It's 35 mm at the top and 32 mm at the base, which makes it a little difficult to get my bag tight around the base. Any suggestions?
tcaves
Apr 14, 2025 5:32 pm
SusanT
Apr 14, 2025 6:04 pm
I'd use a barrier ring. Cut one side and wrap tightly around the base of the stoma. It will swell and fill any gaps from the wafer needing to be cut 3 mm larger to fit over the top of the stoma.
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Posted by: Primeboy
Hi Mike and all. I am not sure how panoramic my perspective really is as my peripheral vision shrinks with each passing year. I can tell you that when I came to this website six years ago I was truly ;impressed by the positive attitudes of so many members, especially the younger folks who refused to let their ostomies define who they were or what they would become. I also came to appreciate that having an ostomy is not the same thing as having a disease. Pardon ;my pun now, but ostomies and cancer don't belong in the same bag. One is a solution, the other is a problem. Celebrating National Ostomy Day ;is also well outside my comfort zone. That's like celebrating National Wheel Chair Day. Come on!
I think there is a ;need for improved ;public awareness of ostomies, but I am not sure how that's best done. There ;remains ;some social stigma attached to our situation, and it's acutely felt among our young. We need to get out of the dark ages on this issue, but not by going 'in your face' to everyone else. I think Bill and NDY are 'spot-on' when it comes to telegraphing the right message to friends and family. People will know how to react when they ;see ;how we accept the cards we were dealt. I also appreciate the contribution some people here are making to this effort through their publications.
On a personal note, my son has been suffering from ulcerative colitis for years just like I did. I am very concerned because people with UC are at a higher risk for colon cancer. Years ago my GI told me to get annual colonoscopies to be on the safe side. I am glad I did because he eventually found pre-cancerous cells which led to several surgeries and my becoming an ostomate. Since then I have always ;conveyed a positive attitude to ;my son about wearing a bag because it has kept me alive to enjoy many more years with my loved ones. I think he got the message. We both go to the same gastroenterologist in NYC and get scoped on the same day. Father and Son moments!
Someone once wrote that our children are the letters we write to the future.
PB
warrior
Apr 14, 2025 6:09 pm
This is normal... I usually wait... it will or should retract enough...
Mine plays hide and seek all the time!!
Just recently at bag change, it was retracted to a dime-sized shape, about 1/4 inch out... then... the alien spud wanted to see me freak and reared outward and upward to a golf ball-sized shape.
It breathes... so just be patient if you can hold a container under it while it decides what's next... and hopefully retracts.
That's my story. I'm sticking to it... 8 years an ileo here... still learning stuff.
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Ben38
Apr 14, 2025 6:55 pm
Thin piece of cardboard cut a hole roughly to size and shape, place over stoma using a mirror or even a camera on your phone to give you a better view to see if the hole in the base needs to be cut smaller or bigger to give a perfect fit around your stoma.
IGGIE
Apr 14, 2025 11:14 pm
G-Day TC,
The hole in the bag should be bigger and not too tight against the stoma, and it's the barrier ring that should be up close to the stoma. As SusanT said, cut the seal and rejoin it back around the base of the stoma.
Regards, IGGIE
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corlsharonl49
Apr 15, 2025 12:33 am
I am able to get the wafer cut to my stoma, and it's sort of a mushroom. I use a Q-tip to get it together, and it works well. I can have no skin showing.
I used a barrier ring before my last surgery, but I haven't found the right one yet since then.
I have had my ileostomy for 11 years and am still learning too!
Bill
Apr 15, 2025 6:55 am
Hello tcaves.
I am grateful to see that you have already received some suggestions.
Until a few weeks ago I had a cone shaped stoma which was ideal for the DIY baseplate setup I designed and made to fit it precisely.
Then, without warning, my stoma suddenly protruded into a mushroom shape, (38mm-32mm - about 40mmm long) which pushed me into panic mode. All my previous designs were obviously now defunct and I needed to create at least a temporary solution to this new problem.
After some consideration, I simply cut a 38mm hole so that the mushroom end would fit/slide through. What I found was the mushroom end expanded even further when in position and blocked the tube it was sitting in. Hence no output penetrated to the skin.
My device has a 90degree waste bend which guides the output downwards into the bag/sleeve, so this helps with getting/keeping the output away.
I also irrigate, which means that I only need to deal with output for about an hour or so and then have a break from it for 24hours.
Hopefully, you will get a few more replies from people who have found solutions to this issue and I will be eagerly awaiting these replies to see if anything will suit my situation.
Best wishes
Bill
aTraveler
Apr 16, 2025 3:45 pm
Definitely cut the barrier/wafer/flange to fit the top of your stoma (life investment). Use a barrier ring around the base of your life investment — you can stretch it bigger to get on because it will retract. Your barrier/wafer/flange is next placed on top of it. Next, place another barrier ring over your life investment but on top of the barrier/wafer/flange and conform it to fit snugly around your life investment. You should now have barrier rings above and below your barrier/wafer/flange.
I use Marlen barrier rings since they swell less and last better than any I have tried. Free samples are available for you to try.
https://www.marlenmfg.com/request-a-sample/
— Proud owner of lifesaving ostomy, vintage 2023, V6 colostomy engine.
aTraveler
Apr 17, 2025 12:14 am
On second thought, there may be a better option for you. Convatec makes a moldable barrier that will conform to the shape of your stoma (life investment). There is no need for any cutting. Try a free sample; I think it will work perfectly for you.
— Proud owner of lifesaving ostomy, vintage 2023, V6 colostomy engine.
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AlexT
Apr 18, 2025 3:16 am
Get an Eakin Stomawrap and put it on around your stoma, and then attach your wafer/bag. The Stomawrap is a barrier ring that's bigger than their regular ring, and it's cut so it's not a solid ring, making it very easy to mold around your stoma. Then, just cut your bag normally, and the ring will fill in the differences.