The same mistake every couple of years

I've been a Coloplast user most of my AO (after ostomy) life. But every couple of years I seem to need to try another company's product. I order samples and am even a little excited when I get them. I guess as an ostomate, new pouching products make you excited. But then I use them...

The pouches are never as nice or as durable as Coloplast. They never close as nicely, they are a PITA to clean compared to Coloplast, and the filters leak and leave stains on my clothes. But that isn't the worst of it. The wafers end up leaving me with weeping sore and red skin after only a few days. Now I got to deal with sore, itchy, weeping skin that I almost never deal with when I use Coloplast. I won't name the companies who's product does this to me, but you can probably guess since there are really only three main ones in the US and I've named the one I use with success.

I seriously need to quit doing this to myself!!!

I hear you. Please let us know which companies you found unsuccessful. It would be helpful but some people really do like the other companies and their products. I use Coloplast as well. I am actually afraid to give anyone else a try because I hear the same concerns from other Ostomates, leaky filters, uncomfortable pouches and hard to clean drainables. Thanks for the post. LH

The products I tried this time are ConvaTec and they are horrible for me (I am not here to start a product war, if they work for others then I think that is great, use what works best for you). I find their pouches to be hard to clean so they get a little "fragrant" and the filter on one leaked and stained a shirt of mine. But the wafers were the worst. I tried their Esteem One Piece moldable which is the one that leaked and the wafer was breaking down in less that three full days (I can easily get five days or more with Coloplast Sensura wafers). Then I used their Esteem Synergy adhesive two piece and that is where things went real bad. Two days and my skin a red, crusty, weeping mess! Now I'm back to my normal Coloplast product but my skin is so bad that everything is painful and itchy right now.

A couple of years ago I tried out Hollister New Image which was easier on my skin than ConvaTec for a while. I actually used them for a few weeks and found their wafers to be OK but eventually my skin rejected them and things got sore. Their pouches are better than ConvaTec as well but not as good as Coloplast again, though I did like the light feel of them.

Coloplast has never cause severely irritated skin, their only product I have been a bit disappointed in was the Mio wafers because they simply would not stick to my skin, like at all. But the Sensura wafers and pouches have been the best for me for five years.

FYI-if anyone wants two Esteem Moldable one piece and two Esteem Synergy two piece products, you pay shipping and they're yours!

Hello Aaron.
Take heart! I'm experimenting with stuff all the time. Often it's things I have made myself to try to make life with a stoma fractionally more comfortable. The vast majority of stuff doesn't work as well as what I was using before but that doesn't put me off from keep trying. The way I see it, is that without people trying new stuff we are unlikely to get to the point of maximising our potential. What I have also found in my experimentation is that the devices need a lot of tweaking to get them to fit my particular body shape and circumstances. This bespoke fitting, leads me to think that it must be very difficult for manufacturers to produce products where one design/size etc. will fit most people.
I have come to the conclusion that the devices we use should be made to measure rather than off the shelf but this approach would prove impractical for most people to achieve for themselves so I suppose we are stuck with a few manufacturers who put out as wide a range of gear that is practical and likely to make them a profit. Personally, I still think there is a lot of scope for inventing internal bags or other devices that do not bring the colon to the outside surface of the body but I suspect that these too would need bespoke fitting, like any other surgical procedure so there won't be any rush to go down that route.
Best wishes
Bill

Bill,

I've yearned for a permanent "wafer" connection that is surgically sewn around my stoma. Then I just replace the pouches and skin issues are gone...

My Ostomy Journey: Bruce | Hollister

I am like you, Aaron. I have problems with adhesive and have found Coloplast is the best on my skin. My husband is a perfectionist. People ask me all the time if he is in quality control. After looking at all companies, yes, I got samples from all over the world, he said Coloplast makes the best products in materials and design. I find that other companies' materials get pilly after a day and it drives me crazy, not that I am not already this way. I will try anything I can find, but I always go back to Coloplast. I wear the SenSura Mio, either one piece or click. It makes me feel the most confident when I go out. I know if it locks, it is on. I have MS and am not always great with putting because my hands shake and I have a hard time remembering if I hear all the clicks on a regular wafer. One thing I love about the Coloplast SenSura Mio is being able to fold the pouch in half when I go places. I agree with you, some kind of permanent wafer implant would be great, but unless it is universal, it would make it impossible to try new products. The only other product I found that I am happy with is Salts, but they are not available in the US. I can't keep ordering from them and having to fill out the paperwork and submit it myself. The products I have tried from Europe are really well designed, but it can take a long time for them to get through customs. I guess we will have to continue and wait. If there is anyone who knows a way to get the Salts products here, please let me know.

Thank you so much for your replies. They are very helpful. Have a great day. Sincerely, LH

I have been using Hollister products for years and am very satisfied. My supplier (Byram Healthcare) sends the Hollister flange, bag, and deodorant but includes accessory products from other companies (e.g., strips, powders, half-moons, wipes, etc.). They all work well together. My only complaint with Hollister is that my bag is transparent. Why can't we get opaque bags? What are the medical benefits of a see-through bag? What we want with our bags is confidence, convenience, and comfort. Great discussion.
PB

Hey Primeboy, I too have used Hollister products for years and my bags are not see thrue...my supplier is Edgepark Medical..they are out of Florida.

I've received samples from Hollister that are opaque, maybe Byram just doesn't carry them?

After replacing my wafer daily for the past few days (due to weeping skin) things are starting to heal under my Coloplast wafers. What a PITS (pain in the Stoma since I don't have an asshole anymore).

Thanks for your comments, Sun and CA. I just had a productive chat with my supplier about alternatives for my high-output, drainable pouch. Unfortunately, Hollister does not make opaque versions of this bulky product. My supplier, however, will send me samples of other (non-drainable) small-size opaque or beige Hollister pouches which I can use at certain times when my stoma is inactive (e.g., swimming or exercise). At my age, comfort trumps aesthetics every time.
PB

Hi Aaron, how are you doing now with your abrasion from the new appliance? Well, I hope, because I'm a couple of days late to be trying to help, but maybe my advice will help in the future? Quit kicking yourself! You're allowed to make mistakes, and it's the American way to continually seek something new and better. You're just a victim of the madness.
I am allergic to latex and evidently, adhesives are made from latex. The only latex-free over-the-counter band-aids I can find are Nexcare. Kind of pricey but worth it. The paper tape works well also.
Even so, I make sure to remove each product as I use it completely and then dry the area. I try to use adhesive remover every time I remove a bandage, soaking the bandage on the outside makes it peel like snot, lol.
Then I use it again to get the adhesive off my skin, but if it's difficult to do, I leave it there rather than make myself raw.
I no longer have a bag, but I deal with bandages still. I'm saying bandage yet referring to your wafer as well. I had a horrible time when I had a bag!
So even for a band-aid, I put a layer of stoma powder on top of my prep, blow off the excess, and attach the dressing. If the adhesive doesn't want to stick, I quickly pull up my clothes to hold it in place until it's secure. Or if I had a bag, I'd recline and warm it with my hand as we're taught at the beginning.
It's called the crystalline technique for weepy skin. When I had a bag, I repeated the layers 4 times if I was really bloody and raw. I tried to place the bag on skin that wasn't already weeping. The wafer pulls off any scabs you've got in the area and can lead to a serious infection. I did get it on open sores at times, and it stung like a..., (fill in the blanks) lol!
And no, it's not funny.

Can I play devil's advocate here? You really could have found a second to text your wife, but why did she want you to? And why didn't she reach you if she had a need to talk? Is this her way of holding a short rein on you even while she's deciding what's hers she needs to get?
Oh, the games people play now. I can see it now, waiting for a text you don't really need to communicate with because there's nothing to say, but how dare you not give her the chance to deride and humiliate on your nice evening away? How could you miss an opportunity like that?
I suggest that if you can draw back a little, become a little detached, you may see the games as they unfold, and then I'm sure you will respond differently.
Glad you had a happy evening with the one who loves you most.
Charlotte

Ok, I'm sorry, I don't intend to be so long-winded; it just always comes out that way.
I hope you can see through my tablet's word corrections.

Lol

I am allowed to make mistakes? Wow, can I introduce you to my future ex-wife?

Seriously though, I am allergic to tape, so those barriers have always been a no-go. It took about a week of having to change my Coloplast wafers every day, then every other day, but all is good now. Skin is back to healthy.

So I was helpful! At least we share the same problems, lol. And you can tell I am the bitter ex-spouse of someone like yours. 😂😂
😂😂Charlotte

Aaron, I use brand H. I found that Hipafix tape really helps to secure the flange, and
protects the skin from my latex allergy. It seems the edges of the pouch have some latex in them, causing tiny blisters wherever they contact my skin. I'm getting samples of brand C this week. They're supposed to be more flexible... we'll see.
Art

I got another round of Mio samples...same problem as before. They simply will not stick to my skin for any duration. Better just stick with my Sensura and call it good. Too bad, I REALLY like the Mio pouches but they are not cross compatible with Sensura or Assura wafers.

You can try adding extra paste, but only a small amount works. The barriers need to be fresh. The glue breaks down on old appliances. I tried a bunch of things to make my bags work and protect my skin.
They have paste in tubular shape, or rings. I had one that looks like lips. I have a lot of those left. I also got a 4x4 latex sheet with glue on one side. I cut out the shape of the hole I cut out of the barrier in stoma shape. Just saying, by the way, there are lots of products you might be able to use that you never thought of.
I had an inverted stoma and after takedown surgery, I talked to a couple of people here who made themselves PCs that work. One was made out of aluminum! I was nowhere near that kind of inventive!

I just want to ask when you use the word "wafer," do you mean the item that they call the "FLANGE" -- at least in Hollister-land? I just had an emergency colon resection on March 17, 2017, at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, NYC, at night since I was an emergency case. I originally thought I had food poisoning! However, thanks to my sister, a nurse-manager, and the fact that I already have had serious gastrointestinal disease and surgery, I made it to the local hospital and had lots of great care and was transferred to LHH for the surgery. Of course, I am now hoping to have the "Reversal" and do have the pre-op colonoscopy scheduled for July 6th, 2017. I am hoping I am healed enough to have the "Reversal" relatively soon. I do use the Hollister products - they do have a bag that is beige, and I use their various flanges and a few other items are from Coloplast -- those weird half-moon-shaped bandages are from Coloplast. The Convatech products -- the circles are too small. I also use the EKON rings if I do not use the convex flange. I do hope this is not permanent for me. It is not so easy to manage when working and commuting to work.

Many names for it...wafer, flange, barrier

the piece that connects to the pouch and sticks to your skin