Decreased Wear Time for Urostomy Pouches: Seeking Advice

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dewey
Feb 10, 2018 3:28 pm

Had my operation in 2007 and for years i could go 7 days on a pouch. Now all of a sudden i go 3 days and start getting a stroung urine smell so i change waffwe and pouch. Why all of a sudden i am getting the smell. How long are other people wearing there wafer and pouch, i have a urostomy,

Thanks for input

Everett

 

Past Member
Feb 10, 2018 4:20 pm

I also have urostemy but only for 8 months now   I change bag every 2-3 days. If I extend beyond 3 nights it can have odor and you can see wager around stoma deteriorating. The key for me is keeping flow to bag by not lying down without night bag hooked up because wafer will deteriorate as urine just sits by wafer till pushed down by more urine. So I change every 2-3 days and rinse night bag after use and fill about half way with water and a little vinegar and let sit till next use. Working out good for me. If I get odor at all I’m changing bag. Also read what you drink can cause strong odor  not much help   Hope others reply for more tips thanks Tom

Posted by: Karen & Stella
Fay,

I am one of those few people who still have a lot of output at night. However, I suffer from short gut syndrome after seven bowel surgeries that led to the loss of much of my small intestine as well as my large intestine from the initial bowel cancer surgery. It does get better over time as your system adjusts, but an ileostomy can be a challenging adjustment. It's important to connect with a good Enterostomal Nurse - ET nurses who can help you problem-solve over time. It's been five years since my initial surgery, and I had a great visit with a new ET nurse in December. He really helped me with the problem of high output at night. I had been getting up every 90-120 minutes to empty my high output bag because of filling. If I slept for three hours without emptying, I would have problems. My ET nurse helped my husband and me make a nighttime collection system using a Rubbermaid juice container with a handle and my old CPAP hose. This is connected to one of my two-piece high output bags and allows for continual drainage. It isn't pretty, but it has been a real lifesaver. I guess the real message I want to share is to stick with it, find a nurse who you can work with, and together you will find solutions to whatever challenges you face. This website is also an important support for me and others. There is nothing you will go through that others haven't already faced and figured out. There is so much wisdom here. Read the materials they've put together for newbies. There are a lot of great suggestions to use. I hope things get better quickly for you.
Karen
busygma
Feb 27, 2018 1:58 pm
Very helpful

I have only had my urostomy since Sept. 2017 but I have noticed that for me it's the beginning of a UTI. My oncologist/bladder specialist told me you can't always go by that but twice now I have had cultures way too high and they put me on Bactrim and almost immedialtley the odor goes away and I produce more urine. This may or may not be the case for you but it might not be a bad idea to ask your Dr. if you should have a urine culture done. I use coloplast mio click deep barrier as I have a flush stoma. I can go 5 to 7 days without changing but I prefer every couple of days. I prefer to shower with my barrier and pouch off. The coloplast barrier is the only one I have found that I can use without using those barrier rings. They can really be messy and cover my stoma because it doesn't stick out.