71-Year-Old Female with Ileostomy Since 12/24

Hello, I have stage 4 colon cancer since 6/24 and have to deal with an ileostomy and a stoma named George. He is very active, and I do have leakage sometimes at night. I am thinking about the skin barriers. Anyone have problems like this and suggestions?

There are so many things we need to know to be able to help:

Why are you leaking? Is the bag getting overly full, or is the seal on your appliance failing?  

If the seal is failing, does it fail in a predictable way... like always on the left side, etc.? Does your stoma stick out at least 1 inch? What kind of system are you using? 

You say it happens at night, so could it be your sleep position that isn't working for you? 

In general, you shouldn't need a skin barrier unless you are allergic or your skin is in bad shape. You should be able to get your system to reliably last through the night. 

Night leaks are so annoying! I'm six months post-op and still sleep on chuck pads. I agree with Susan, more information is needed. It took over four months to find an appliance that stayed on and what "prep" before the bag worked best. A stoma nurse could help you with troubleshooting. The consistency of your output may also contribute. I still use skin barriers, and I double my ring on the right side, creating a moon shape for better flow since I tend to leak on the right (my stoma is a bit crooked; it takes after me!). Switching to a convex bag helped me. I also use a product called Skin-Tac to help things stick better - my stoma nurse recommended it, and I found it on Amazon. Hang in there!

When you say a skin barrier, are you referring to a barrier ring? With an ileostomy, I would recommend you use a barrier ring for sure, and maybe try a convex wafer if you are using a flat one. As Susan says, we need to know more, as there are many reasons you could be leaking. When you change your appliance, make sure your skin is clean and dry, and try warming the wafer up with your blow dryer for 30 seconds after removing the tape cover, before applying the barrier ring and wafer. Cover it all with your hand and hold in place for a couple of minutes. Is your parastomal skin healthy? If it's irritated or raw, you will need to deal with that before putting on a new appliance.

Terry

Are you using pre-cut stomas? My leaks stopped once I started using them. I also put a binder clip at the bottom.

My Ostomy Journey: Kimberly | Hollister

I have had my ileostomy for three years. I have been using Brava Elastic Barrier Strips—supports the rim of the ostomy baseplate—for the last two years. It was recommended to me by a member of my county ostomy support group. She calls them “angel strips,” and I have to agree with her. I have had about 2-4 nocturnal leaks a year and none during the day since I started using them. I can't imagine not using them now. I use Coloplast products—I have an allergy to something in Hollister. I'm not sure if any other company makes these. I imagine Coloplast will send you samples if you are interested. Give them a call. Good luck.

I have had leak problems at night as well. I find that when my stoma is very active, it is due to something that I ate or my output being too thick. Be sure not to use any type of soap that has oil in it, as that will cause your appliance to come loose around the edges and could cause leakage. If your appliance comes loose, use barrier rings until you are ready to change it again. I am just a little over a year with my ileostomy and am still learning, but I try to be careful about what I eat, as I found out the hard way with some leakage problems. No fish with the skin still on or steamed carrots. When I eat carrots, I make sure they are very soft so I don't have problems. I often look up foods on Google to see if they are okay for someone with an ileostomy, and that has been very helpful in being able to know what type of foods you might have a problem with.

I also had an ileostomy last December at 71, with stage 4, and suffered leaks during the night and day.

I swapped from a standard bag to a convex maxi bag due to a hernia where the stoma is (parastomal); the standard bag would not seal properly all the way around, but the convex is better. I also used a large barrier strip around the bottom half of the bag to the skin; this all works most of the time.

I also found that if I slept lying flat, that would cause the stoma exit to pancake and form some buildup around the stoma and seal, allowing fluid to seep its way out. So now I sleep slightly elevated on my shoulders with an extra pillow; this stopped the pancaking and waste flows into the bag.

Nothing is more annoying than leaks, especially with highly active stomas. I use Welland maxi convex bags.

Unfortunately, they don't make pre-cut bags in my stoma size; it's too small. I do rub my finger around the cut part to soften the edges a bit.

Others here have listed the variables we need to know to best help you. The only things I haven't seen mentioned that helped us (my wife's recessed ileostomy) are ceramide-infused barrier rings, convex skin barriers, and the extenders from Brava mentioned below. We also use the crusting technique if the peristomal skin is inflamed. If it's really bad, we use cyanoacrylate (the purple stuff) in addition to barrier spray. Barrier paste for any creases near the stoma that would be covered by your skin barrier. I hope this helps. Good luck!