Frustrated Search for Ostomy Gelling Sachets in NZ

So finally my ostomy nurse told me that I could certainly try gelling sachets to thicken up my watery output from my ileostomy. But she wanted me to ask a company here in NZ if they could send me a sample. I understand that she is busy...
But I googled companies that have gelling sachets in New Zealand, and could not find a single one!

She told me to ask for samples from the below site:

https://www.convatec.com/products/ostomy-care/product-type/pc-stoma-accessories-products/diamonds-gelling-and-odor-control-sachets/

But when I tried putting my address in, it wanted a USA address! The Convatec Company in NZ does not sell or supply these ones, so they are a waste of time.

I feel frustrated and irritated.
I feel like giving up, after all, I have had my watery output for 28 years now with nothing that could thicken it up slightly, and I am wondering if I should just continue putting up with it. As I cannot afford to buy them. As we are on an Invalid's Benefit and our budget is stretched to the max.

Gracie

Your best bet is to call. Same with all and any samples. If they don't have it there, you can't ask if they know a company that does where you are. Not sure if they carry where you are, but there is also Parasorb by Parathon, and Cymed makes one called Ilesorb, and one called Pearls by Trio Ostomy. Worth a shot to call and find out what company you are using for your bags?

Actually, I was in luck this evening, as I sent an email to Convatec, and they are willing to send me some samples - I think it probably helped that the lady knows my stoma nurse! She was incredibly supportive!!
So I just have to wait until they arrive from Australia and see if it will make a difference. If it does, then my stoma nurse can get the hospital to put them on my stoma prescription list.

So I have gone from being very frustrated to happy that someone wants to send me some samples.

I had asked a couple of different companies if they could send me some samples; they all said no....

But!! one did say yes!!

I forgot to mention that I am currently using the Coloplast SenSura Mio deep convex baseplates with a large output bag. My stoma nurse did not want to order them without my trying them first. I used to use ConvaTech wafers and high output pouches, but my stoma had shrunk so much over the years, and they didn't have wafers that I could precut....
I really like my new bags - I am not very crazy about their pre-filters - as my output is very similar to water.... And as I cannot eat solid food anymore and no stool thickener worked, I was glad that you nice guys told me about these gel sachets!!

Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that they will work well enough with my pouch, as it has a tube at the end; it isn't one of those foldable bags!!

They do work for odour in colostomies, but no free samples of anything here and not always available. One would think that the manufacturers of ostomy products would sell their products at a reasonable price in the poorer countries or the same price as in the country of manufacture, but not so. They do have transportation and distribution costs, though.

My Ostomy Journey: LeeAnne | Hollister

A cheap alternative and easy to get hold of. I've known people to use porridge oats in their bag using a small cardboard or plastic tube and drop 2 or 3 teaspoons of oats in the bag. I've never tried it myself, but they say it works just as well as absorbing gels.

I emptied a packet of Metamucil into my colostomy pouch. I tried Par-sorb, but it didn't gel my output at all.

Oh, I do not like the Coloplast pre-filter either. It gets clogged and messy too quickly. Hopefully, by calling some of those, you will be able to get something near you. Calling is always better than trying on the Internet. I truly hope you find something that works for you.

Gracie: What I did was to call my ostomy supplies retailer. They were able to put a few in a plastic bag and send them to me. I also have requested samples via email, and they arrived a few days later. Most companies will help you out with a sample with the intent of having you as a customer.

In New Zealand, things are normally different. If it was not for the fact that my stoma nurse was so busy, as the only other stoma nurse is having a break - and I think my nurse has about 1,500 people with stomas to care for, I don't think she would have asked me to try to find samples if she wasn't so busy, and if she didn't think I could do it!
I have been sent some ConvaTec samples from Australia, so I will soon find out if it works for me; if it does, then my stoma nurse will put them on my prescription.
The hospital pays not only for my stoma supplies but all my medical supplies. And I get my stoma supplies automatically every 28 days, although this program just started in July of last year. I do not really like it, as my husband used to send an order in via email every month, and I'd only ask for the things I needed.

Hopefully, in about a week to ten days, I will get my samples, and then I can start experimenting to see if it helps.

My biggest problem was that my new pouches come with a prefilter, which leads up to the main filter. My watery output clogs up the prefilter usually in less than 4 hours, so it makes the filter ineffective. My previous bags from ConvaTec had a filter that I could just pop open and let the air escape if I was outside or in the toilet. If the filter got clogged, I could replace it with another one.

Apart from my issues with the prefilter, I really like my new bags - I had the privilege of being the first person to try these bags, and since I really like them, now other people can have them.

But the problem is solved. Today is a bright but very hot day. My frustration has disappeared. And I am once more filled with hope.
And as I never know how I will feel on a particular day, and I have more bad days than good days, I try my utmost to make the best of each day, as I don't know how much longer I have to live. Not that I am going to dwell on my morbidity - as that completely defeats the purpose. Choosing to be happy makes a huge difference in how I manage to cope. I can't deal with much stress, so becoming overwhelmed and frustrated are easy things that can trip me up. Which is why my husband tries to keep as much stress off of me as he possibly can.

Anyway, I will need to go and take a break. As I have very little energy, I use the analogy of the (?) statement/riddle of "how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

Unfortunately, calling overseas phone numbers is very expensive here in New Zealand. And as my husband and I only receive a relatively low amount each week for our disability allowance, we have to be very careful how we budget.
Plus, I have a deep aversion to using the telephone as I struggle with my hearing, and in the near future, I will have to get hearing aids. Plus, at the moment, since we got a new modem from our telephone supplier, we have had a very annoying and loud hum on our phone, which makes using the phone even more difficult.
John has been trying to discover what actually is wrong, but it started after lightning âš¡ hit between our house and our garage, blowing up a lot of electronic equipment. John is by trade both an electrician and an electronic engineer, so he at least is able to fix most things.
But that lightning strike sure scared the crap out of me!!

That is certainly something I could try. Although I do not exactly have "porridge oats," I do have rolled oats. Maybe if I ground them up finely, I could experiment while I am waiting for my samples to arrive!
I tried using jelly powder as a kitchen experiment, but that didn't work.
So I will definitely try this!

Thanks! My hubby has to take Metamucil - I may try to see what happens if I put it into my pouch - as taking the stuff by mouth gives me too much pain, and when I still could eat for pleasure (even though I could not digest anything I ate) I did try it, but it would only thicken up a small amount and everything behind it was liquid again.
My output has been like colored water since I first got my ileostomy 28 years ago; and basically nothing the doctors tried worked....

I could see that if you're calling the US. So why not call the ostomy companies that are available where you are and ask?