Baby oil ok for pancaking?

A friend of mine recommended using scented baby oil in my bag to help with pancaking. Does anyone know if this works? Is it ok to use? Ive been using adapt lubricant but as im disabled and on social security disability its getting expensive so im looking for a less expensive alternative.

G-Day jalrein,

Why do you need a lubricant in the first place, I never use one. If I have any pancaking I just put about 3/4 of a cup of water in the bag and swish it around and then empty.

Regards IGGIE

Early on, Hubz had trouble with thick output getting stuck around the wafer and tried all the lube & water rinsing, but once it got stuck and wouldn't fall down into the bag, output went sideways under the wafer forming a big cow-pie underneath.

He finally realized his bag had zero air inside, and the filter was exiting air so effectively it was creating a vacuum sealing the front of the bag against the wafer, blocking the output.

From a suggestion on this site, he sealed the filter with a piece of waterproof tape & keeps a layer of air in the bag. This allows for output to enter and fall into the bag. He also added a barrier ring that's built up on the bellybutton side to keep that output from heading anywhere but to the bottom of that bag.

He still uses the ostomy lubes, but we asked the ostomy nurse about baby oil and though she didn't directly endorse it, she said it's commonly used.

Hi jalrein,

I learned about using baby oil about 6 months ago and thought I'd try it. I squirted some into the bag, sealed it and pressed it around. It didn't seem to make it up far enough to prevent buildup so I bought some cotton swabs with very long handles and applied it that way. I was able to get the oil around my stoma and onto the plastic across from it. I can't say that I felt it worked all that well. I also like to rinse my bag while emptying it and I found that the oil trapped particles inside which the water couldn't dislodge. The fragrance didn't seem to make much difference. I would imagine that it's fairly safe to use that way but whatever you put in there will be absorbed by the stoma (being exposed tissue) and because it's so vascular. Maybe a less viscous oil might work better (like safflower?) I don't know. It might be worth trying different (cooking) oils until you find one that works for you. I wouldn't use an essential oil or anything like that because they're very concentrated and might cause a burn. You might also be able to learn about oils and skin safety online. I find that I use Gemini a lot to scour the web to consolidate info.

Rinsing out your bag with water whenever it's full(ish) gets physically demanding. I'm up and down in front of the toilet multiple times a day. Luckily, my sink is readily accessible if I need to refill my cup. I don't know if your disability will make doing something like that possible. I hope something I've written is able to help you.

What bags was he using that had the filters that were working too much? I’ve not found one that the filter actually works on.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister