Hi everyone! I'm new here. A quick recap of my life. About 22 years ago, I was diagnosed with UC. I was treated with meds for 3 years but it was quite aggressive, so I had my colon removed and j-pouch surgery in 2000. All went well (temp ileostomy for 3 months, takedown surgery, then, well, life went back to normal...or new normal). Then Thanksgiving 2018, I started feeling bad. I thought it was pouchitis. And it was. But after a round of Flagyl and Cipro, I wasn't better. For 2 months, I went back and forth with my colorectal surgeon that something just wasn't right. I had 2 flexsigs, 1 CT scan, and multiple biopsies all saying nothing was wrong. But I knew different. I ended up in the hospital Feb 19, and after several more tests, it was determined that I had an abscess and my j-pouch had ruptured away from the rectal cuff. So, surgery was scheduled to remove my j-pouch and get my permanent ileostomy. Well, after surgery, pathology reports showed stage 2 rectal cancer. So, I am almost 5 months post-surgery and feeling pretty good. Chemo is almost over and side effects have been minimal. I have adjusted pretty well to the ileostomy again. Products have greatly improved since 2000....trust me!!! Lol. Anyway, that's the short version of my life recently. My question here is about how often people change their appliances. I'm using a 2-piece Mio Sensura product because the Hollister ones made me itch. At first, I was trying to get as many days out of a bag as possible. I once got 5 days!! Now, I usually start to spring a leak around the 3rd or 4th day. I'd like to try changing every other day, just because I think it would feel cleaner. But I'm not sure if it would be too harsh on my skin to change every other day. My skin was very inflamed initially, but it has finally settled down so I don't want to make it angry again. So, any input about how often y'all change your appliances, I would really appreciate it! Thanks!! Lori.
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Ostomy surgery is stressful both for the patient and the caregiver, and creates a major life change for both people in a relationship.
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Learn how to care for your loved one, while still taking care of yourself.