Need advice for nighttime leakage with ileostomy!

The biggest and nastiest issue I have is leakage while I am asleep! I've had my ileostomy since 2010 and this is the reason I refuse to sleep beside anyone and possibly leak on them!! I've tried eating earlier/less, not eating, but food goes through me in 2-4 hours while awake and it pours out right at daylight every time! I get 2 days of wear time usually but this can happen at any time and has at any time. Any tips or suggestions would really be appreciated.

Good morning. I have a colostomy. Don't be so hard on yourself, it happens to all of us. No matter how long you have had an ostomy. Note I'm just a regular ostomate not medically licensed, just wanted to offer my support. Even before surgery, the intestines do their own thing. One doesn't have control either way their waste discharge. Fortunately, I irrigate, but my intestines are stubborn so I'm still running at times. I do enough to prepare when I have to go out. When I'm home, I let the intestines do what it do. Till I get tired of emptying, then I use an irrigating bag and let it do its thing. Perhaps you can ask your medical supplier if they have a longer bag. I do hope this helps. I'm sure another will chime in. Just remember you're not alone. Take care, Angelicamarie

I've had my ileostomy for nearly two years, and nearly every leak I've ever had happens at night, for the exact reason you have them - ballooning. The only advice I can give you is to set alarms for the middle of the night to get up and empty or burp your bag. I seem to kind of sense in my sleep when it's filling most of the time, but I have at times had a blowout. I think it's one of the undesirable things that comes with the territory. Good luck!!!

Yes, use the (UK) Salts XND1352 bag with one of the Salts Washers underneath. Bombproof....no leaks. Also, set a couple of alarms at times to suit you in the night and early morning, so you can get up and empty your bag before it gets too full. Bit of a pain waking up and forcing yourself to do that, but it's much better than all the disturbance of a horrid leak, and the aftermath clean-up that a leak presents!!!

I have the Zeppelin effect from my colostomy. I use 2-inch wide Hypa-Fix tape and box the appliance before attaching the pouch...just my .02 cents.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Use bags with filters. They let out some gas and help with ballooning. Don't sleep on your side. I've had a few times where sleeping on my side caused the stool to build up in a confined area and push right under the wafer. If you can, wear an ostomy belt to sleep in, it will help hold everything in place.

Hiya.....all of my leaks also happen at night and I've figured out that almost always it is caused by ending up on my side with the contents compressed into one side of the bag and pushing through the wafer. A pillow at each side of your body will help stop you rolling over so far and will keep any weight/pressure off your bag. Every single time I have a leak, it's a seepage from the side of the wafer. Never from the bottom or top. Hence, I'm pretty sure it's from the pressure of my body pushing the contents out the side and through the side of the wafer....hope the pillow idea works for you. Namaste

Hi....I worked with a lady that had this problem....As she couldn't self-manage the bag/ileostomy.....us staff helped her manage the problems. And mostly it would leak at night too ....we finally got it down to a routine of emptying it 2 hourly during the day ...4 hourly at night ....it was a 2-piece system so we changed the bag at 5 pm for the filter to be its newest at night which helped. We also avoided giving high wind foods after 4 pm ...she ate whatever until then ....we had very few leaks after this...but as it was unpredictable. ...it sometimes still ballooned.

There are a lot of sound suggestions provided here. It's a combination of everything. If you use the two-piece system, you might try using a high-output appliance at night. This will accept more volume and hopefully get you through the night.

X_

The bags with filters don't last a day! I don't eat anything really gassy after 3! Used to have a bag still blow off in the middle of the night! Not good! Don't have the problem anymore! Just poke a few holes in the top of the bag with a toothpick to let it vent! Works for me! Just trying to help!