Wafer fit around stoma - snug or loose?

Hey Scord, not sure you got an answer to your question.  You know, we seem to take things for granted when all is going well and we forget we were once in desperate need of help.  I hope I can help.  If the sore area is very close, almost touching your stoma, it's from the stuff coming out of the stoma making contact with bare, unprotected skin.  If it's a centimeter or so away from the stoma I think a change in your prep can help.  I try to allow no space between the stoma and the flange without "choking" the stoma and I use Cavilon barrier wipes on the skin surrounding it.  The sore needs to get healed and there are lots of folks here to tell you how to accomplish that.

Good luck,

Mike

Hi tudibird.... If you don't use, please try a barrier ring. It goes on before the wafer, tight around the stoma, then the wafer. It's a buffer between your skin and the wafer. I finally tried it and now will not bag up without one. If you get the moldable kind, you stretch it to fit your stoma.....truly a blessing in my case.

Tracy

If you have an ostomy nurse, listen to her....not all home nurses are trained or knowledgeable in ostomy care as a whole or the basics....hope your nurse changes it for you tomorrow. Take your supplies and moldable ring, ask her to walk you through the fit and cut before you leave her....keep us posted, hun.

I'm about 5 weeks post-op and also down to 1 1/8”. I've used cut-to-fit Hollister for the entire time until today. I tried a sample of ConvaTec moldable wafer today. I'm not sure I got the opening correct and wonder if it's too snug.

On a side note, the barrier ring is super helpful with skin breakdown. Also, using the “crusting” method with stoma powder and barrier film cleared me up in a week.