Stitches Itching or Leaking? Seeking Advice

Hi all. I am wondering if anyone remembers their stoma stitches following surgery. Mine are itching like mad and a bit painful still. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks. My surgeon said they are long-lasting dissolvable ones, lasting 8-12 weeks. I can't tell if it's my wafer leaking or just the stitches when my appliance is on. Any insight? So far I haven't had any leaks, but as I am moving more and actually going out of the house, I want to be vigilant for leaks.

They really can be a bugger till they're fully dissolved. Do any feel like they might fall out on their own? I took Benadryl to help with the itching sensation.

A couple look like they are ready to come out…. I see the stoma nurse on Wednesday. I don't think she will do anything. They are super annoying and I am getting little openings where some of them are.
I do have powder and skin barrier on in this pic.
Attaching pic.
🔒 Login to see image

Oh my gosh, I'm only a week out, and I thought those things were adhesive stuck to my stomach. I didn't know they were stitches, the whole stringy things. They don't answer or anything. I didn't know what they were. I thought it was adhesive that was stuck on there. I was trying to pull it off. I have stitches elsewhere on my stomach. That's what I thought you were referring to. Your stomach skin looks awesome. Mine is horrible, and I haven't been able to get anybody to help me.

I did too! I was like… what's stuck on me?!

Thanks! I have been doing the stoma powder, skin barrier, and wax ring. Then the one-piece bag.
Someone said they didn't know why they tell everyone that in the hospital… I think it's for healing from the surgery with all the stitches and stuff. I was going to try just the barrier… but I feel like the other products are helping me to stay leak-free. 🤞🏻🙏🏻.

I also have been removing my bag in the shower and taking my time using the adhesive remover. I have been doing it at the end of my shower so I don't get shampoo on my stoma.

Avoiding Ostomy Bag Leaking | Managing Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden

12 o'clock (above your stoma) & 3 is the skin feeling irritated at all? The stitches and skin as a whole look really good, similar to what mine looked like and my ostomy nurse said mine were okay. They're annoying till they're gone. Shampoo falling onto your stoma won't bother it. It's the different soaps used on your skin that they're picky about because some ingredients will make the flange not adhere as well to your skin. Do you have the orange Dial soap?

Only speaking from my stoma experience, your stitches look horrible. I never had one stitch look like that around my stoma, mine were dissolvable too. They will itch as the skin heals/tightens.

12 o'clock is kind of tender. 3 is a little bit, that was more open and has closed. I am probably going to change again in the morning when I shower and see how it is. I read somewhere that someone cuts their wax ring so it can be molded closer to the stoma. I think I'm going to try that since mine is oval-ish. My shampoo takes a lot to rinse off of me, so since I'm still healing I figured it was better to wait. I haven't used the orange Dial, is that good? I have Cetaphil gentle soap that I regularly used before and I haven't had any adhesion problems so far.
I'm glad yours were okay! I am hoping mine are also.
At your stoma nurse appointments, do they have you remove your bag?

 

It's a good thing no one will see my stitches, except me and hubs then…. They are just the ends of all the knots sticking out from under the skin. They are thicker, longer-lasting dissolving ones. 
And as long as they are holding everything together, I could care less how they look. 98% of the time that area will be covered by a bag anyways. 

You'll know a leak as you can smell it right away, even if it doesn't actually leak all the way out under the wafer and make a mess. Just by it breaking out under the seal will smell enough to know you have a mess about to happen.

They took it off for me every time. Then, if they were teaching me something new because I was there so much because of issues, sometimes they'd want to see me do it; other times, I told them I was good from seeing how they did it. Your visit was today, right?

Yes, I had my appointment. It went well. But the barrier ring she applied pinched, and stool ended up going under the ring. I had to change last night, and I ended up bleeding from a spot. I think I am having some issues from the stitches. They are causing me sores… 🙄. I might have to change again tonight because I am having stinging and burning in the two spots.

If you do have leaks, you may want to try using 3M Cavilon Barrier Film on your skin before putting on the barrier. It has protected my skin when I've had leaks. So much so that I don't even know when I have a small leak until the next time I change the appliance.