'Twas the night before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas

and all through the place

the ostomate stirring

had a frown on her face

bedtime was nigh

and sleep should not be neglected

but she discovered with a sigh

that a leak had been detected!

So it's back to the loo

where her stoma started to poo

and changing to a new bag

might have seemed like a gag

Others would have laughed with glee

just not me

finally done and dusted

but my pouch now can't be trusted

as the leak was the result of a defect

not a good thing, I reflect

My Christmas Eve!

Terry

I hope that didn't really happen to you, kiddo.

The stoma is the gift that keeps giving.

Whether it's life or poop.

I'm sorry that happened... Life with a stoma is never boring!

Oh yes, it really did happen! I didn't get to bed until pretty late. Changing my appliance late at night is not something I would ever choose to do, as it's one of my stoma's most active times! Last night we were pigging out on shortbread and other Christmas goodies, so by the time I was ready for bed, it was spew time. That was when I discovered the leak! Worst timing ever.

Terry

Nope!

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Dang. I hope this is a holiday rhyme and not an actual incident!

Too late. It was.

There's never a good time. Gosh.. your stoma gave you its present. "Perfect timing," it thought. Little did it know who it was dealing with:

The clever, Canadian conqueror.

A Xmas nightmare. Sorry to hear it. I hope it was good shortbread.

I am actually eating shortbread as I am reading this. I hope you haven't put a spell on shortbread.

IGGIE

Hi Terry, sorry to hear you had a memorable Christmas, but the worst kind of memory. At least it didn't burst while sleeping.

Sorry that happened to you!

Those Christmas goodies will do that to you!

Terry,

I feel your pain; but clearly not as clever as you with your nifty refrain.

I had a repeat performance this very afternoon. I can't believe it happens this frequently; I knew only members of this group would be the ones who understood.

So in solidarity, I stand with Terry and the rest of this merry band.

I couldn't dream of a better group with whom to face this battle.

Much love to all my compatriots; united we stand.

I wish I could blame the Christmas goodies. It was clearly a defective (Hollister) pouch; output had started to seep out from between the flange and the pouch on a one-piece appliance. Fingers crossed it was the only bad one in the bunch, as I've been using this batch for a few months but still have lots left. The last time I had a leak, it was from a defective pouch too, just a different kind of defect. It worries me, as I see quite a few people post about Hollister issues, and I think their quality control is declining and they are using cheaper materials. I'm sure their costs have increased, just like they have for everything else, but cutting quality is not the answer. Our quality of life depends on being able to trust our ostomy products. Anyway, my rant for the day.

Terry

We are totally dependent on these ostomy suppliers. And while I don't mind them making a profit (that's capitalism, right?), I wish they didn't sacrifice quality to do it.

Absolutely!

I have seen posts from other members regarding the decline in the quality of Hollister products. I use their products as well, so this concerns me as well.

Rant on!!!!

I know of what you speak. I had a total blowout at 4:00 AM this morning. Shit the fucking bed.

Perhaps it's time for a change in supplier?

'Walk' with your prescriptions/purchase choice - the product then has to improve!

I wish it were that easy, Jayne. The fact is, I have tried all kinds of other products, and the one I found that worked best for me is that particular Hollister appliance. The others just don't work as well for various reasons. I will be phoning Hollister Monday morning to complain. The only thing I can do is be a squeaky wheel, I guess.

Terry

Christmas pudding was the prime suspect in my case!

Truly brilliant! Thanks so much!

Hi Terry,

KK - respect your choice ....

Pertinent feedback - continually from all who encounter substandard product is good customer feedback - I guess you can do no more .....

But, Terry, it may nonetheless be worth isolating an alternative '2nd' preference product, for if the manufacturer has a fault in their supply chain - and the defect is widespread, the product may undergo a redesign or cease production - so be forewarned just in case.

Hope the more recent batches are flawless and it was a temporary glitch.

Good luck - and good to know that you do not ignore a problem ..... because problems are for solving!!!

Best wishes for 2026 to you and yours

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ J ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At least you were home and not out and about. The awareness of a potential leak is omnipresent, but it should function in the background, allowing "life" to happen. This has been my way of living life with an ileostomy for 57 years and counting. Stay strong; shit happens, and it always runs downhill. Life is good.

Hi Terry, do you inspect the pouches to see if they have a defect or maybe put some glue in that spot until you get them replaced?

I've been thinking along those lines, Jayne, as to getting an alternative. I love Salts products, but the only reason I haven't tried their pouches is that the soft convex, one piece comes with a filter that is embedded into the fabric covering, and I don't see how I could put something over that to prevent it from leaking out. I might look into it again as it's been a long time, and maybe their products have changed.

Terry

The kind of defect this was would not have been detectable. In fact, when it was leaking out, you couldn't really tell why. It looked fine but wasn't. I will probably look a little more closely at them before I apply them now, though.

Terry

When I had my Hollister defect, it was in the corners of the accordion folds. There was a difficult-to-see hole/slit.

It wound up being a long, slow leak that made me think I was losing my mind. 🤪

Drove me bonkers and added to my laundry pile. 🙄

I used a dab of Gorilla Glue to “fix” the holes until I could swap out my defective boxes.

Good luck!

I worked for some years as a chief pharmacist for an area of the NHS, and minimising waste on drugs and appliances was part of my remit. Stoma and wound healing products were the most expensive groups amongst the entire group. Occasionally, specific drugs were breath taking, but plasters and pouches were the worst. And this is in the NHS where the government nails the pharma companies' prices to the ground by any appendage on offer!