Share Your Ostomy Tips! Helpful advice for daily life with an ostomy.

Hi, I have the same problem!! It happened to me today - I had a two-piece system on for 6 days, even showering every day, then I changed it because I did not want to push my luck. When I did, I had to change the two-piece system so far 4 times. What I did notice is that my stoma changes size and shape. When it's longer and thinner, my system stays on forever, but when it's short and fat, that is when I have all the trouble. I really don't understand why it does that and I would like some help in either correcting the problem or some way to overcome the issue.

Thanks

Tess

Your going to love this story.
I'm 69 years old and I wear this all the time for support until my hernia belts come in. I went into a local store to buy one. When I got up to the cashier to pay for it, the clerk was looking at me kinda funny. I could just see she was thinking "What is this old guy doing buying a maternity item". I felt she was going to ask, so I beat her to the punch. I told her in case you're wondering, "My girlfriend was pregnant". I thought the girl was going to fall out on the floor she was laughing so hard. Bob

Tess, get either a convex-shaped barrier or ring. What this does is pull out the stoma so you do not have all that acidic drainage at the barrier site. Just make sure you read the directions before using the ring because it looks like you are putting it on backwards. I have an ileostomy and this has saved me so many leaks!!
Eddie

Tess, try a convex ring or barrier. It pulls out the stoma and will prevent leaks. Just be sure you look at the directions before putting on the ring. It looks like you are putting it on backwards.
Eddie

Great tips--thanks! I have a stoma that is high, above my belt line, so I can't comfortably hide it beneath my pants/shorts. I wear long shirts to cover it, and I use a two-piece bag that you can't see through with a nice cover (Hollister 18183 bag). Sometimes that bottom clip part will stick out even when I wear a long shirt, so I will fold the clip part up underneath the mesh cover to shorten the bag. I also keep on hand some good 1' bandage tape, the good stuff made out of vinyl or silk not the paper tape, and will use that across the bottom of the bag and will pull the bag back to tape on my upper thigh to keep the bag out of the way for intimate times.
Now if someone could just come up with a way to keep these stomas from talking! I notice most people give their stomas a male name, but I call mine Pandora. You know, like the Pandora box story--you never know what will come out of that thing, especially noises at the worst times.
KBD

If you're an ileostomy sufferer having problems with thick output pushing the bag away from your skin, and wear a bag capable of being emptied, try adding 1-2 tbsp water into the bag via the outlet when you empty it. If it doesn't directly contact your output while you're upright, try lying down for a few seconds and gently massage the stoma port so that it's cleared.

Here are a few tips learned over my 22 years with a colostomy:
Instead of wearing the flange "square" (i.e. so that the top of the flange is parallel with the tops of your pants), place the flange in a "diamond shape" ... this prevents the elastic of your underwear shortening the lifespan of the flange. I also "picture frame" the flange with Hypa-Fix tape (this ensures the longest possible wear time for your flange and I'm not allergic to this brand of tape). Do NOT use the "vents" or "vented pouches" ... they almost always soak up fluid from the pouch contents, thereby ensuring that everyone in the vicinity knows that you had re-fried beans and a 6-pack for lunch! I keep a bottle of baby powder on the shelf to use on my thigh (just under the pouch), so that on warm days, my pouch isn't making me sweaty. Ever since my surgery, I keep an extra pillow at my right side so that when I am on that side, I can pull the pillow close to me, allowing the pouch (which is on my left side) to "dangle" (this helps to diminish "pancaking" where stool collects at the stoma) ... obviously if you have an ileostomy, the pillow goes on the opposite side. In my kit, I have small curved scissors which I keep sharp for cutting hair close to my stoma and for cutting the hole in the flange. I have found a small light source (battery operated) with a flexible neck and a magnet in the bottom ... this is superb for sitting on top of the Q-Tip lid, right beside the magnifying mirror which I have sitting on the counter in the bathroom ... I stand right in front of this set-up to see where I'm working on my peri-stomal skin.
Since my surgery, I have not slept on my stomach, so the pillow idea is a bit of a minor miracle for me.

Love the "Coins Cover Up"!

Hey gang! There's lots of ostomy supplies out there these days and you can find good undergarments. I have purchased from Ostomy Secrets, Awestomy, Weir Comfees, and C S Ostomy Supply. I have some wraps and I find them to be very useful, but expensive for me. Usually, I purchase underwear and wear 2 pairs at once. I use a hipster or boy leg panty next to my skin and then on top of those wear a regular brief. It works great!

Plus, I have another tip. I purchased a handheld bidet sprayer from American Rinseworks and attached it to my toilet. It has really improved things for me because now I can actually rinse out the pouch completely. I believe it allows me to get another day or two out of the same pouch without having to worry about odors. It also helps to keep the toilet clean!

I have a tip that you may find useful. One of my biggest embarrassments is the sound my colostomy makes. It never fails to happen when I'm around other people or in a quiet area. I've tried to laugh it off, but usually people ask "what's that; that was gross". I've tried all kinds of things to reduce the gas and resulting sounds coming from my colostomy. Well, after much experimentation, I've found the following works very well for me. It would be worth a try for you.

1. Softgel probiotic twice a day (one in the morning, one in the afternoon). I use the CVS brand. Softgels are easier to swallow than the capsules.

2. Aloe softgels twice a day. Aloe helps with digestion and keeping your stomach quiet.

3. Simethicone softgels twice a day (extra strength); anti-gas gels. This doesn't work for me by itself, but in conjunction with the above, it does.

All together, this works for me. I have gotten to the point where I rarely have any active noise problems. I feel much more confident and better able to engage with people in close quarters or intimate situations.

Best trick I have... I wear a Hollister 2 piece... I go to the dollar store and buy doggy poop bags and use them as a liner... works GREAT!! No clogged filters; pretty patterns; LOL and cheap. I change my pouch every 3 to 4 days... I use 2 poop bags every change... one for the liner and one to throw the filled bag into... works like a charm.

That is what I use too. I've noticed they changed the material to denser plastic. I don't like it as well as the transparent one.

Rather than a t-shirt & sewing, buy a cheap fat burner weight belt 6 to 8 inches tall.
Does the same thing. Also, if the doctor will okay and prescribe an antidiarrheal taken a couple of hours earlier, it sure makes the evening "safer".

Listerine strips are a great idea! I assume that you have tried it with no issues? I'm still new to this and worried about hurting the stoma.