Flashbacks with My Ileo: Seeking Advice on Leaks and Belts

I'm just six months out with my ileo, and the first four months were challenging with leaking and having to change my bag 4-6 times daily. Did great for a while; the bag would stay for 4-5 days, and I even went away for two nights. I do have dumping syndrome, so I am very careful with what I eat, when, etc., but my bugger of a stoma started having "flashbacks" about two weeks ago, needing to be changed 2-3 times daily again. I had some surgical complications post-op, so my surgeon said the normal 6-month recovery would be more like 12. Are these glitches to be expected? Also, I wondered how people felt about belts - do they make much of a difference? I leak with and without them. TIA

I wear my belt all the time except in the shower and when I am changing my bag. I think it gives me peace of mind. I don't have leaks very often, every once in a while, usually overnight. Usually, when I am having trouble with pancaking, I have an ileostomy, so that doesn't happen to me very often. But I feel like the belt keeps things more secure. I don't worry about the bag falling off.

As for leaks and complications, it depends on what kind of complications you had/are having. You shouldn't have to change your bag multiple times a day, though. Are you using a barrier ring when you change your bag? That can help. Do you make sure your bag is on securely? Do you use a drainable pouch? Are you having high volume output? Is it liquidy? Are you staying hydrated? Do you eat smaller meals more often? Are you eating a low residue diet? These are some things to consider while you are recovering.

Thank you for the response, and a "yes" to most of your questions. I'm thinking what happened is that my skin and stoma became very sensitive again from leaking, and it takes a while to get them back to healthy skin. It gets discouraging having to cancel plans due to an unreliable bag, but if it doesn't improve by the first of the week, I'll have my wound care nurse visit me.

Hello Heidi B.
Thanks for your interesting post, although my take on 'glitches' is that ostomates should be aware that many and varied 'glitches' are likely to happen at any time, no matter how long we have had our stomas.
As for belts, I wear one all the time (and still I have glitches) as it gives me extra protection and confidence.
I make my own baseplates: Most of them have just one link for one belt. However, I have made a couple with two belt links because the lower half of my abdomen (below the stoma) is that much smaller/indented, that sometimes the single belt devices do not hold firmly enough. With two belts, I can apply two different pressures which, so far, has stopped any problems with leakages.
For me, it's all about trying to identify the problems and then developing a suitable device to overcome them. Sometimes it takes several attempts before nailing it.
In the past, I have tried making plaster of Paris moulds to try to overcome the shape of my body around the stoma, but unfortunately this material is unsuited to cope with the problems of stoma output. 
Best wishes

Bill      

I find that some people try to have a contest as to how long to go between flange changes, which puts pressure on others to strive for longer time periods. The longest I go is 4 days, but mostly I change every 2 to 3 days; otherwise, my skin gets really irritated. Brava barrier cream works to protect your skin. I use that, fungal powder, Cavilon skin protection, and a ring, which makes my flange stick. I press on the flange with two hands for about one minute to make sure everything is secure.

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