Emptying the Pouch: Best Positions?

Animal House - the movie, "Assume the Position."

Only if you stop running. Keep moving, and it'll never get you. 👍

We got an elongated one. It's worth it.

I kneel. I have a callus on my left knee from it, lol.

Knee pad time. 😊

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

That's what I do. I guess it depends on where your pouch is located. I can't imagine kneeling to empty my pouch. Maybe because I am only 5' tall, I wouldn't be able to get it in the toilet if kneeling!

Yeah, the height and location of the stoma make a huge difference. If I could get down on my knees (and more importantly, back up again), I might be able to do that. But I'm 5'8" and my ostomies are high... about 2-3 inches above my belly button. It wouldn't work as well if I were shorter or if my ostomies were lower on my body.

That high placement is why I can't easily empty sitting down. The bottom of even my high-capacity urostomy bag hits right at the top of my thigh. If I try to empty between my legs, output inevitably gets on my legs. If standing weren't an option, I could probably get good enough to clean the urine off and move on. But I'd never tolerate emptying the colostomy that way. That's a big reason why I use the closed-end pouches most of the time. And I've adapted to emptying into a separate container and rinsing that into the toilet for when I wear drainable pouches.

I squat facing the toilet as low as possible and empty also. I put some toilet paper in the toilet to reduce splashes.

At work, I tuck a seat cover into the waist of my pants to protect me from splashes and drips while cleaning the tail end.

I have had my ileostomy pouch since 1986. I find sitting on the toilet the worst for me and have not tried it since 1986. I do a lot of camping, and I find I like to kneel if emptying into a shopping bag for disposal. I also put tissue paper or napkins in the bottom of the bag to help contain moisture.

When it comes to toilets, I stand facing them. I always put TP in to help alleviate splashing. This works for me.

I use a stool that I keep in the bathroom with a towel on it. It's adjustable and folds up if you need to get it out of the way for company or other house members. I sit in front of the toilet and empty. I also use a hand sprayer on the toilet to rinse out my bag each time. It makes the whole process less messy and less painful on the knees.

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Standing or kneeling are not an option for me as a wheelchair user, so....

Seems I'm an oddity here - I sit sideways, lean a little, and empty. I had to completely re-learn when my stoma had to move post code after the last surgery. A few squares of TP on the side of the bowl definitely help.

However, if it's an 'emergency' empty when I'm out and about and I'm using my emergency plastic jar/polybag/cat litter kit, then I hold the pot between my thighs and empty into that.

Note to any winter kayak enthusiasts out there: don't miss the pot and empty inside your drysuit ;)

Thank you so much for sharing! I started standing up; I could not bend over due to my surgery. It made such a mess! I could not clean it up, and my husband tried, but I felt bad making him clean up my mess. He did not complain! My nurse suggested a chair, which I tried, but when the bag slipped out of my hand and emptied all over me, my pants and underwear around my ankles, and the bathroom floor, I decided to try kneeling. It works best for me. This forum is so helpful. I have learned so much helpful information! Thank you all for sharing your journey!

I face the toilet and bend over so the bag is close to the water to empty.

I have had my stoma for 40 years, so the advice given to me may be out of date. I kneel in front of the toilet; I have a kneeler to make it more comfortable. I then empty as much of the contents as possible before pouring some water from a small florist watering can into the bag to flush out any remaining contents. I recently had a bad knee, which prevented me from kneeling, so I tried sitting on the toilet and emptying that way, but I was not impressed and went back to my old way as soon as my knee allowed.

Guess I'm the weird one here. I sit sidesaddle on the bowl (no clearance on either side to sit forward or backward). At 5'1", this works fine at home; anywhere else, I sit and empty the pouch from in front. It takes a lot of maneuvering and dexterity, especially in public toilets. Always toss in a few squares of TP to minimize splashing.

Sure like that stool! We keep one
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in the car as we like to take walks, but Hubz needs to sit where benches might not be, and it's there should he need it in a public restroom. The carry strap makes it easy to take along.

Thanks for sharing!🌻

I would never kneel in public toilets. I just stand. At home, I straddle the seat, so much easier as you've lots of room in front of you.

I've tried many positions for emptying, and for me, the current colostomy placement, which is in an unfortunate location of 2 inches above my belly button and about 4 inches to the left, just before what used to be the descending junction. Luckily for me, I'm a bendy person, so sitting on the toilet to empty isn't a chore. Standing makes it a much larger drop into the toilet, and emptying into a different container just to flush it anyway wasn't appealing. I have a hard time kneeling as my knee joints dislocate, so sitting is usually my preferred mode to empty when I'm not irrigating. Also, I angle the placement of my bag slightly towards my center, so it will empty easier without any mess.

Thank you for sharing! And thanks to all who have answered with their own tips and tricks! This community is truly tops!

Something gets in the way!

I always crouch or kneel down.

I use a wheelchair, so I can't stand or kneel at a traditional loo. I have gloves, nappy bags, and loo paper, and I do the change while supported in bed. It's so much easier than on the loo. Nappy bags are placed under my colostomy to catch any ‘flow.' Wearing gloves means no messy cleanup. Then I change bags - I use closed pouches and tie everything off with the nappy bag and have a bin close by to put it in.

At the start of my journey, I did try emptying in the loo, but I kept getting it over myself and decided it was safer elsewhere. So for those of you who may struggle to stand or find a comfortable position, I give you permission to do what I do. Gloves keep your hands clean and are just easier.

Hope this helps!

I sit sideways on the toilet and empty straight into the bowl after first adding toilet paper. The smell is a bit of an issue, but I have yet to empty outside of home.

Going on my first holiday with Sami (my stoma) in a couple of weeks, so I'm prepared for many new challenges. I also have lots of pocket-sized air fresheners!

I have only had my colostomy for 4 months. After I got over the original shock and denial, I looked up how to empty on YouTube. I started out by standing up. I learned from YouTube that if you place strips of TP in your toilet first, it prevents splashing—this really helped! After a month or so, I decided to try sitting because it helped me to feel more “normal.” You have to sit way back on the toilet, and I still put the TP strips down first to avoid the splash. I hope this helps! Good luck.

My pouch hangs so low I would never be able to kneel to empty it. So far, sitting works for me.😊

Just flush right before emptying and empty as the toilet water goes down, no splash, and you'll save a ton of toilet paper.

First, I put a piece of toilet paper in the toilet and then I crouched down to empty. Getting closer to the water helps with splashing.

Just pour warm water into your bag when you've drained it, lock the bag or seal it, and massage the bag drain. Repeat two or three times until the water runs clean.

I usually clean the poop shoot first with toilet paper and wet wipes, then back flush or douche the bag! 😊

I use my “Rik Sack” plastic bucket when out and about or in the car or camper, and empty it into a doggy bag placed in the bucket or public toilets if available. I think the way to go is using a low-level stool and sitting close to the pan to empty it. I will try that! 😊

I take a small plastic bottle in my ostomy bag to flush my bag out with warm water in disabled toilets or public restrooms when out and about, along with wet wipes too! 😊

At home, I have a cushion in both toilet rooms that I use to kneel on when I empty my poo bag. Given that I have Ken butt and that toilet seats are designed to spread us open down there, it's uncomfortable at the least, not to mention that most toilets don't really have adequate space in front while sitting on them. When I go out, I am blessed living here in Japan because almost everywhere I go, I can find stoma toilets (kind of like a laundry sink up just below waist level but with toilet tissue, soap, a flush function, and usually a hand-held nozzle to wash out the bag; can also be used to easily change bags in case of a leakage) in the bathrooms for handicapped people, because there's no way I want to kneel in front of a public toilet. On the other hand, I also have a urostoma but can easily empty that bag anywhere by just bending my knees down a little to avoid splattering outside the toilet.

I love your sense of humor. 😂