Need advice on pancaking issues with colostomy bags

Hi there, I hope you are all well...

Well, this is my first ever visit to this site and first ever blog. I'm not a big tech head, but I think it's time I started to talk to other folk with a colostomy. I was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. The tumor was the size of an apple. After 2 years of radio/chemo, Thames, etc., I was told I needed a colostomy to save my life! I had the operation in 2009 and have sort of lived with it ever since, not happily mind. I haven't met anyone else with one, haven't been to any meetings, etc... After living in bed and the hospital for two years, I tried so hard to get myself back to me. To cut a long, long story short, I wanted to get back to living. The biggest problem I've had is with pancaking. I've tried so many different bags but all seem to have the same problem. Maybe it's slightly psychological, I don't want an inflated bag under my shirt, it has to be flat so no one can see? Do I push too much air out to make the bag flat, possibly. The worst moment for me was when I was at a football match, in a VIP restaurant, had my starter, my stomach started to turn and before I could get to any toilet, the bag had virtually come off. Well, you know the score then. The trouble was, I was wearing a white shirt. I spent the rest of the night in the toilet trying to do a good clean-up job. I haven't been to a game since. I have tried the gels, the crystals, the powders, the one thing that works for me better than anything else is a screwed up wet wipe! This still doesn't work 100% though.
Can anyone help? Many thanks in anticipation.

Hey, welcome!

I'm not sure I understand, is it just the bag that almost came off or did the barrier almost separate from your skin? Do you wear a one-piece or a two-piece? A suggestion I read somewhere was to wipe the inside of the barrier with a cotton swab dipped in oil. This works if you wear a two-piece. Take the bag off, clean the barrier plate, then wipe the oil on it and put the bag back on. That's supposed to help with pancaking. Hope that helps.

Hi to all. I am new to quite a few things this year, this site, cancer, colostomy. I also do not know of anyone else that has a colostomy. This site has helped me understand quite a bit about what has been happening to me. Though I do not understand what pancaking means, my bag has started to come off my flange lately (I wear a two-piece). Because I am still taking chemo, I have been just going with whatever happens (output changes from day to day). Though by reading other posts, I think I can finally get 5 days before I have to change, so happy before I was getting maybe 3 days. Thanks a bunch.
Sorry, got talking about other stuff. I put my belt back on and the bag still came off. I am trying a little baby oil around the rim. I also use colo-magic liners (I seem to have lots of output and not always at once). Good luck.

I came home from the hospital with a couple of videos (promotional) and a few bags and no resources. I had a nurse's card and when I called they said see your doctor. The surgeon was finished, and the primary care physician knew nothing (really). I had thousands of questions. Everything I learned was from this site. A year later, I am doing well.

Liners and bag coming off? No experience - haven't tried liner bags and haven't had the bag getting loose.

Do you have the same problem if you don't use the liners? I am wondering if that could be part of the problem. Let us know what works for you. We are all looking for more and new information.

I use a bag that I just take off and toss, so I haven't considered the liners. The flange may last a couple of days or a week - no set pattern for me.

My 'gut' (pun intended) tells me that the liner could be keeping you from getting a good seal.

I use a Hollister two-piece.

Hi, I also had a colostomy due to cancer. I use a 1 pc Hollister unit with the soft flex material on the barrier. They hold very well, and they don't have that tape adhesive that irritates skin. I have never had a leak or any experience with it coming off. I don't know if you have a regular colostomy or an ileostomy. I have a regular colostomy and pass solid stool. I understand that people with the ileostomies pass liquids and that's why they get leaks and other problems with bags. If you pass solids, you may like the one pc closed end premier by Hollister with the soft flex barrier. Donna

Hi all - yes, I have had seal problems using Colo-Majic liners with two-piece Hollister products. Previously when I used the liners with Convatec products - no problem. Obviously Convatec has the tighter seal.

Why do I feel like I am talking about a "barking animal"?;

Hello

TheGrassBasher,



Thanks for sharing your experiences. I thought I replied to this post before but it obviously did not make its way onto the screen. I seem to have more trouble posting than I do sorting my ostomy!



Back to the post:



The problems you describe were familiar to me at first when I was 'free-flowing' into the bags.  I tried all sorts of oils, digital manipulation, different clothes, different diets etc. to stop pancaking but nothing really worked satisfactorily.



In trying to achieve a reasonable contour to my body there was really little option but to wear tight fitting clothing. However,  its very nature tight clothing would cause pancaking. Sometimes I was having to change my bags or empty them 4-5 times a day - what a pain that was!



I now irrigate and have no such problems.  



Last week I was asking my ostomy nurse why it was that more people didn't irrigate. Apart from the fact that irrigation is not a suitable technique for everyone, she thinks it is because the professionals involved do not introduce people to the concept before and after their operations. There is a period immediately after the op when the ostomy should be given time to heal. However, after a six week period, irrigation should be possible in suitable cases (these tend to be people with colostomies).  

I would urge you to explore this option with your ostomy nurse as it should resolve all the problems you describe and give you the confidence and freedom to do activities such as football without fear of leakages and bags falling off or bursting.  

Best wishes  

Bill

Ayup everyone... Thank you all so much for replying. Sorry for not giving more info, new to all this. Ok, I will try and remember all if not some of the questions you guys are asking.
I have a colostomy and I wear a one-piece Coloplast. It has the rubber flange, no tape, etc. These seem to be the best for sticking to my skin. My bag comes away from the skin when there isn't any air in the bag. Waste hits the front of the bag, doesn't drop down to the bottom of the bag, just continues to push until the bag comes away from the body. I blow the bags up before putting them on. I've used the stickies to cover the filters, thinking too much air is escaping, but this doesn't help either.

Bill, you seem to have had the same issues as me. Chuffed irrigation works for you, fella. I have the irrigation kit at home, waiting for a date to sort. Could you please give me any info on any probs you may have had? I was diagnosed with IBS years ago. Do you know if this will affect irrigation? Nurses are telling me no, but they don't have a colostomy.

I can fix mowers, strimmers, shredders, most machinery but can't seem to fix this problem.
Any help/advice would be fantastic, thanks in anticipation
TheGrassBahser