DIY: (stoma appliances).
Within my life, I often try
to turn my hand to DIY
and I have found that I can do
so many things that I want to.
I’m always on the lookout for
those little things, that could be more,
if only somebody would try
a little bit of DIY.
A case in point is stoma stuff
which, quite often, can be tough
to find devices that fit right
or work the way we thought they might.
I had this trouble from the start
where some devices fell apart
or they would not stick so well
resulting in an awful smell.
I tried as many as I could
believing that I really should
be able to find what I need
and eventually succeed.
But, this did not pan out for me
in managing my ostomy,
as most things that I tried did not
entirely deal with crap and grot.
At first, the thing that most went wrong,
was the adhesive wasn’t strong
enough to stick the wafers on
which, in this case, was sine qua non. (necessary)
Hence, the obvious thing to do,
was get myself some extra glue
for prosthetics, as that is
what others use to cope like this.
(continued->)
DIY: (stoma appliances). (continued->)
Another thing that wasn’t right
was wafers that did not sit tight
so they would leak and have a pong
and did not last for very long.
I figured that some problems lay
with commercial stuff that they
designed as one-device-fits-all
whereas it’s not like this at all.
Sure, the holes can then be cut,
yet I would say there is a ‘but’,
which goes along the lines that we
need stuff that fits more precisely.
Then I searched around a bit
to find some gear that might just fit
functionally and comfortably
around my rounded ostomy.
At first I made some baseplates that
would stick to my skin nice and flat
and I could shape the hole just right
to fit my stoma snug and tight.
But then I realised the gap
around the stoma was a trap
for faeces that might pancake in
between the baseplate and the skin.
So, then I looked around some more
until I found, within one store
a soap container, with a spout
just the right size to sort this out.
Now, my stoma’s held in place
and I no longer have to face
pancaking of faeces where
it often would get sore down there.
This DIY seems good for me
in helping with my ostomy.
B.Withers 2024