Ostomy Tips

I haven't seen any threads titled Tips, so I'm starting my own! I have a few tips that can make daily life with an ostomy a bit easier. If you have any, then post them. I'd really like to keep this thread strictly for tips so newcomers can find the information they need. 1. Carry and extra tailpiece clip with you at all times. This is in case you drop one while you're in the bathroom or if the hinge breaks. This hasn't happened to me yet, but I'm prepared! 2. Buy a box of Wet Naps and carry one or two with you when you go out or to wor...

Tips for Preventing Ostomy Leaks Clean skin well with soap & water and dry well *** no lotion or lotion soap around Stoma area!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT! USE SKIN PREP!!!!!The prep prevents the barrier and ring or paste to meld with the skin it use to be recommended but not with todays products Cut the barrier & peel off plastic on barrier and let sit a few minutes before applying do this also with the ring Use rings instead of paste, if you have to use the paste put a thin layer around cut barrier device and let it s...

Hello I have an ileo and permanent diarrhea I have to get up several times during the night to empty my bag. Now I try not to eat or drink at least two hours before I go to bed and I am also on lomotil for the diarrhea which I also take before about an hour before I go to bed. Does anybody have any tips that I can use so that I am not up and going to the bathroom thru the night. I would try those crystals but my waste is not watery and it can be hard to completely empty the bag as it is. Also does anyone wear those special ostomy underwe...

Hi! I had my colon removed November 17 , 2011. I am pretty comfortable with having the ostomy, however, I have an issue...when I am showering and need to shave my legs, well, I can do my left leg just fine, but when I go to shave my right one, I "discharge" for lack of a better word. It is very embarassing situation for me. I even wait to shower until early morning when "Helga the horrible" is not active. I know that it is because i am applying pressure when I lift or bend to shave that leg. Any suggestions? I would gre...

Has anyone come up with any ideas of uesing natural products, if  you have ran out of the adhesive remover.  I had to change  my bag the other day while i was out, and didnt have any  adhesive remover with me,and  consequently had to gradually pull  pouch away from my skin and  it was  so painful, and made my skin bleed....

I am new to this. Ileostomy created March 14th after bowel resection for crohn's. needless to say, the phrase "shit happens" has taken on a whole new meaning with me these days!  i am having trouble getting a good seal on my wafer and am only getting one to two days before it starts leaking. Anyone have any tips on getting the wafer to last a bit longer? Also, my skin is very irritated under the wafer...what have you all found best for skin protection?

I really don't know where to start!  This is going to be long with some background info.  I've had my colostomy for almost 2 years now and life is sooo much better since the surgery but the shape of the stoma has been causing me problems the last few months.  About a year ago I went gluten free because we found that wheat was irritating my crohn's which took my output from gassy, liquidy, icky, multiple times a day to normal (or very close to) 1-3 times a day.  That was FABULOUS as I haven't had norm...

hi all does any one have any tips on cuting down noise from your stoma?,mine plays up sometimes and during meetings etc i find this extremely embarassing,i did talk to my stoma nurse about this and she suggested charcoal tabs but it had no effect,any advice will be welcome isabella

I have had an Ileostomy for almost two years now and I am still learning new things.  I would love to collect clothing tips, (especially underware) cleaning tips, perspiration issues...you get the idea.   Here is one of mine...I tried manufactured underware but it was too bulky so i made my own.  I simply took a pair of boxer briefs and made my own pocket.   Isewed a small piece of material cut from an old pair of boxer briefs patterned from my ileostomy pouch, cut an opening just below the waistli...

Today is the three month anniversary of having my surgery and getting my stoma.  It was a tough decision but it was the RIGHT decision.  I feel so much better now.  And so far living with an ostomy is even easier than I thought it would be.   I did had the luxury of being able to take the time I needed to make up my mind about surgery and do the research.  Still there have been a few things I had to find out on my own (or just didn't see when I was looking.)  I took a minute and ...

Hello! I'm sure this topic has come up before, probabaly before I was a member.  Can anyone tell me easy ways to bathe?  LOL.  You'd think I'd know by now for I've had my stoma (ostomy bag) for a little over 2 years.  I use to enjoy taking my baths, but now take showers with a hand held shower head.  I hate it!  My bag still gets all soaked, and beings I don't have a bowel anymore, I can't take the bag off for I am forever filling it up, and certainly don't want what comes out o...

Hi,  I had my ileostomy Nov 2010 and wondered if anyone had any tips to prevent pancaking and output collecting in the top of the bag when I lie down.  It's really hindering my ability to sleep, although my stoma does seem to go into warp drive at night and I have to get up to empty it every 1-2 hrs anyway.  I'm hoping that will settle down with time.

I want to know is there cut off time to end meals, so u will not be up all night empting your bag.

I was just curious to see if anyone else has issues with ostomy adhesion because of cold, dry weather.  I had my surgery one year ago yesterday, this is my first transition into Winter and I am having some trouble.  I honestly didn't have too much trouble with the warmer weather, my best guess is that my skin under the wafer is so incredibly dry that it doesn't stick well. Does anyone have any tips to help me out?   Thanks, Sasquatch

Hello,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" ; /><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> My mom has an Ileostomy since October this year. She have many feces fluids with any bowel movement which cause leakage, any diet tips to reduce those fluids?<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Thanks,<o:p></o:p>

Im going fishing next weekend for a few days and im worried i wont have anywhere to empty my bag if it get full as there wont be many toilets out in the open probably none to say the least. Im just wondering if any of you guys/girls have any tips i could us maybe to keep the bag from filling up so much during the day i suppose i could not eat anything and hope for the best I take imodium regularly that helps but only for a short period. Is there anything i can eat to stop or slow down the bag?? Any tips would be great

Hi. I'm preparing for a colostomy (due to fecal incon from a spine injury). I'd like to travel by car from USA to Chile after. I'd love to hear from anyone whose camped with a bag and/or traveled for a extended period of time in a developing country. Can you get supplies easily in major cities? Any experiences about traveling would be much appreciated!

Hi all,  I don't recall who spoke of using a water bottle to rinse the bag.  Do you rinse from the bottom,  or open the top and pour the water in?  I'm having some difficulty..............ok.....accidents. &nb sp;please help.

I'm off to a New Years party tonight and its going to be a very long night! I am, as always, a bit aprehensive about my pouch ballooning and will avoid the things i know cause me gas. Does anyone have any top tips for reducing gas and output when they go out on the town? I've been an ileostomist for 10 years and through this site have picked up some great (why didn't i think of that?) advice. Hope you all have a happy and healthy New Year, DD

Hello,  I am new here, but not new to digestive malfunctions. It's finally come time to say goodbye to my colon and at this moment I'm not too sad to see it go.  I can no longer go to the bathroom on my own and my pelvic floor is all messed up from 16 years of colonic inertia.  So now I'm going to get the colon removed and getting a permanent ileostomy.  I cannot be considered for reconnection because my pelvic floor is too far gone.  I'll try biofeedback again after, but it's not looking good.  I'm here to...

I got a tip for people with an ostomy who may choose to travel to Japan (or most Asian countries). There are no public garbage cans for the most part so you may may have to be creative in carrying your 'garbage' if you find yourself having to quickly dart into a public washroom to change your applicance.  And by the way...don't expect to see a toilet in the same fashion that you're used to here in the west as most public restrooms in Asia are nothing more than a hole in the ground and I do mean that literally. If you're in a ci...

In a couple of weeks I will have reconnection surgery. Right now I have a temporary stoma. An illiostamy. 

Okay bikerboy here.In my brief 22 months I learned I few do's and dont's of draining my bag.For the faint of heart dont read any further.These are for home or away.At home my R.V. is nice the toilet is like an outhouse.open the seat ,unclip,swing out,and drop.Nice no mess, wipe,drop and flush.But in public there are some different rules.I do a test flush and if the water keeps flushing great same as home but keep the handle flushing and use one hand to drop.But if the toilet has a tank you only have a few seconds to drain you bag before th...

Just want to check with our members - I would like to send a copy of the new download to the newsletter editor of my local UOAA ostomy support group.  It's great!  I love all the creative answers and think it would be a great help to folks in my group. Does anyone have an issue with sharing these tips and/or feel that it is a violation of the "confidentiality" of our members?   It gives the Meet An Ostomate website some publicity too    

Hello Why do termites swarm?

I had an idea the other night well emptying my bag.  I added a couple drops of sumosata oil from the body shop to my water bottle.  Sorry for the spelling the smell is just orange.  Really nice smell.  Anyway a couple drops does the trick just the one time. Now all i can smell is orange. And not a mix of orange and stink! Just orange. I soppose you could use any oil you wanted, rose oil, sandlewood. What ever you prefer. Good luck to you Kenny

Getting ready to fly to Kansas City then Atlanta and back to CA. Now that they have new regulations about bottled liquids and meds. Are there any products we can't take or that have to be inspected that they will make us throw away?  Should all the supplies for a month be carry on or in a suit case.   Still a newbie... Thanks

I find that shower cleaner works well for cleaning out the bag after you empty it it makes it look like almost new But follow the shower cleaner with water to rinse it out then theres no need for adept witch is too expencive I Always run warm water for the last rinse to rinse the shower cleaner out

I know this is completely off-topic here, but I would appreciate any Self Defense tips you can offer me, now keep in mind I am only 5'3" and have the strength of a grasshopper lol.   I am seeking a Defense class but it seems there are none to be found in the area.       Sur e, sounds funny that a Knife-Thrower is asking such a thing, and I do have a shotgun that I am not afraid to use....but, I would like to hear of other options I might have to defend myself .....from say, an intruder and s...

My nurse told me to shower with my pouch on. I use coloplast products and I have found that if I remove the clamp from the pouch, and take a freezer bag, cut it in half, I can put the plastic over the barrier and put the clamp back on it..it is much easier to shower with, and I go through alot less pouches. Its also more comfortable and I sometimes wear it like that in the evenings when I am not ejecting. I have also found that getting a carefix stoma strap to go over my ostomy makes sex much less worrisome, and I feel less self-consciou...

I would love to travel in India for a month or so. At the risk of offending any of you good folks who may live in India, I need to ask a few questions. I have a urostomy. Most of the books I've read about India, both nonfiction and fiction, describe public hygiene in the major cities as significantly different than we Westerners are used to. (The books are all by South Asian authors, and include "Maximum City, Bombay Lost and Found" by Suketu Mehta, and several of Salman Rushdie's works.) I would want to mix with the people, ...

I need some help here. I've tried the recommended  foods but output is still like water. What can I do ao I don't get more dehydrated? I was told to avoid fiber but looks like I could use some....right?