Hi all! Happy Easter everyone! I have a question and am curious about what others' experiences are. I have had several leaks over the last few days. Normally, I change my bag every 5-6 days. Sometimes I will go for weeks with no leaking issues and then suddenly I will have one right after the other with no rhyme or reason as to why. It gets extremely frustrating, as I'm sure you all know. I am always trying to figure out what I may have done differently during those times. Do you all ever feel like stress could be related to leaks? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I just cannot pinpoint any particular thing I've done differently, but I am feeling a bit more stressed lately. Of course, some of the stress could be caused by the leaks. I don't know. I just wish I could figure it out. It is hard to know how to change anything you are doing when you don't know if anything needs to be changed. TIA for any input.
Hi Pooh,
The key to figuring out why you're leaking is to read your barrier when you remove it. I'm assuming it's not a physical leak from the bag or interconnecting flange, if you use a 2-piece. When you take the barrier off, look very closely at it, looking for any areas that are wet compared to the rest of it. Usually, if output seeps under the barrier, you'll see a bit of erosion of the seal in that area which will point you to the exact spot around your stoma where it started. Even if it's not obvious, it'll tell you the general area of the leak, and then you can focus on what you're doing differently in that area. Then you can figure out if it's a prep issue, skin fold, or some other skin irregularity, skin adhesion issue, etc. I always look very closely at my barrier when I remove it just to make sure something amiss isn't starting, despite not having a leak. It could also depend on how you sleep. Most people don't wake up in the same position they fell asleep in. If you roll onto your bag, you could cause the adhesion of your barrier to your skin to give way in a very small section to release pressure, or due to your skin folding when you lay on your side. So, check your barrier very carefully the next time you remove it...and you might want to remove it a day early if things are going well just to see if anything is brewing under there that with more time could become a leak. It would be interesting to know what you find.
;O)
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Hello Poohgirl44.
I'm with Bob on this one. 'Reading' the barrier is a very useful indicator of what might be going wrong.
I'm also interested in the effects of stress on all sorts of aspects to our daily lives. It cannot be discounted that stress might have something to do with your physical problem, as it can sometimes affect the way the the skin reacts. However, I have a theory that sometimes, when something like stress becomes the focus of attention, it can sometimes make that part of the equation worse than if a distraction was was used to focus on something else.
'Reading' the barrier and experimenting with potential practical soltions could be such a functional distraction and could resolve the two issues at the same time.
Just a thought!
Best wishes
Bill
Learn the results of our ostomy sleep survey.
Do your leaks happen when you're awake or sleeping? There's always a chance it's down to a faulty batch of bags; it's one of those things that happens occasionally. Yes, stress plays a big part in our output, making it very loose and higher. Loose output is heavier, putting more pressure on the barrier, making it weaker, and poo is like water in pipes, always looking for a weak joint to leak through.
I was having the same problem recently. I had been able to leave the pouch on for 5 days with no problem, and then all of a sudden, I started getting leaks and couldn't keep the pouch on for more than 2 days, sometimes a day. I thought I was doing everything right. I found some paperwork the hospital gave me on ostomy care, and included was a number for an ostomy nurse in one of the local hospitals. I called them and got an appointment the next day. She pointed out a couple of things to me, and I seem to be back on track. If you have an ostomy nurse close by, it might pay to make an appointment.
Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister
