What Does It Mean When a Flange Expires?

I have a friend that has a bag for her urine. She has a urostomy. She was telling me a story about how her cat likes to sit on her lap, and if the cat's nails don't get trimmed quite regularly, her cat will pop the bag. So she went through three bags in one day because of that. I was telling her that I recently found some great deals on eBay because she was saying that her insurance doesn't cover enough product for her to last the month, especially during those times when the cat gets to the bags. I know some people said they have experienced price gouging there, but I've had good luck so far. I did notice that we got a good deal today on bags for her as I helped her because she doesn't usually use that service. But it did say that the flange will expire soon… and we talked about it and we figured that maybe it wouldn't be a problem because I think it said it expires in March of this year, and so sometimes things are still good soon after the expiration date for a few months. I'm wondering what exactly does it mean that it expires? Does that mean the seal, where it clips onto the base, is not gonna work well? I assume that's the part that is mentioned in the listing—the flange? Can somebody help me out and explain it to me? Thanks in advance for any help.

Most medical devices are required to have an expiration date. In some cases, the adhesive on a flange may be a bit less sticky, but it's probably fine and you won't notice a difference.

Thank you!

Hi JV,

For bags, it means nothing... they don't expire. Manufacturers just put that on there because we as a society now think everything should have a born-on date and an expiration date, but plastic bags aren't Budweiser. Now for barriers or anything using adhesives... it may mean nothing... or something, depending on how those things were stored. I've used barriers I've had in my house for years and they were just fine, but the ones that I used to leave in my car, that cooked in the summer and froze in the winter... I wouldn't use. I've never seen an expired barrier that didn't stick just fine, but again, common sense should prevail. Regardless, a few months past the expiration would be fine to use... I'm talking YEARS for my stuff. I also have TONS of old bags, some of which I've recycled, that I keep ready for the next "supply chain disruption" or if we get nuked by one of our non-allies. Bags literally last forever if stored under normal conditions. I'm talking 2-piece systems. 1 piece where the bag and barrier are made together... the adhesive comments apply, but the bag will be fine.

Ebay is hit or miss. Sellers range from ostomates just moving stuff they don't use to total assholes trying to take advantage of folks or fishing for suckers. Every day is different and I've got some great deals on stuff that I wanted to try, but already had too many samples sent by the manufacturers. As always on there... buyer beware.

;O)

Upon a second view at your reply,

I think by "flange" you are referring to a two-piece and snap seal. A mounting plate?

That is a hard plastic seal secondary to a barrier seal, which is softer and more prone to erode over time.

But the logic is adhesive worn-out time too. Lose the sticky over time; they stamped will expire.

Considering the lap time of the cat on her lap, those newly bought bags will be blown ahead of the expiration date. You're good.

You are kind to help her and advise her accordingly. Very sweet of you.

Why not wear protective clothing in lieu of declawing front paws? Ouch... seems more effective...

3 bags wasted? Double ouch... costly.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Thank you so much. I love your commentary; it's so in-depth. It also reminds me that I've been meaning to look at the forum to find your comments on hydration. I've read a lengthy one, but I know there is more on here… ;-)

It's not legal to declaw the cat here, and she would never do that. She's too much of an animal lover to do that. She just gets them trimmed often. I mean, she wears business attire, she's a social worker, and then, you know, just T-shirts. She's also a person that uses a wheelchair like me, and comfortable clothing sort of takes priority over protective clothing from the cat. I mean, obviously, she's tried different things, but that doesn't always work. And she's mostly sitting, so she almost always has a lap, and so I think her lap gets used more by the cat than other people. Sometimes stuff just happens no matter how much precaution we take, as I'm sure a lot of people in this group know.

Oooh snap, Jules. I should have looked at who you were prior to responding. 🤔

You changed your photo. It threw me.

And sincerely, my bad. 😟 I did retract the declaw comment upon second review. 🤗

Now, unlike Bob and his accurate, winded reply, I suffer from foot-in-mouth disease. 😆🦶🗣️

It's OK, no worries. It was a fine comment. She uses a thick towel a lot of times, and it helps, but sometimes it doesn't help. I also gave her one of those strong bang covers that they use to play sports and for the shower. So it definitely was on her radar to try other things. I mean, I talked to her about declawing once, and she bit my head off, so it wasn't like I didn't also think about it. Sometimes I'm too literal when I communicate (in speech and in writing), so it comes off by mistake like I'm being too serious. So yeah, no worries.

Yeah, the picture is of my service dog Daisy. I actually took my first one the other day with a bag because it was a sample one that was not see-through. It's funny, I was approved for the reversal and I'm putting it on hold not because I don't want it—I do want it—but I'm nervous. And because the other bag before this one, I was able to keep for like seven days because I've gotten much better. But of course, this morning with a new bag, I had a leak. But to be fair, it was my first time using a barrier extender that was a sample from the company. But it's a lesson learned; those are not for me. But I'm learning to handle the bag more to the point where I can wait a little bit for the surgery until I feel more up to it. But the acid part still sucks. Like when you're changing and it starts coming and you can't wipe fast enough and it's burning—that's the worst part. But everything else I can handle.

Hello JVM261.

Thank you for an interesting post, which has got me thinking what I might experiment with in this situation.
Others seem to have covered the bag expiry concept fairly well, so I’ll focus on that ‘cat’:
1)  Many pet shops sell small ‘beds’ and bedding that would be ideal as a sort of knee cover, which the cat might appreciate.

2) I’m all for making things to suit whatever problems I perceive, so I might be making a sporran-like device  (or flat handbag/ soft briefcase)) that would/could be made of soft leather so that the cat could be comfortable but with the bag protected.

3) I presently use a lap-tray for eating my meals whilst watching the rugby on TV. Something like this would be ideal for either dissuading the cat from making itself comfortable or, turned upside down, would make an ideal comfortable bed for a cat.( as the underside is fabric filled with small polystyrene balls )

4) In my wardrobe I have some chainsaw trousers which are quite comfortable, yet would definitely be catclaw proof.

5) I also have a leather apron for certain odd jobs, which would also be catclaw-proof.

6) I suffer from skintags around my fingernails which are effectively smoothed with a Scholl battery-operated rotary file. this also smooths my nails so that they do not have sharp edges. (Probably ideal for cat claws as well).

7) If none of these worked, I would probably try to train my cat to sit somewhere else close by. My first thought along these lines would be to hinge the arm of my wheelchair so that it could be flat and accommodate a small comfortable bed where I could effortlessly stroke the cat without it feeling the need to climb on my lap.

8) I am aware that cats are not easily trained to do things they don’t want to, but providing a comfortable and warm place for them to curl up is a no-brainer
so my next thought would be a warmer pad ( I have one of these which is about 18 inches square for heating up my arthritic parts).

None of my ideas are meant to be a deterrent to the cat being friendly, but I hope some of these ideas might be of some use to your friend, to help prevent her cat from causing damage to her bags.

Best wishes
Bill 

These are all wonderful and very thoughtful ideas. Thank you for taking the time to write them out. I will show them to my friend. That leather apron idea off the top of my head, I think she would use that one first. Again, I will pass these on to her.

When thinking about this a little further, cats are attracted to warm things (like the bonnets of newly driven cars)., It might be that the cat is not so much looking for company, as looking for the warmth that comes from sitting on someone's knee. So, the concept of a warming pad (placed anywhere) might be one of the best solutions.
Best wishes

Bill 

G'day JVM261, how about making some little booties. Regards, IGGIE