How often do you rinse your pouch?

I have had my ileostomy for 20+ years and have rinsed my pouch at least once or twice daily using just plain water. It would be impossible for me to do it more often even though I am emptying my pouch 7 or 8 times a day and working 10 to 12 hours a day. Also, I do not feel that it's necessary.
I recommend rinsing the pouch to my new ostomy patients, but some of my colleagues state that they do not tell their patients to rinse and some of my colleagues recommend rinsing every time they empty their pouch. I want to know what my fellow ostomates are doing daily. Do you rinse or not? If you do rinse, how often do you do it?

Thanks, Ostomate and Ostomy nurse

Hi, I find this post and question so interesting. I have had my ostomy since I'm 15, and that's 50 years ago. I'm going to be 65. At the beginning, when pouches were rubber and reusable, they held horrible odors. I needed to rinse out often and use a deodorant regularly. I'm using disposables now for more than 25 years, and I don't think I ever rinse out during the 7 days I have it on...unless I've eaten something (some kinds of fish) with a very strong odor.

I think of the pouch as my "external" rectum, and I would no sooner rinse out that (if I still had one) each time I had to poop.

Instead, I just clean the spout, close it up, flush, wash my hands, and go on my way.

However, I have a friend who I met when we were both teens and going through the same surgery recovery. She's from PA and lived on a farm, and I was from Brooklyn, NY. Once we both recovered, we had the opportunity to meet when we were 17 and both still in high school. She always carried a cup in her purse, and she rinsed out every time she emptied. We're still friends.....she lives on the West Coast of FL...and still rinses each time she empties. Different "strokes for different folks"...

I would love to know more about this survey...just for fun.

Marsha

Hi there... well, I guess this might surprise some... but I NEVER have, in 4 years since getting an ileostomy, rinsed a pouch except in the rare case of the bag falling off prematurely (like 1-3 days into a change when, due to the snap catch on my two-piece Coloplast system opening either because I rolled on it at night or in bending over while working, it released the catch).
I change the two pieces, plate and bag, every 6-8 days, usually every 7. When I shower, I bracket the sides and top of the plate (3M Transpore tape), scrub the Velcro fastening with a used toothbrush, and get on with life. With the Coloplast bags, and I would expect most other brands, there is really no need that I can see to rinse them unless you want them to last for many days... they are very durable and odor-proof... no one has ever given me a "you stink" look... simply put, there is no issue... that said, I get the impression that some folks are put off by a bit of poop!!!!!! Poop is nothing more than ground-up food with some stomach acid thrown in for good measure... out of the bag, it isn't much different than what you could grind up in a food blender... if you get it on your fingers, it's not toxic... no, you wouldn't want it hanging around, it would soon be very toxic and all of us know how toxic a perforated bowel or J-pouch could be, etc... but really... it's just a hazard of the territory!!!!!!

PS... Further to my comments... I know little of how folks handle a colostomy... As I said, I have an ileostomy which, by its nature, means I hit the can 10ish times per day, and the material tends to be on the liquid side... Given discussions with healthcare professionals who care for those with colostomies, I would expect some rinsing would be in order... Just thought I should make that distinction!!! Cheers

2x day...

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I need to empty my bag once or twice a day for the colostomy bag. The Velcro bag grossed me out and the quack messed up my stoma and it's like 4 inches deep into my belly button. I had to get a 2-piece system with a 5-inch base to cover the hole. The bottom of the bag has a pinch-type clip which I double clip due to an embarrassing experience. I was walking around at work and happened to see the clip laying on the ground where I had worked hours earlier. I freaked out but thank goodness the bag was clean. So each time I empty it, I give it a flush, at home that is. I would never try and wash in a public place, just pressure squeeze with toilet paper. When I had my stoma installed, I felt like a freak and really didn't want to live a life like this. The nurse they sent to the house to show me all the tricks had no experience with a screwed-up stoma like mine and was no help at all, but then I found you guys and 3 years later this is the least of my worries. Thanks all of you.

Well, I for one do rinse my pouch on some occasions. I have a colostomy, but more so than not, the output is not so firm and doesn't always easily slide out. If I am testing a sample, I rinse more often as most are clear bags and I do not like to see the contents. If I have my cover, then not so much. A rinse is just a rinse, and for me, I do not use too much water to where it goes as high as my stoma sits. I also prefer to use a deodorant in the pouch to prevent any odor that may be present when I am in a public restroom and need to empty.

I rinse once in a while. It helps check for leaks and early blowouts. I use cold water, and when I feel the water, I know I am close to a blowout. Plus, it shows on the wafer where you are not connected at sometimes.

I rinse my pouch every time I empty it - 3 to 4 times a day, sometimes more often. I developed a simple system for rinsing the pouch while it is in place on the skin barrier. My method also cleans the stoma and skin surrounding it. I cannot imagine not rinsing the pouch every time it fills.
Xmlo /o
I'm working on mass producing this low-cost cleaning/rinsing method to make it available to all ostomates.
O /o
Thanks to all who have shared their story. It reinforces my belief that OstoClean is a viable system.

I generally do not need to rinse as the output is like water anyway with pieces of undigested food, but on the rare occasion it isn't just 'water' - I clean with wet wipes around the opening. I change the bag part of the two-piece most days as the filters get blocked quickly while I'm lying down asleep.

Hey Paul, it would be great to see your system. Affordable is wonderful too. Will you have it ready for trials soon? Or straight out to market... I have looked into a few systems and they are a bit out of my pocket range but look nice for those of us who like rinsing. I think there is even a system with specially made pouches with a spot at the top to insert a small hose-like sprayer...
It's called Ostowash.

I empty my pouch and then rinse it every morning in the shower (hey - it all goes into the same sewer system). It is nice warm water, and it helps clean my stoma, and it just makes me feel fresher.

Every day, at least once, mostly twice, first thing in the morning to start fresh and before bedtime... I also add a few drops of baby oil. It smells clean and lubes bags as well. I empty every time I urinate, be it little or lots. It's just my thing - I hate the weight when it fills, etc.