LH,
I was thinking the same thing. Other than ostomates, who could discuss the granular details of the most unspeakable of human functions, as nonchalant as people might discuss walking the dog, and with complete strangers I might add? lol There's a great deal of humility in that, which could be a part of what makes ostomates an especially wonderful and sincere group of people. Have a great day, LH!
r/Mark
Hi Mark, thanks for the reply. Yes, the particulars we discuss in conversation are great... funny I work in the healthcare field and talking about health never really bothered me. I am happy that people are open and share because that is how I learn. Anyway, I noticed from your profile that you live in MD. Question.... will you be attending the regional Wash DC/Dulles conference in the Spring? I believe the date is toward the end of April. I missed the one two years ago but am hoping to attend this one. The conference is two or three days and should be a great time. I just returned from the National Conference in St. Louis. What a blast! It was so helpful, educational and entertaining. And, St. Louis was one of my cities to visit on my bucket list.... it is now checked off... LOL. On to the next adventure. Thank you again Mark for your posting and replies. Have a great afternoon, the weather is beautiful here in PA. LH
Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 33,470 members. Get inside and you will see.
It's not all about ostomy. Everything is being discussed.
Many come here for advice or to give advice 🗣, others have found good friends 🤗, and there are also those who have found love 💓. Most of all, people are honest and truly care.
Privacy is very important - the website has many features that are only visible to members.
Create an account and you will be amazed.
Thanks for making me aware of the DC/Dulles regional conference this spring, LH. It sounds like fun and a good way to learn from others. I will certainly try to be there!
I had a colostomy for 5 years and used a 1-piece appliance, hardly ever had pancaking issues. I had it revised to an ileostomy this summer and started to have problems. I switched to a 2-piece appliance and started using more stomadhesive powder, paste, and an Eakin seal. These helped a great deal. I went to the UOAA conference in St. Louis in September and learned quite a bit, including this little nugget of wisdom....when output is thin/watery, it helps to leave a little air in the pouch. I'd been so busy trying to keep it as low-profile as possible, but it works! I'd been using the Mio pouch with a filter, so I just put the little sticker over the filter to block it (they don't have a drainable Mio without a filter). Also, I haven't tried it but I've heard that marshmallows will thicken output.
I hope you find what works for you!
Hi Gutsy Girl, thanks for the tip...someone suggested the air in the pouch at the St. Louis Conference and I completely forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder. I think I may have met you at the conference actually. My husband and I attended and had a good time.
What I dislike the most about the pouch is that my filter always clogs and the pouch shape. With the pouch, there seems to be an extra few inches at the top where the filter is located...the one that clogs right away..... These companies know what they are doing to keep sales figures high, don't they? Anyway, my pouch measures around 11 1/2 inches but 2 inches or so is the top portion above the stoma where the filter sits. If everything could shift downward a bit, I believe the look of the appliance would be better and more functional. Who wants stool gathered at the top of the pouch causing odor? It is simply wasted space. Why don't companies consult the experts... us. Do they? I often wonder. Take care. LH
LH - Reach out to them with feedback. I have, and found that they were very receptive. I'm not expecting change to happen quickly, but they don't know unless we tell them! Now that I learned that the "leave a little air" trick works, I actually want an option without a filter. We can completely customize sneakers from scratch, I wish we could do the same with pouches. :)
Can someone please tell me what the 1 3/4 and the 2 inch actually stand for? I thought it was the size of the hole that's between the wafer and bag but I used a 1 3/4 wafer and a 2 1/4 bag the other day and it worked fine. I guess I just don't understand the difference......Thanks
Hi Pete, no worries....I was talking about the actual pouch length and the top portion of the bag that contains the small filter. I bend it over because it sticks up too high and bending it helps stop the clogging - my pouch filter always clogs after one day and stops working. I do not use a filterless pouch, one, because Coloplast does not make one in my wafer size and two, I do not want ballooning while I am on the road with work. And, I do not think I would ever be able to burp the bag successfully without causing a mess:(
You are correct though...the wafer also has sizes printed such as 1", 1 1/4", 2 " etc for the stoma size. Sorry for the confusion. Have a nice day. LH
There's another option called the Osto-EZ-Vent for those who don't want to burp the bag or depend on an undependable filter:
http://www.kemonline.com/content/home/
I used Hollister two-piece devices (I've had a takedown just a month ago). Hollister's customer support is really fine. And I liked their products much more than the Convatec I tried in the beginning.
What my insurance provided for was the barriers, pouches, lubricant/deodorant, powder if needed for chafed areas (hardly ever used), and spray adhesive. The ostomy nurse who came to teach me how to use all that stuff advised spraying the adhesive on my skin and then applying the barrier. Pah! Bad advice. Hollister advised spraying the adhesive on the inner seal area of the barrier, and then applying it to the skin/stoma area, and peeling off the paper for the secondary material beyond the inner seal. When I started doing that, the leaks under the inner seal stopped.
They recommended changing the barrier every 4 days, and changing the bag every 2 days. I did that religiously, and had no problems with blocked filters. The only time I noticed any odors was when I ate onions -- they worked really fast! Otherwise, I was stink-free. Every time I emptied the bag, I'd add some deodorant-lubricant, and that helped a lot, especially in keeping things moving downward from the stoma toward the bottom of the bag.
Hope this info is of some use.
Cabbage
Hi, living in Las Vegas is good. Looking to find friends to communicate with on email. I'm 82, live in Sun City and am very active. I'm out all the time. There's so much to do here, cards, exercise, swim, etc. I am a widow and live alone and am just looking for friends to talk to. I have lots of hobbies to talk about. Had my colostomy a year ago and I'm doing okay but occasionally have questions.
Hi Cabbage,
Welcome to the forum. It's wonderful that you have so many hobbies. Sounds like you know how to enjoy your time.
Laweiler1 I would not take the anti-diarrhea tablets every day. You need more protein in your diet, peanut butter, sardines (if you like them), or I
eat peanuts at night, and that helps to thicken my output when needed. Good luck.