Preventing Liquid Leaks on Clothes

I seem to be passing a lot of liquid, and it's leaking through and spoiling my clothes.

Any ideas on how to protect my clothes?

Leaking from where? Rectum? Around stoma?

You should not be leaking.

Make sure you are not using any creams or oily substances on your skin. It's best to only use plain water and barrier wipes designed for stomas. Then make sure the area is thoroughly dry before putting on a new appliance.

Use a barrier ring.

Is there something about your stoma that is problematic? Is it too low (should stick out at least 3/4 inch or 2 cm)? Do you have scars or other unevenness in the area the wafer needs to cover?

Give us a little more information so we can advise. But the best protection for your clothes is no more leaking.

It's leaking from my stoma through the bag.

Hi, I went through this myself and am sometimes still going through this. I've been wearing a belt with the barrier ring. I had this due to chemo.

How to Adjust to Life with an Ostomy with Bruce | Hollister

If your stool is really liquid, try eating a few marshmallows every day to thicken it up. I found that if I ate too many raw things, I had liquid coming out of my fistula and rectum (I have a loop colostomy). If you are leaking from the bag, make sure you aren't poking a hole in it when putting it on. A few times, I cut my barrier incorrectly and caused a leak, and also a few times, I poked a hole in either the bag or barrier with my fingernails. I found I needed to slow down and take my time putting my appliance on. After I attach my bag (I put Hollister lubricating deodorant in the top half and a small amount of peroxide in the bottom), I press the ring tightly to my stomach for about 30 seconds to make sure everything is secure. If your hole is too big, the barrier ring won't be able to stop leaks, and you can tell this if it turtlenecks a lot. Hollister has oval templates on their website, which helped me, as with the loop, my stoma is almost a perfect oval. I cut my opening as close as possible so no skin shows. I hope with trial and error you find a solution.

You say you have leaks through the pouch? That should not happen, or do you mean it is getting underneath the pouch and leaking out? Do you have a 1- or 2-piece appliance? Since you have a colostomy, is your output normally liquid?

Not knowing your particulars, Ostoform has a couple of products you may want to try; one is a 2-piece appliance, and the other is a barrier ring — they both use Flow Assist technology to direct the output into your pouch.

https://ostoform.com/flowassist/

— Managing my "life investment" in preferred low-volatility stocks since 2023.