A Little Help From My Ostomate Family?

So, 11 months in with my permanent loop ileostomy, and I thought I had this whole bag-change thing down to a science. Well, today was a very different kind of day, and I'm looking for some advice from those of you who've been around longer than me.
This morning, like every other, I did my usual bag change, ate a larger breakfast (because it was a late start, and I was going out for the day), and my stomach was making noises like it was trying to communicate with the outside world. My kids were in fits of laughter because apparently, I sound like I have a bird trapped inside me. 😂 But then, as I'm getting ready to leave the house, I go to the bathroom...and boom—my bag is not attached to my wafer; it's just sitting there trapped between my hernia wrap and my stomach.

Here's the kicker: I didn't even notice until I was in the bathroom. The hernia wrap and woolly tights I was wearing to battle the cold made it hard to feel anything, so it wasn't until I was about to go that I realized I was a holy, messy disaster. I had to hop in the shower, clean up, and then try to change everything again—except my wafer wouldn't stick because my stomach was bloated. Now, I've never tried changing my bag after I've eaten before because I always do it in the morning before I eat or drink, but today? Disaster.

Here's where I'm nervous:
Is this just a random fluke, or can my bag pop off at any time like this?

Is bloating after eating something others have experienced?

And most importantly—why did my wafer NOT stick the second time? The bloating has never caused my bag to pop off before. I'm using the Coloplast Sensura Mio two-piece system, and it was the bag that came off, not the wafer.

I'd really appreciate any advice or experiences anyone has had with this—especially around the bloating and the bag staying put. I'm a little shaken up about the whole thing, and I'm hoping it's just a weird one-time thing.

Thank you all so much for listening. You guys are always a lifeline! 🙏

You had me at wooly tights! Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Umm. What was the question? 🤦..jk

I wear the Mio. It's called the click type, correct? That bag was not clicked properly or snapped properly on. I have owned this system for 4 of the 9 years having a permanent ileostomy. It's a good appliance. When I leave the house, I'm confident—no leaks, no issues. So....

That click mechanism is amazing. There is the snap onto the wafer, or flange, or mounting plate (whatever it's called), then the security ring which goes "click."

Do you think this happened to you where you thought it clicked but just snapped on? Maybe 3/4 of the way?

Several times the ring unclicked, yet it never blew because the snap-on feature is very solid, I feel.

If you have a routine changing your bag in the morning, before eating, or late before bedtime, I would follow that.

It's what I do. Once a week. The entire appliance. At night. Well after dinner.

If you are bloated? Hmm... Dunno how to answer that. But are you also using the "c" strip extenders? And belt?

Now my kicker question: you must have been wrapped well. I would figure you would have an odor to indicate you popped. You didn't smell anything? That poor bird. Must have crooked. 🤭

🤭

I have to agree. Sometimes getting these to pop on can be tricky. I've had a few click locks snap, and they still didn't come off easily.

Tricky indeed. I always snap the bag onto the flange first, like it's placed on a table. Pushed on there. Then apply it over the stoma, bag facing down. Then click it. All good for a week.

Thanks, Warrior,

I'm thinking you could be right that I didn't click the bag to the flange properly. I do remember thinking this morning when I closed the safety click thingy that it was difficult to close and needed more pressure than usual. I guess it was a bad assumption of mine to assume all was good at that point. I am thankful that I was home when I discovered the mess, but it definitely did shake my confidence.

About the questions you asked, I did slap on the c strips today as the flange wouldn't stick and my family was waiting for me to leave, but I usually do not use them. Same for a belt; I have the Coloplast belt but find it annoying. I just use the hernia wrap.

Regarding the odor question, strange to say, but no, it did not smell. Neither my husband nor my children detected any smell, and neither did I. Even when I changed, I was super dirty but not smelly…. It sounds strange, but that's just the way it was. Maybe the fact that it was a fresh bag helped in this case…

I am also taking a five-hour test in the hospital on Friday where they will monitor my stomach muscles to see why my stomach bloats after I eat. I hope I'll get some answers there. I would love to hear if anyone else is experiencing extreme bloating after eating?

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Good luck with that 5-hour test. I don't get any bloating at all after eating anything.🤷‍♂️

Maybe you have a sensitive stomach that doesn't like certain foods, or eating a larger meal? A beverage? Gassy reaction causing bloating?

To ease your mind a bit when you do a bag change, have you thought about snapping the bag onto the wafer on a table first? Then apply it to the stoma? I've done this and the other way, and this way assures me a good, snug snap. The other way caused me issues. Pressing the bag onto the wafer while already applied to the stoma is difficult.

11 months out, 9 years out. We are always learning, kiddo. 😊..

I understand your reasons for not using a belt or strips. You do wrap yourself up well enough, it seems, for comfort and protection. 👍.

Re: no smell? I'm thinking you're using something to control it inside your bag? Like M9? Or other deodorant? Well...it's working, you think?

Lastly, there is a larger volume capacity bag available. It's what I have used.

In the past, I have had the occasional leak that I only discovered when going to the toilet (no odor either, but as ileos, some of us can often have days when we can say our sh*t don't stink!) but my leaks happened under the base, not from the bag becoming detached, so hopefully yours was just a missed "click."  

As for the next bag not sticking, I have had the same thing happen when I've had a leak (particularly when it's been "change day" before the leak).  I think it may have been me just being in a rush to get the new bag on and not drying off the skin properly for the base to get a good seal.  

Hope they find out what's causing the bloating.

P.S. I too get the "noises," not necessarily birds, but anything from a cat's miaow to a bassoon! 🐱🎶📯

I also use the Sensura Mio and have had a similar experience. I thought I had clicked it on but found the locking harder than normal. And lo and behold, the bag comes off. I have developed a habit of pulling on the bag after I lock it. A couple of times it has pulled off, saving me from a problem.

I think Warrior's suggestion to attach the bag to the wafer before putting it on is good. I need the visibility I get from not having a bag blocking my view.

No suggestions on the bloating. Hopefully, your doctors will figure that out for you. But I'd fully expect that bloating would interfere with getting your appliance on. If you routinely applied it when bloated, you'd figure out how to get the contact you need on a curved surface. But as a one-off, it's just trouble. The wafer is very flexible, so it probably accommodates the bloating.

The same thing happened to me, so now I dab baby oil around where it clips in. Now it just clips in securely with no effort.😁

Hello ClaraD.
When I first tried the clip-on bags, I had the same thing happen with one or two of them coming off.
My routine now includes wiping the baseplate ring with veg oil and starting the process by pushing the ring-clip on from the bottom first so that I know that the whole ring-clip is properly in place.
It’s a similar technique to changing a bicycle tyre, only on a much smaller scale.

As for wafers coming off, I had so much trouble with that at first, that I decided to make my own baseplates and stick them on with prosthetic glue.
I do hope you find solutions to your problems as stoma management can be frustrating when things go wrong.
Best wishes
Bill

Thank you, Bill and sj68.

Would the oil not make it easier for the bag to slip off the wafer? I'm trying to figure out why putting oil is a good idea.

Thank you, Susan.

I also use the two-piece so that I can see where I'm placing the flange, so attaching the bag before I put it on will defeat that purpose.

I did tug on my bag this morning as you suggested, and I really like that idea. I will do it every day now, and hopefully that will make me feel more secure.

Hello ClaraD.
This is why I used the explanation of similarity with changing a bicycle tyre:
The clip-ring is designed to fit exactly inside the groove of the receptor. It is therefore too small to push easily over the edge. This is why sometimes the clip ring does not go into position properly, so when you squeeze the clip, the ring is only partially inside the groove and it is likely to spring back out. 
The oil acts as a lubricant to help in this process of getting the clip ring properly into the groove. Then, when you squeeze the clip, the ring will stay in its proper place and cannot get out of position until you release the clip.
I hope this is an adequate explanation.
Best wishes

Bill   

Thank you, Bill.

Hi,

Out of curiosity, were you using the new type Sensura Mio bag with the notches? While it's definitely easier to fit, the clip-on mechanism seems less positive than the old design. I've had the bag detach a couple of times just after fitting (fortunately empty 😅), so now I always give the bag a quick tug after fitting to make sure it's secure. As for adhesion problems with the wafer, I only experienced any issues when the skin hasn't been completely dry, like when the bathroom has been very steamy.

Hi Chevichump

That's a good question, and maybe something worthwhile to discuss. I never had this issue with the old design and had it once with the new one. Once is not a good enough reason to blame the design, but I wonder if others have experienced this with the new design more frequently than with the old one?

Hi,

One of the benefits of the new design is that the notches make it much easier to burp the bag with little risk of it detaching. On the other hand, when wiping around the seal on top of the bag, the notches can allow output to get onto the clamp ring 🤮, which is a bit of a pain to clean. Overall, I'm not sure which type I prefer, but I really will just have to get on with whatever I get sent.🙄

Hi Clara. I'm very interested to learn how your test goes. Hope the “experts” find a cause and a simple remedy for the bloating.

Respectfully,

Mike

The safest and easiest way, in my opinion, to burp a bag with a 2-piece system is to invert it.

.. rotate it 360 "up," open the Velcro while poop slides down, and air comes out.

Just be sure your nose isn't in the line of doing it. Whoa! You could pass out. 😋

There are odor control drops (M9) that do an incredible job of eliminating odor.

No reason to curb your diet because of a smelly dump.

Nope.

Eat. Enjoy. Use the drops.