shower try using a product called Sure seal. It's a water proofing clear plastic ring that goes over the flange and waterproofs the tape collar. If your pouch is leaking at night it could be that they are also filling up with gas (which is common at night cause you swallow more air)- you roll over on the pouch and it blows. Sometimes the filters help. It might be the amount of output you are having too, is it liquidy, how much are you putting out?? if it's more than 1200ml/24hr period you need to slow things down. Some patients with higher output do have to set an alarm to empty at night or switch to a high volume output pouch (which holds more) at night. also you might not be in the right system...that can be evaluated by an ET.
Joined Jul 6, 2009
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