Struggling with Pancaking - What Have You Tried?

I've tried lubricant, tissues, etc. I still have terrible pancaking! Anyone else, and what did you try?

Hello grammalin.
Thanks for your post.
At the risk of repeating myself on this subject, I would say that I (long-since) gave up on all the recommended hacks for resolving this issue and reverted to a DIY practical approach.
From my perspective, the problem seems to be that the bags/sleeves rest directly on the stoma outlet which causes pancaking.
The solution therefore, would be to somehow keep the bag/sleeve way from the stoma. If all the other methods don't work, then this needs to be achieved from inside the bag. 
My solution was to make my own baseplates so that I could attach a device to achieve that end. Photos of my efforts can be found on my profile. I am at present trialling a smaller version of the same sort of thing, which looks very promising.
All my DIY stuff is made in my shed from things readily and cheaply available (usually free).
The problem for most people is that this sort of stuff is uneconomical for manufacturers to produce because each device is made to fit the individual and often need 'tweaking' to get it to work efficiently. 
Someday maybe, someone will offer such a service but I suspect that it will either be very expensive or it will be a voluntary service  that will probably be quickly overwhelmed with requests. 
Where I live, we have a small group of practical 'hackers' who relish the thought of challenges like this and I feel sure they would try to help if approached. However, I also think that whoever makes these devices would probably need first hand experience of having a stoma, to be able to fully comprehend the problems involved.
I do hope you can resolve your problem asap.
Best wishes

Bill

If you aren't drinking enough, your output will be thicker and can get too thick to where it doesn't drop down. This has happened to me once or twice.

My fix was to make sure there is a bit of “trapped air” in the bag as well as a bit of baby oil.  If the bag has a filter, this can be a problem…jb

As justbreath suggested... and I as well get the pancaking and always have, as my output tends to run on the thicker side, and my stoma moves in ways it shouldn't, lol. So, I need to have space for both reasons. The best I have found to fix the problem is to put some air in the bag, but just where your stoma is so the plastic isn't sitting on your stoma. Also, I agree with JB: if there's a filter, the air won't stay in the bag. So, if you have a filter, try to cover it or use a no-filter bag.

How to Get Back to Fitness After Ostomy Surgery with Ryan | Hollister

🤣🤣🤣 Ways it shouldn't!

I switched to closed bags and pancaking doesn’t bother me. If it pancakes, I will be removing and changing the bag soon. 

Also one piece, so if stool pancakes around the flange, well I’ll be changing that soon too. 

I have also used filter-less bags, and I don’t like that because it makes my clothes fit poorly to have a balloon under my pants. 

Increasing the liquid in my diet has been the best way to avoid this issue for me.

Terry

Lubricants are not all the same —some work better than others. Brava lubricant/deodorant works best for me. The lubricants don't stop pancaking they just enable the effluent to slide down easier. Air/gas in your bag can be your friend. I use a bag with a filter. I used to cover up the filter to keep gas in the bag — it worked well to control pancaking but at the expense of having gas keeping the bag full with gas. I would have to constantly burp the bag. There is definitely no way to conceal a ballooned bag under your clothes. I, therefore, keep the cover off the filter and use a lubricant. Pancaking occurs but if I stand up/walk the effluent slides to the bottom of the bag. I use a closed in pouch that I have to change 2 - 3 times per day — normally only twice. By having a closed pouch, I don't wear one long enough to have the filter clogged. Pancaking and ballooning form a duality — pick your poison. 😕

Just breathe, yes, seriously... Mine doesn't move like a normal stoma at all; mine moves in circles, mine doesn't just pull back and forth. Also, the sides of my stoma suck in and out, and it also goes completely backwards, does a 180 to where the opening of the stoma is staring me in the eye, it will prolapse and 5 minutes later retract to skin level, then 10 minutes later go normal... Lol, she is very unique 😁

G-Day Grammalin, all you need to stop pancaking is liquid, but you said you use tissues which will soak up the liquid, so stop using the tissues. If you have a drainable bag, open the end and add some water and swish it around. Regards, IGGIE.

Is it okay to wipe out around the flange, then reapply the bag, or can this cause leakage?

G-Day Missjoc,

Do you mean to take the bag off and wipe the flange? If you are doing that, you will have trouble with leakage. All you have to do is lift the end of the bag up and open it to allow you to put about 1/2 a cup of water into the bag. Now close the bag and swish the water around inside the bag; this will loosen the pancaking and then empty it as normal, and you're ready to go.

Regards, IGGIE

I will try that. I'm assuming with warm water, but where my problem gets messy, and it happens like the day of change, the wax barrier ring protrudes a bit into the flange, and the poop gets all plugged around the stoma/wax ring. Then it smells. This happens all the time. Changing the bag doesn't help as it's stuck around the stoma area. So I was trying to wipe around using a Q-tip as not to apply pressure, but I was still afraid of causing leakage by loosening it. But I will try your water idea. I will try anything. Also, I use a deep convex by Coloplast; not sure if that's part of the reason. I thought about trying a soft convex to see if that helps. Thank you for your suggestion.

How far does your stoma stick out? Mine is very low, and I use a soft convex. I think you call a sealing washer a wax barrier. I have the hole in the base plate just a little bigger than the stoma, but the seal I have is a very snug fit. If the hole in your base plate is too big, it lets the seal swell too much. I hope you understand what I mean.

IGGIE

Missjoc, it seems you are afraid to experiment. The key to effectively managing your ostomy is to experiment. There is no technique that works for everyone. If you have already removed your pouch, I don't see how cleaning around the flange can hurt. I use closed-end pouches, and I clean around the flange with a moistened Q-tip every time I change the pouch. I only change the flange every 7 days (12 max).

Even if you don't clean around the flange, you should not smell anything. Something else is going on; perhaps you are not cleaning the pouch opening properly, or effluent is getting underneath the flange. When you change the flange, do you see evidence that effluent has gotten underneath the flange?