Struggling with Ostomy Bag Changes and Skin Irritation

Replies
11
Views
200
D
Jul 15, 2025 3:09 am

My skin is on fire, and honestly, I'm in tears every time I've changed it today. I changed it within 1 hour after getting home from the ostomy clinic. The new bag they tried, she said, was actually for a urine ostomy. That was a joke. In fairness, she thought the adhesive would be better for my skin. So to say I'm frustrated is an understatement. It was an emergency surgery, so my stoma is flat.

IGGIE
Jul 15, 2025 3:13 am

I hope you have other products to use.

IGGIE

D
Jul 15, 2025 3:29 am

I have several different kinds.

Gray Logo for MeetAnOstoMate

iMacG5

When I found this web site, I didn't think its name had anything to do with actually meeting an ostomate but I later learned there were some folks who did meet and develop relationships. How good is that? That wasn't my intention. I definitely didn't want anyone to meet me. I felt broken and wasn't prepared to express those feelings. I thought it was a place where ostomates wrote about themselves, posed questions, shared thoughts, told jokes and, sometimes, just vented. I thought of it as a community of folks with similar interests and various degrees of experience. Mostly I found some of the most caring, selfless, wise and understanding people I ever imagined. I was so impressed with some of the writings; not because of their literary value but the way in which they addressed such a very complex environment. I read hundreds of exchanges and admired the way folks cared for each other. I became hopeful with my own situation and looked forward to the next day's offerings. Certainly some contributors stood out with their experience or particular skills in addressing some things but it seemed like a total effort with synergistic results. I felt blessed to have found this site. I still do.
Mike

IGGIE
Jul 15, 2025 4:11 am

G-Day D,

If your skin is in bad condition, it might pay to see a wound specialist to get your skin right first. If your skin is so bad, a stronger adhesive will make it worse when you have to pull it off again. In the meantime, try a few other products.

Regards, IGGIE

Maried
Jul 15, 2025 4:32 am

When my skin has been badly inflamed,

I clean with Head and Shoulders Classic Blend, apply Butt Paste diaper cream, remove excess, then apply Karaya 5 powder... then a new brand of bag.

Sometimes you are just allergic to the material that the bag is made from... this happened to me a couple of days ago after trying out some new bags... the skin around my stoma became very red and inflamed within 24 hours.

 

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Play
AlexT
Jul 15, 2025 6:14 am

Head and shoulders at every shower, I never have irritated skin. 👍

warrior
Jul 15, 2025 1:42 pm

Agree with Iggie.

There's no way an appliance will stick with irritated skin.

Understanding the reason behind the inflammation will get you to the meds, creams, or other options.

You gotta seek professional help. Wound care. It could be an allergic reaction, fungus, or infection.

Treated first, professionally, is the only way to healing.

I had this last October. Nystatin was prescribed.

Boom. Two weeks healed.

Good luck.

Morning glory
Jul 15, 2025 2:14 pm

Good advice about head and shoulders. You need to go to wound care. I am sorry you are going through this misery. I was in much of the same situation about 15 years ago. It is so frustrating.

SusanT
Jul 15, 2025 6:14 pm

The advice already given is great.

I'm so sorry you are going through this now. I promise it eventually gets easier. This is just going to be tough for a little while.

We're here rooting for you. Most of us have had skin problems at one time or another, so we sympathize. Try not to get too frustrated; as others have said, nothing sticks to damaged skin. So your application and the appliances you try may eventually work after you heal.

Be sure not to use any oils and make sure the skin is thoroughly dry. And get back to the wound clinic ASAP.

D
Jul 15, 2025 7:07 pm

Thanks for the tips! It's truly appreciated. I do go to the wound/ostomy clinic 3 times a week; theirs don't always stay put either. One charge was one they put on. Right now, I have a sample that was sent to me, and it's working great. Thank God! 

Maried
Jul 15, 2025 11:11 pm

FYI, your bag will not stick well until your skin is healed or at least no longer raw. Ask the clinic for medication to help heal your skin around your stoma. Also, using an ostomy barrier ring will help with the healing too.

Take care

Dwild-WA
Jul 19, 2025 8:22 pm

Hang in there! As one who has had horrible skin issues, mine were finally resolved by getting a bag that fit better, which I learned through a video conference call with a Convatec ostomy nurse. She showed me that my old bag wasn't bending enough to adjust to where my stoma is on my belly. That change, and by using the Dermabond cover over the irritated skin and changing my bag every time it started to go under the adhesive. I also learned that pressing in on the skin around the stoma with my fingertips wasn't sufficient, so now I use my thumb or the flat part of other fingers to really press the adhesive to my skin with body heat for at least 1 minute. I'm finally at a point where I no longer need to use the Derma stuff and the bag is sealing to my skin perfectly. I know the pain of which you speak, and even if it isn't a broken bone kind of pain, it stops you from really living; at least it did for me. I couldn't go for walks because my skin was on fire, and then it would all go to hell in a handbasket!