The summer heat is causing a lot of itchiness underneath my bag.

A few months ago, my ostomy nurse decided that I needed to change to a new bag, and I am now using the SenSura Mio Convex two-piece high-output bag.
I don't know what to do about the constant itching; it is summer where I am, and although my skin has healed so much since my change to my new bag, and my stoma nurse is on leave for the rest of the month, I simply don't know what to do!!
The itching is driving me up the wall! And yet, when I change my bag, my skin has no blemishes any longer....
The Convatec two-piece bags I used to use never caused this problem - but because my stoma had shrunk since I first started on them, and they did not have any convex bag wafers you can cut a hole in, the pre-cut wafer was causing the skin around my stoma to deteriorate so badly that I had constant proud flesh (granulomas) which I needed to burn every couple of weeks with silver nitrate sticks.

I am wondering if anyone can give me some advice?

Edit: Just to clarify - the heat rash is not just underneath my wafer - it's also underneath my bag - I've got an ointment I can put in that area, but the area under my bag's wafer and under my flange extenders is so itchy it isn't funny. It always is if it is an area you cannot scratch....

Welcome! Good to hear from you.

I use the same appliance. I believe it's also referred to as the Mio Click 2 piece.

I do not have any issues in several years using it.

You are itching from it? That's not good, obviously.

If your regular stoma nurse is away, isn't there someone covering for her you can speak to? It's what I would do first. Then I'd look into a different appliance since you might be allergic to this one or the adhesive, which is prone to happen a lot.

Are you using an O-ring? Have you tried without it? I have done this. You can go without an O-ring and just have a flange against your tummy. Just a suggestion, but I would put a call into the stoma nurse, seriously. So what if she's on vacation? She left notes. She suggested this appliance, which is giving you trouble. Put a call in. Raise Holy Hell. 👍

ConvaTec has a moldable you can try.

Thank you for your comment.
Unfortunately, my hospital, one of the largest in New Zealand, Waikato Hospital, only has 2 ostomy nurses, and there are no other ostomy nurses available.

I use both an Adapt CeraRing as well as a Brava Mouldable Ring, as I have lost a lot of weight and my stomach is no longer very firm due to the weight loss. I am seriously thinking of pulling my bag off, even though I only changed it 48 hours ago. And I may give my mouldable ring a miss and experiment a little.

It's fairly normal in New Zealand that as soon as the Christmas holidays come, most businesses close down and do not reopen until the middle of January.
I tried to email my stoma nurse but got an automatic message back that she's on leave and will not be back until the end of the month. And there are no other stoma nurses available....
Sigh....

Gracie

I'm sorry to learn of this going on around the holidays. Wow!

Definitely going to be an anxious buildup situation for you. I can't imagine a "shutdown" in layman's terms like that... and only two stoma nurses.

The Cera Adapt changed my wear time to 7-8 days. That is a special ring. I have also used Brava rings too... prefer Adapt now.

You can try without it... maybe ease the itching. I don't think the heat from summer is the issue. You've got something going on... a reaction...

You mentioned tearing off the appliance. "Leaving it off" is a better idea🤔... as you might know, air does the skin good... of course, if your stoma is behaved or not will affect how much air time you are limited to... but... with a container under it... you can walk around naked (appliance-free) for as much time as the stoma may give you. I do that. My alien spud is well behaved. Out of the shower, walking around... I'm tempted not even to hold a container to catch output... but I don't like that risk.

Now this itchiness all began with the Mio, correct? You use a ring, correct? What about stoma powder? Or a skin protector spray? Are you familiar with using them?

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Maybe a barrier spray between the skin and appliance may help?

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I'm wondering if it's fungal. OP says her skin is healing up and looking better, which I wouldn't expect with an allergy. And it's summer... great environment for fungal growth.

Worzie's suggestion with the foot antifungal powder may help if it's fungal.

I'm also wondering about those barrier sheets that go under the appliance to protect the skin. That would help if it's an allergic reaction.

I've had my ileostomy for going on 25 to 27 years. My stoma does not ever stop working, so I have never been able to leave my bag off. I only have 3.5 meters of small bowel remaining. I have found that I have to be careful with the products I use.
My stoma nurse has me using Cavilon spray, I use Hollister ostomy powder, and I use Eakin Cohesive paste (which I had real trouble using until I decided to try putting my paste into a 10ml syringe).
This is the first summer I am having trouble with so much itching in the heat - and yes, when I changed my bag earlier, I noticed that I had a prickly heat rash.
I dusted it with a fine layer of ostomy powder, and it has calmed down.
The temperature at the moment is 35 degrees C / 95 degrees F in the shade... and next month is our hottest month of the year.

I'm not allowed outside between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. as my chances of becoming dehydrated are very high. Fortunately, my husband of 30 years has become very good at being able to tell by my speech if I am starting to become dehydrated.

But thanks for your suggestions. I really appreciate being able to talk to someone about this. And yes, it's so frustrating that there are no ostomy nurses around whom I can ask for help. I cannot be bothered asking for help from the district nurses as I have more knowledge than they do....

An old trick from days gone by before products of today were available in summer was to use roll-on deodorant on the skin around the stoma to stop heat rash. It's still worth trying; I've seen it work.

Hello Gracie, goodness me, I attend Waikato Hospital too. What a coincidence! I think you and I have the same stoma nurse!

It is very irritating when your skin reacts nearly to everything!! I even have to be careful with what type of sunblock I use - my GP has tried giving me a moisturizer which was supposed to be anti-allergic; I reacted so violently to it that for days it looked like I had a huge sunburn on my face!!
I used to have problems all the time with my bag coming off, and the skin around my stoma had deteriorated so badly - I am thankful that my stoma nurse gave me a new bag to try - with my new bags - the SenSura Mio Convex high output bag, my skin around my stoma has thankfully healed - I didn't even know that there was supposed to be skin where there is skin now!

Actually, you have given me an idea - as someone from the States had told me she used a particular powder for Candida (which I get very frequently - I guess it does not help that I am diabetic) but I quickly found out that I couldn't get that product in New Zealand - so my GP suggested I give anti-fungal foot powder a try, and it worked combined with my stoma powder - and I wonder if I sprinkle some of that on my skin before applying another bag, that perhaps it may help with my heat rash?

My husband suggested menthol talcum powder, but I don't think I want to make things worse.

I couldn't believe that my GP suggested giving me a cream - I told him immediately not to bother prescribing it as my bag would not stick if I used any form of a cream or ointment - but my GP knows almost nothing about stomas, and he keeps calling my ileostomy a colostomy, and I have had to tell him so many times that they're two different types.....

Thank you, Ben38!

Thank you - that is the one I am using too!

Thank you, Susan,

My GP took a little sample, as I do get Candida quite often, but it wasn't fungal.

My ostomy nurse has given me Brava Protective Sheets before the holidays. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a pen that works to draw the outline of my stencil with. I feel like such an idiot. My husband just asked me if I'd thought about just using a pencil..... Nope, no, I had not.

I have had an ileostomy for almost 27 years..... Duhhhh, I can be dumb sometimes....

Gracie.

No, not dumb. You just never think of it, and sometimes having another set of eyes 👀 helps see things you don't.

There was a member here, Hisbiscus, who had a severe skin reaction to many things. A sensitivity to almost everything in life she used. There is a name for it. Sadly, I forgot it, and sadly she's gone missing for the time being. You two would definitely hit it off, comparing notes and whatever.

27 years you have been doing this, so this reaction you are having is puzzling. If it's heat, I guess you need a cooler room.

If it's fungal or Candida, you need time and patience trying things, even if these tries are off the wall.

Thank you, Warrior,

Yep. I have quite a battle over the years. I've been in and out of the hospital since I was 16. It took a very long time before the doctors actually admitted that there was something wrong with me! My late parents always thought it was "in my head" - and that I was "trying to get attention".... But doctors usually do not operate on someone over 50 times (I lost count) for no good reason - I hope....

Yes. I am allergic to so many products it's not funny. The hospital attributes it to them leaving me on a morphine pain pump for over 8 years.... I am even allergic to sunlight and sitting on grass. Talk about ridiculous!!!

Normally I try not to complain, as I'm also diabetic. I'm on blood thinner because I've produced so many blood clots that I have the doctors scratching their heads as to how I can possibly still be alive. I can no longer eat solid food. And my ileostomy output is incredibly watery; it probably doesn't help that I have only got 3.5 meters of small bowel left. Yet nothing the doctors have tried has worked because a little bit will thicken up, but everything behind that is like water again.

My doctors have now said there's nothing more they can do for me.... They can only help me with my pain.

But after all those years, I'm wondering if God has different plans for me, and I'm not supposed to die just yet. My husband keeps me laughing; he is incredibly supportive, and I would not know what I'd ever do without him.
I keep having to remind myself to look on the bright side and try to be a bit more positive....

Losing all but one friend - that was initially VERY difficult. My best friend (since we were both 11) says they weren't my/our friends in the first place - and she's right.

Thank you for being so kind. All of you!!
Thank you - it has been refreshing actually talking to people who also have a bag.

Alot of people feel God has a plan for us by means of "checking out."

I'd say if I were a cat, I'd be dead 9 times over.

However, the more logical response I give is...

I haven't pissed off enough people yet, so I'm sticking around a bit more. He and I have this agreement. 👍

I really hope you get an opportunity to speak with Hisbiscus. You two are the only ones on here with such high sensitivity to things.

It's good to be stuck in the same boat with many of us... But having a twin is priceless.

I love your "let's just get on with it" attitude. There's a reason you're here... likely many reasons.

We never know how what we do affects others.

I survived rectal cancer and a tumor that should have killed me. My doctors think it's a marvel that I'm doing so well. I figure it just wasn't my time to go yet.

You've had a tough road. I can't even imagine living through all of that. But your experience will help others. I'm so glad you found this forum.

Do you not have air conditioning? You said you can't be outside during the heat of the day, so how is it that you're sweating so much to get heat rash?

Thanks. That's exactly the one I have been using for probably 20 years....

I have to admit that it is very much the same case for me. And because I have been avoiding the hospital like mad, often the medical staff of the surgical wards I usually end up in wonder if I am still alive; they tend to ask my ostomy nurse, and I think she gets a kick out of telling them that YES - I am still alive!

It would be nice to talk to someone who's got similar problems as I do....

Thankfully, it is not so hot at the moment - it is not as hot right now as it'll probably be later, and when it's cooler, my skin settles down a lot more - so I have some relief at the moment.....

I'm reading while resting on our bed, and one of my cats keeps bringing me leaves, which has me grinning!! She gets paid for a leaf with a cuddle. She's 3 years old and has limited eyesight, so she hunts leaves..... Which I far prefer as our 9-year-old and 1-year-old cats are very good hunters. (Apparently, I was lucky that hubby got up before me as there was a giant rat lying in front of my chair - I have a phobia when it comes to mice and rats. Our youngest cat just came home with a rabbit.... (Rabbits are an enormous pest in NZ, and my cats do their part in reducing their population....

Hi, what is the purpose of putting the paste in a syringe?

Excellent idea!!! I sit on the tube to warm the paste 😂 and my one-piece bag. Just to make the wafer more flexible. Seems to adhere better to my skin.

I think you may be spot on. With so many years under my belt, I have (that just sounded so corny now that I read what I just wrote.... ostomy belt....) but yes, there are some things I cannot figure out and need help with.
And I have spent so much time in the hospital; and it's fairly typical to be awoken by the night nurses as they need my help as a patient with a new ostomy who has had their bag come off - the nurses haven't got a clue what they're doing, so that's where I come in.
The only thing is that in theater in 2008, I contracted the hospital superbug ESBL, so I have to comfort someone wearing gloves, a gown, and a facemask - as I can pass on my ESBL superbug, but the real reason I have to gown up is that my immune system is compromised, and I catch almost everything that's going around.
Every time I see my great nephews and nieces, I end up sick.... even if their parents say they're healthy.

I try to be positive and keep my sense of humor....
I can remember when I first got my ileostomy, and we'd just purchased some land in the country (we live in sheep country), my husband talked me into going for a hike in our native bush (which is a little like a rainforest); partway, I start feeling a warm trickle going down my leg and into my gumboot. I told hubby, who immediately said that he knew a shortcut back to our cottage. So I followed him, and we came to the creek that flows three-quarters of the way around our property, and his "shortcut" happens to be a slippery log across the creek.
I was not impressed!
Typically, with my husband's help, I came to the halfway point, and I slipped and fell into an icy cold creek.
My husband pulled me out - now I was not only covered in feces, but also wet from head to toe, with plenty of mud all over my clothes.
In those days, we had our shower outside; it was winter (it doesn't get THAT ridiculously cold in the winter, though, as I live in the Waikato, which is in the North Island of New Zealand), and we'd have to turn the hot water cylinder on and wait for an hour for the water to heat up.
Well, I couldn't be bothered waiting for the water to heat up and had a cold shower, and I managed to rinse my clothing off so it could go directly into the washing machine.

At the time, it wasn't funny! But every time I tell that story, I start laughing these days.....

Time has a habit of changing our perspective on things.

I have had a LOT of help from district nurses in the beginning until my knowledge outgrew theirs. And I believe in giving back. So I really would not have a problem helping people who are new with their ostomies....

And I am so thankful today that it doesn't feel as hot today as we are expecting rain. But my skin has calmed down a bit, and I'm going to change my bag and hope "Mount Vesuvius" behaves itself; otherwise, I have to grab a nappy and just hold that over my stoma until it quits being a monster and starts behaving.

I'm going to have another go at putting a protective sheet underneath the wafer of my two-piece bag - hopefully, it will help. I watched some YouTube videos on how to use it!

I'm also really glad that I have found so many kind people here!!

No. Unfortunately, we do not. It's too expensive, but we do have ceiling fans, which help a lot. Plus, I am not allowed to go outside between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. as it's just too hot in the summer where I live. I used to get very badly dehydrated because I drank way too much water....
I didn't know that if you have short gut syndrome, it automatically flushes out again. The problem is I cannot tell when I start to become dehydrated... and the hospital was concerned that I was not safe by myself when my husband was still working full time. With the many times he came home and found me only semi-conscious, he'd rush me to the hospital.
The hospital thought the solution was for me to stay in the ward while my husband worked, but they wanted him to drop me off at 7 a.m., and I'd have to stay there for almost 12 hours.
My husband immediately said, "Absolutely not." The following day, he resigned from his work, and he's been my full-time caregiver ever since.
Because my husband talks to me in Dutch at home, and under normal circumstances, I automatically reply in English, he can tell by the way I speak if I am getting dehydrated.
In the last 3 years, I have managed not to get so badly dehydrated after my liquid intake was reduced. We are trying to keep it that way!

Oops - I forgot to explain that the temperature in the shade is around 30-40°C, which is 86-105°F; the humidity is over 95%.

Why did I put my paste in a syringe? Because I have short gut syndrome. I have 3.5 meters of small bowel left. My ileostomy never stops working, EVER! And my output is watery - nothing the doctors have tried has done anything to thicken it, so they stopped trying.
Often when I change my bag, I will have everything ready to go, and Mount Vesuvius will start erupting again.
Because I am allergic to anything with alcohol in it, my stoma nurse decided to try me on Eakin Cohesive paste, and unlike the other pastes, it is really hard to handle. It sticks to everything. And if my stoma (aka Mount Vesuvius) begins working, I have to start all over again.
And even though the hospital pays for all of my stoma and medical supplies, I was having trouble working with it.... So someone suggested I put it into a syringe, and I've been doing it that way ever since.
I can get a more accurate amount around my stoma and not end up with WAY TOO MUCH. Plus, if I leave the syringe against my skin, it warms up nicely, and I find it really easy to apply it.
My stoma paste now lasts a lot longer than in the past, which could be a week - maybe two weeks.

It works really well for me. And other people who use the same paste have started doing it as well and found it makes it so much easier to apply.