Excessive Output Staining: Seeking Advice

I may have hit the wrong button and posted an unfinished post. If so, please excuse me. I have read a lot of posts where people say they don't have to change pouches and wafers for a week or longer. I have to change mine sometimes a couple of times a day or in a couple of days. My output is so pasty like pudding, it sticks to the pouch all the way down. When I empty and clean it out, it is hard to get it all cleaned out. Then it stains the pouch very badly. I wonder if anyone has this problem. I have started putting a few drops of oil in the pouch, and it helps to clean a little better but still stains.

I change my wafer every 4 days. What's your diet like.

Lovely,

I am afraid that you will have to live with the staining. I am not sure if I understand your question. Are you getting leakage through the wafer that is causing the staining to which you refer? Obviously, once you have a discharge into a new appliance it is going to cause discoloration and staining. Most, if not all appliances are opaque so you can't see the contents or the stain. Therefore, you might be changing for no real reason. Again, I'm sorry if I don't understand your question.

Xerxes

It may be my diet. Carbs are a big part of my diet, but I do take fiber pills. One big problem with me is I don't just have one or two movements a day. I have quite a lot of very small outputs sometimes about the size of a half dollar. It just lays there on the wafer and I have to push it down into the pouch. When it does it several times, I empty the pouch and it is hard to get it to empty out even with a sprayer.

Sorry, I was not clear. I don't have a problem with leakage. My output is only a small amount several times a day, and it just sits there on the wafer. I have to push it through the pouch down into the pouch, and it sticks all the way down. After several outputs, I empty it, and it sticks all the way down. I have lost a lot of my smell, and after emptying several times a day, it just seems like there is an odor. Maybe just me. My bags were opaque until the order I just got, and they are clear and very thin. Not sure if they have changed them or if it is a mistake, but I need to call them.

Lovely,

Do you have an ileostomy or colostomy? Based on your description, I am guessing an ileostomy which is what I have. With an ileostomy, multiple discharges throughout the course of the day is normal. The consistency will vary of course based on what you have eaten (as someone alluded to above) and how much you have eaten. A "pudding-like" output would be most welcome I would think with an ileostomy. Very often it tends to be more watery. It sounds like you are describing a pancake effect. Most often, when standing, the gravitational pull will move the material to the bottom of the pouch unless there is some kind of constriction, usually by clothing. Apparently, this does not seem to be happening in your case. I have found that one reason for pancaking is that when you put on a new appliance there is an insufficient amount of air inside and this will cause the discharge to remain trapped and not move along. I have remedied this in two ways. Before attaching the wafer and appliance, I blow into the pouch while closing off the opening. This in essence 'inflates" the pouch. Alternatively, once I attach the wafer and appliance I take a straw and blow into the open end of the pouch before attaching a clip. Perhaps these tips will help you. Good luck.

Xerxes

I have a colostomy. I do make sure I have air in the pouch as it was suggested on this site. I have started putting a little bit of oil on the wafer and in the pouch, which seems to help some. I use a sprayer to wash the pouch out. But when it gets in the top of the pouch, it is still hard to clean out as it is so sticky. I guess I really need to eat more fiber; it is just so hard for me. It is just so aggravating to have little bits at a time instead of a couple of large ones a day. I think cleaning it out with the sprayer several times may make the inside of the pouch less slippery. Anyway, I am glad I found this site and thanks for your hints. I have found out that I have not had as many problems as some have. It is good to be able to talk to people who know what we go through. I used to be able to talk to my sister about things, but I lost her a year ago. She did not have a colostomy, but she had some other health problems and we talked each day as she lived in another town. Thanks for letting me rant so much. God bless

Do you mean just the wafer or wafer and pouch? The pouch is the one I have to change a lot.

Yes, oil in the bag does help. I use an eye dropper and put it all in the bag when I change it.

I also use baby oil and sometimes even mineral oil. And use a small amount at each emptying. As far as the staining, it all depends on what I eat. My bag can turn orange, etc. Sometimes pink along with my output if I have eaten, say, beets (I love pickled beets) and things like spaghetti sauce, etc. But a little water in the pouch will clean it out and leave it stained. Sometimes it even turns green.

Lovey,

Are you using a one-piece drainable pouch? If so, you may want to think about a two-piece. You can just pop it off the flange and clean your little clump away and put it back on. I irrigate and use a two-piece pouch, and they last for several weeks. The filter is gone after the first output, but that is with either type of pouch.

Have you considered irrigating? With your thick output, you may do very well with irrigation.

Puppyluv

Thanks, I do use a two-piece. Someone suggested putting a little oil in the pouch and massaging the pouch together to spread it all over the pouch. This has helped a lot. I just thought that having to push it down might be part of why I get irritated around the stoma. It also happens so many times a day, it was aggravating. I am not sure I could handle irrigation. It sounds like a lot of trouble and seems like it would put pressure on the stoma. Maybe I need to read more on how to do it. Thanks for your input.

Hi Lovey,

Irrigation is not hard. It does take up about 40 minutes but I just include that into my "get ready to go" time. It does not hurt your stoma and with your thick output, you may be one of the lucky ones that only has to do it every other day. Sure does alleviate a lot of other issues. Watch the YouTube videos. They are a great learning tool. I am sure using the two-piece helps with your skin too. I love them. Could never use a one-piece again! I have never had any skin problems around my stoma and I attribute that to wearing the two-piece. I don't have to change the flange but twice a month. I do change the pouch more often only due to the filter failure. They are pretty much worthless.

I have to change the pouch about two days. Sometimes it is so hard to clean out, maybe once a day. The wafer usually lasts longer but not always. Putting the oil in the pouch and a little on the wafer is helping.