Convatec vs. Hollister: Which Stoma Products Stick Better?

I've been having problems with Hollister products not sticking for very long. I will try Convatec and was wondering if anyone else had issues with Hollister products. 

I have had an ileostomy since having my bladder removed in May.

Not me, I often get 10 days. I use a skin prep and a Salts ring and Salts flange extenders.

I've worn Hollister for years and have no complaints.

Not to argue or anything but are you sure you have an ileostomy? Loss of bladder sounds like a urostomy where the output is urine and not stool right? 

I have a urostomy and have used both Hollister and Coloplast successfully.  I'm currently using the Coloplast sensura mio. I don't like the plug as much as I like the vent on the Hollister but I do better with the deep convex wafer because that stoma is a bit below skin level. 

My ostomy nurse said low stomas were common with urostomies so I am wondering if that is part of your problem.  

Edit to add: there may be some confusion because the nurses in my hospital sometime referred to my urostomy as an ileo-something.  It was because they use a piece of small bowel to create it? Some dumb confusing thing like that. I stick to calling it a urostomy because that's what my doctor called it and it's not confused with a true ileostomy that is an opening in the small bowel. 

Second edit: I couldn't let it be so I looked it up... nurses were calling my urostomy an "ileal conduit". I was thinking "do you really have to make this more confusing than it already is?" Can we stick to a single name please? 😂 

My Ostomy Journey: Ryan | Hollister

You will find that people have the exact same issues with both products, so it's really useless to recommend one over another.  I could never get Coloplast to stick to me for more than two or three days, but get a week or more with Hollister.   Someone else will have the opposite problem.  You just have to find out what works best for you.

Terry

His profile states he "thinks he has an ileostomy."

Thinks.

So I agree, Susan. His setup is a urostomy. He needs to understand this.

And as usual, it's the doctor's fault for not explaining anything to him... likely.

Nice catch, Sue. Go get him 😉

I have an ileostomy and I use a 2-piece Hollister system. I don't have too many problems with it sticking. I use a skin prep wand and I think that is the key to mine sticking. I use the skin prep wand around my stoma and then around the area where the wafer is going to touch my skin. This way I am protected fully and it makes my bag stick better too, I think.

Typical. Most medical staff do not consider how difficult it is for patients to follow this kind of information. I have an advantage since I use medical terminology in my work. But even I struggle at times because of the emotional stress. Doing things like using different terms for the same thing just makes it worse. 

"Different terms for the same things"

We have that going on here on the site. I mean this sincerely, we have to get terms done right here.

"Wafer" I thought was the O-ring.

Flange, mounting plate, barrier ring.

And when people write in saying they have a stoma or osty?

🤦‍♂️.

"Oh, you have a colostomy bag," say medical folks.

What? No. Ileostomy.

No, not guilty, man.

Not sure about the companies causing the confusion.

The patients. They may get it wrong from their source, like a nurse or staff person - lay person.

Flange or mounting plate is exactly what that wafer is. I think the word "wafer" softens the blow maybe?

Ha ha...it's how technically you are compared to how anal you want to be about terms.

We got people correcting grammar and spelling here.

Last I looked, we are all adults and have at least graduated from high school.🤔

Anyhoo... mounting plate, flex plate, wafer.

1 piece system has the mounting plate, "built-in" correct? A one-piece adhesive bag mount.

Therefore, identifying your setup helps answer questions.

O-ring, barrier ring, seal... = same shit, different terms.

Hi! Never heard of a skin prep wand.  I will be looking that up!!

I appreciate the response and have ordered a paste to help secure things. 

Hi Len,

I have been using Hollister since my bladder operation in the middle of 2023. I use a one-piece bag system with the protection ring of the same brand. I do not use a paste. I have not had the problem you described. I do, however, follow a strict protocol, so I can track the procedure that works.

I remove the plaster using a plaster remover wipe from the brand Dansac, clean thoroughly with also a bit of water, dry thoroughly, and finish off with a 3M Cavilon skin protector swab, prepping the area for the stoma bag attach plaster. Then I attach the new bag with the Hollister protection ring.

That bag system stays in place for 4 days. Until a few months ago, I swapped from 5 days because I did not want to stretch the lifecycle too much and increase the leakage risk that I experienced probably 3 times in 18 months.

I use the Apple iPhone Reminder to switch the bag and keep a log in a spreadsheet for the time being.

I hope this helps.

Peter

G-Day Lensgaspary,

Contact all the different manufacturers and they will send you free samples for you to try until you get the one that sticks best. Also, try barrier sprays of different makes as well; it helps the wafer to stick better. It's a process of elimination. Good luck, let us know how you go.

Regards, IGGIE

I was having the same issue until I found Coloplast Sensura #15521 ostomy pouch. Very flexible and sticks really well. I also use ALLKARE Barrier Wipes, which are very sticky. Unfortunately, Convetec stopped making them. Good thing I have enough to cover me for 2 years. I've been trying free samples from other companies, and they don't compare. Grrrrrrrr.

Yes, indeed. It seems everything is a colostomy. A few days after arriving home from the hospital, a home health nurse came to visit and looked at my pouch and said that I had a fancy one. She came only with colostomy pouches, put one on me with no opening. She called her office and said she had to leave because my colostomy was complicated.

It's because it is a urostomy, not a colostomy. She left me with nothing but supplies for a colostomy. I had to call the ostomy clinic at the hospital and go back in to get everything straight with my new supplies. I do have a retracted stoma, so it took time to get something that worked. I use Hollister but might change to Convatec because I might change to a different medical supply company that services Convatec.

Me too, Katie. I'm going to look up skin prep wand.

Hi.. see classic tale of misinformed. The nurse didn't know what her patient had. The clinic didn't know either. She arrives thinking it's a colostomy. Now this reflects on her. She didn't realize what it was by looking at it? "Fancy" is not a good term nor accurate which shows she has zero knowledge.. zero experience.

Personally, I would report her.

If the clinic knew you had a uro, and told the nurse you had a colostomy, they too should share fault.

If you don't complain, how will these folks ever improve the system..?? We are not here to suffer from their stupidity - lack of experience or knowledge.

Be a warrior and raise Holy Hell.

LOL, it always seems to me that everyone has an ileostomy. Maybe because I don't. That nurse didn't know squat. Ridiculous. Urostomies are not uncommon.

Consider Coloplast SenSura Mio. They have both a light convex and a deep convex wafer. I really prefer their night bag tubing. It is so much more flexible and gives me many fewer problems with twisting.