Hi Elijah, My name is Marsha , and I have m y ileostomy for over 66 years, since I was a kid of 15... You do know th at there is a difference between an ileostomy / an d a colostomy... with an ileostomy, most or all of the large intestine ( colon) is removed.....that's where t he body " stores" feces, until it's ready to be pushed o ut... By not having a colon, an ileostomy runs all the time/ according to eating and digestive schedule... With a colostomy.....you may still have some colon ( storage area left) and many people are able to irrigate once a day, or every other day, and therefore control the release of stool.... The rest of t he time, they can wear of " smaller pouch", which is just mean t to cover the stoma, or carch small amounts of output.. You don't say what you do to manage your " colostomy".. Some people have what use to be called a " wet colostomy", where v ery little of the colon is left in, so in essence it works like an ileosstom.. Output can't be regulated.. You say you have to " change your bag daily" ? My bag/ pouch, fills up, 3-4 times a day, and so I use a pouch with a spout/ and empty every 3 -4 hours.... and just wipe off the spout and clip it up, until the next time... It's not clear whether you have to change so often because of the pouch, or if you get a leak under the wafer... While I don't work outdooor.....I do like to go to the b e ach/ or pool, swim......and take showers once or twice a day.. My wafer generally holds up for about a week...... I use the convatec system, with molded wafters, and also started to use the " eaken" seal ( an additional smaller wafer, to fill in the depressions on my belly, under the stoma.... Tape, is also another important variable.. The best I've found is " Scanpoor" ( 2" ) wide, which I put around all 4 sides of t he wafer.... taping it down to my skin... That tape was like a second skin.... When insurance no longer covered it, I switched to 3m.... The y have 3 different tapes..... try all of them, to see which works best for you ( I like the brown t ape, since it's more paper like, and sticks on the skin through hot showers or cold ocean water... But I also travel everywhere with a roll of tape.....just in case of a leak... N ot sure if you problem is with t he wafer stickinng ( if so, you can s till rinse out and use the same bag) That's what I had to d o in the olden days....when the pouches were made of rubber, and were meant to be r eused... The wafers were plastic, and we used a flameable glue/ cement.....to attatch the wafer to the belly.... Things are easier now, b ut medicare should pay for what you need.....even if y ou have to c hange e very day.... My distributer always asks what I have " left", b ut I always claim I use more than I do.....just for th e times I may need to change more often.... Ask more questions....and if you havent' tried other supplies, call other companies, and ask for samples... There are also some helpful videos on line, that show how other people change/ manage th eir ostomy supplies.... y ou might find it helpful... Even if y ou need to change t he wafer every day....the pouch can be rer used.. Unless you are using a sealed pouch, without a spout... Get back to us, if you have more questions.... Best regards, Marsha
