Cutting Wafer Woes: Seeking Advice

What do you all use for cutting out the wafer? I cannot do it easily with any of the scissors I have in the house, including my bandage scissors. (I'm an R.N.)

Has anyone tried an X-acto knife?

HELP!

Hi Mindy

My sister-in-law got me a pair of curved scissors just for cutting my wafer.
Charleston guy

I use scissors from Coloplast.

https://products.coloplast.ca/coloplast/ostomy-care/other-oc-supporting-products/coloplast-ostomy-scissor/

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I use a Nu-Hope hole cutter (also works great in the kitchen #justkiddingonthekitchenpart)

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https://nuhopelabs.com/products/stoma-hole-cutter

I don't think I could use this as mine is not a round circle.

Hello SallyK.

This device is only a piece of metal cut to a round shape (a bit like the pastry cutters used for making minced pies!) There should be no reason why they could not be simply bent to suit whatever shape you want them to be. If you don't think you can do this for yourself, then maybe the manufacturers (nu-hope in this case) would do it for you. In which case you would need to provide them with a precise template for the shape you require. If they won't make you one, then almost any blacksmith would have the skills and equipment to do the job for you. Alternatively, you could look on the pastry cutters to see who makes those, then write a 'begging letter' explaining you problem and asking if they could do a one-off for you. 

It's an ideal one-off job for an apprentice engineer or the local college or university department of engineering. 

Over here in the UK , there is a programme on the TV. called 'The Repair Shop', also in our town we have a voluntary workshop where people 'mend' things for nothing. These sorts of places would have the skills and machinery to botch one up for you. 

It seems to me that the problem is an easy one to fix - you just have to find the right people to help you.

Never be afraid to ask as there are plenty of people out there who would be only to willing to try to be helpful.

I use a craft knife for cutting the two sided sticky tape that I use for gluing my baseplates on. However, I use the baseplate as a template/guide because cutting a circular hole with a knife on a flat surface is not a simple task and it tends to leave sharp edges. 

If you make a template of the shape you want, then there seems to be no reason why you could not just put the wafer on the template and cut around the hole. The template is the key to a good job and if you take the outline to a sheet metal worker, the job for them would be easy-peasy!.

Best wishes

Bill

PS: I have just come back from our weekly grocery shopping trip and whilst in the store I spotted a cheap stainless steel wine measure, which would make an ideal cutter if the rim edge was sharpened.  

Couple of comments. I am using precut barriers which do not require cutting. This is very helpful.

I ordered Premium Ostomy Scissors for Cutting Stoma Bags Round Blunt Tip from Amazon. Currently they are out of stock. These scissors are fantastic. (I am a surgeon.)

If you cannot locate these, then a curved Mayo scissors could work nicely, but a little bit heavier scissors are ideal.

Light saber....

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LOL

This sounds like the pair I have and I would really like to get a second pair. Do you know where your sister-in-law got them? Thanks.

Terry

P.S. The hospital gave them to me, and I've tried a couple of ostomy product suppliers, to no avail.

The hospital sent me home with a pair of curved scissors. I also got a couple of these little curved scissors to keep in emergency kits and I really like them. They have a slight curve to the blade and they are sharp and easy to hold.

Allex Ostomy Scissors Curved Blunt Tips, Made in Japan, Small Scissors for Colostomy Bag and Wafer https://a.co/d/ax7oDmW

Hi Min, just use your teeth .... Only joking, the stoma nurse gave me a pair of simple curved scissors when I left the hospital, and I have picked up some others since then. Should be easy to find.

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Me either, as my stoma is shaped like an inverted figure 8 :)

Wow! I'd love to try this! Going to order this right away!

Thanks, Cplumber!!!!!!!

I could never get the hang of cutting the base plates! My girlfriend (also an ostomate) used to do it for me....then I discovered the pre-cut wafers and I've been using them ever since! Once the swelling went down after the initial procedure, I was able to measure my stoma and order the pre-cut ones--thank God!

Agree. I'm a retired nurse and remember when we had to cut the wafers. We use the pre-cut moldable wafers as well.

I bought a pair from Amazon, ostomy or nurse's scissors. They work great.

May the Force be with you!

As an OR (operating room) nurse, yep, I know these scissors...they are called Mayo scissors....

And by the way, the "ostomy scissors" are simple bandage scissors.

Hi, everybody,

Just want to thank everyone who made suggestions...

A big help, and not having any problems now!

Dude! That's exactly what I use

Went to the local hobby store. In the sewing section, I found small, very sharp scissors intended for cutting thread. They give a nice clean cut.

Tricky for me because my stoma isn't round and it changes shape depending on activity. I only cut one the day I change my barrier/wafer. What was a good size opening last week may be too big this week.