Need Help with Flat Stoma Adhesion

Hello, I am having problems with leakage. I tried the convex wafers and they seemed to help some, but I am out of them now. The wafers I have now are small and flat. My stoma is flat and it is difficult to get the wafer to adhere. I have a lot of skin irritation and am having difficulty with the skin prep. I am in Florida at the moment for my mom's funeral and do not have access to a stoma nurse or supplies. I am changing the wafer daily due to leakage, which is causing more skin irritation. Any advice would be great.

Thanks, Glenda

Nothing will stick well to red weepy skin. There is a steroid cream you can get, but I can't recall the name of it. Sorry. You might go to a druggist and ask him if he's familiar with it. Lacking that, wash the skin well and put a little Mylanta on your affected skin. Follow with a regular wipe or spray on skin prep, then your flange/ring. Can you buy some convex wafers locally? I could mail you some, but it would take 3 days minimum to get to Florida from Kentucky. Perhaps a member on here is close enough to loan you a few convex? Good luck.

They sell a skin barrier pad, it's like a 4x4 that you put over your skin to protect, and then you attach the barrier to it. All companies have them, I think.

Gosh, Bearably, I wish I was close enough to bring you some supplies. I have several boxes of deep convex flanges for two-piece systems. If you'd like, I could mail them! The skin barrier pads work well too. I had my stoma revised and it's so nice to finally have the skin healed up - I was changing every other day in order to keep the skin from getting totally out of control, so believe me, I feel your pain!

Let me know if you'd like these supplies... there's nothing worse than being out of the things you really need.

Take care, Vicki

Thank you Vdahl, I get supplies from the VA and will have them when I get back home. I just ran out while here in Florida. I didn't have enough to bring with me when I left California. Thanks for the offer, much appreciated.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I have had an ileostomy for 30+ years and life is 98% normal. Mentally, it was tough to accept the surgery but life after has been so much better. Don't fear. Ditch the Depends and start having fun again.