Nighttime bag not draining properly - need advice!

Thanks for all the advice so far. Mom and I are newbies to all of this. Now she is having a problem with the nighttime bag. We are using the Convatec urostomy pouch, which is different from the Hollister pouch in the placement of the valve. The first night, all was fine. The second night, the pouch did not drain unless she stood up to let it go down. I called Convatec and the girl said to start with a couple inches of fluid in the pouch when she hooked up the night bag. This will reduce any air pockets. Mom did that and now finds that the first part of the night, the pouch drains well, but then she has to stand up to get it to whoosh down into the night bag. I wish the Convatec bag was like the Hollister bag, with the valve at the bottom of the bag. We are using the moldable convex wafer, which Hollister does not have. Need something easy for mom to get used to. Anyone else have this problem? Thanks.

We all seem to find that we like one bit of what one manufacturer does and another from another. Unfortunately, that's life. Find the product which fills the main criteria for your mum and live with the rest, unless you can work out a way around it. Definitely leaving a bit of fluid in the normal bag helps to aid drainage as it creates a sort of vacuum.

I used ConvaTec urostomy supplies from 03/2005-02/2011, so that is the product line I have the most experience with. I now strictly use Hollister. While using the ConvaTec urostomy wafer and urostomy bags, I did use a Hollister drainage bag at night that I hung on the side of my bed. It worked well. It was the same type that you would see in a hospital.

As one who is also in nursing, one of the best things I have also found to do is to make sure the urostomy bag is drained empty before attaching the drainage bag for the night, etc.

You can look for these drainage bags @ Hollister.com or ask your WOCN (Ostomy Nurse) about them.

I use Welland pouches (one piece) Colorplast drainage bags. I don't use a stand or anything else, my drainage bag just lies on the floor next to the bed in its fancy cushion cover. I find the higher I am up from the drainage bag, the better. If I find my pouch is not draining before I doze off, I lift the night bag up by the drainage tube and give it a hefty smack on the floor that seems to get things moving.

In 4 years, I have only had 3 leaks mainly due to me twisting in my sleep and pulling the tube out. I sleep like a top, a good 8 hours a night!!

I also tuck my drainage pipe under the crook of my knee, not directly across my tummy!

Hi
SJM622

I have the same problem. I find that when the night bag is not wide enough to fit on the hooks of the nightstand, I have to really stretch it to fit. For some reason, this causes air pockets and won't drain properly. Instead of getting out of bed, I press the soft attachment until the urine moves along. Press it continuously until the urine reaches the inlet to the night bag. This usually removes the air pocket so the urine can run freely. If you can, try to get the wider night bag which fits comfortably on the nightstand. Alternatively, try to hang the bag only on three of the hooks. Hope this helps.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hi,
I use the Convatec moldable pouch (No. 401544) and it drains into a urinary drainage bottle (from Urocare No. 4100). The drain valve on the Convatec pouch is on the bottom of the bag. The tube attaches to the side on my bed and the bottle sits on the floor close to the foot of the bed. It drains great even if the pouch is empty when I go to bed. You have to understand that the tube must not go "uphill"; you depend on gravity to keep a flow. I clip the tube to the mattress cover with clips supplied with the bottle.

Hi: I use the Coloplast drainage bag. I was told to not completely drain my wafer/pouch before attaching the night bag, and allow a little fluid to flow into the night bag. Usually, that works quite well. Sometimes I will discover in the middle of the night, my system has twisted a bit and the urine is not flowing, and I will have to straighten the tubing and/or pouch. I place my drainage bag in a plastic waste basket on the floor next to my bed. If you want to use a different bag than you are currently using, there might be a converter available that will allow it to be attached to your current pouch.

Hi, I'm a wound and ostomy nurse. If you really like the moldable from Convatec, but like Hollister bags, you'll be happy to know that Hollister has officially come out with their version of the moldable. It's called Formaflex. I haven't used too much of it, but I've heard really good things.

Here's a link to the product:

http://www.hollister.com/us/products/product_series.asp?id=1&family=10&series=1111

Hope this helps!

Ashley

That was my experience with the night bag. If I empty it before I attach my
pouch to it, it works great....as long as I keep the tube and night bag
below the level of my pouch. Seems like if I don't empty the pouch first,
it doesn't create the vacuum very well.

Have you tried just not draining your pouch at night? I don't use a night drainage bag anymore, although I did when I first had my surgery. Nowadays, I make sure the pouch is empty when I retire, and it's fine through the night - quite full when I get up, but I just empty it first thing when I get out of bed.

Another note about the products - I used to use Hollister everything and had a terrible time with the flanges leaking, the bags falling off - it was a nightmare and then some.
I was in the hospital with a kidney infection, arrived there without warning, and didn't have a chance to pack any supplies. My setup needed changing while I was in there, and all they had was a Hollister flange and a Convatech bag - amazingly they work really well together, and I have been using them together ever since.

Way fewer incidents of leakage, and pricing is about the same as using one product over another.

Hi, I have used a night bag for years and use a Coloplast one connected either to a Convatec pouch or Coloplast one. Like everyone says, make sure there is about a third of a pouch full to drain into it. Like one of the other people, mine is just left on the floor inside a plastic bag, no holes in it and a small tray. When you connect up, do it while you are in bed and make sure it flows in, no kinks in the tube.
If you have trouble with the wrong connectors, just put the tube in hot water to make it soft, then you can push on the connector you want. I do like the tubing that you get with the Coloplast bags. It is anti-kink and easy to join two lengths together, that is what I do.
Hope this might be helpful. Good luck. Mike.

I have only ever used the Hollister night pouch and totally without problems since my operation about three years ago, except:

1. Last week, for the very first time, I had a leak which gave my bed a real soaking. I think that the problem was caused by a kink in the tube, due to my movement during the night, not allowing the urine to flow.

2. In case of leakages, I was advised right from the outset, to lay the night bag in a large plastic box on the floor. Very sound advice, because twice I have forgotten to close the valve, and the morning has found the box full of urine. It would have played havoc on the carpet.

I am not sure how sjarz manages to get through the night with just the day pouch. My night bag usually has between one and two litres in the morning.

(**) Being my first serious night time leak, I now need to look at some form of bedding protection. Any suggestions as to what I might need and where to look?

Hi, sorry to hear about your leak in bed. It happens to the best of us. If you can't get any waterproof fitted sheets locally, look on eBay. There are so many different ones you can get. Try and get a fitted sheet if you can, as they stay on the bed better. Can't understand why some people don't use a night bag and get up during the night. If I did that, I would have a job getting to sleep again. As well, maybe with lying on my tummy, it would leak.
Good that you don't let anything get on your carpet. That is another story getting that out, I can tell you. Mike.

In regards to the nighttime drainage bag....I also use the Convatec moldable, but use the Reliamed vented urinary drainage bag. The pouches come with the tips. I have also had some problems but as long as I keep the bag lower than the pouch, it seems to be okay. I also empty my pouch into the bag to get it going.

I have a colostomy as well as short gut from the treatment of Crohn's. I was only able to sleep twenty minutes at a time due to the need to empty the bag or because I was worried about sleeping too soundly and the bag bursting. I created my own system by cutting off the closure on the bottom of the bag of a two-piece system from Hollister and using two rubber bands and tape to connect it to respiratory hose. The other end goes into a very large pickle jar with a baggie and more rubber bands for a seal. The pickle jar then goes in a five-gallon bucket, just in case. I sometimes use this around the house and on longer auto trips. I am trying to get Hollister to manufacture it. The respiratory hose is better when your stool has chunks and rarely clogs.