Need better ostomy appliance suggestions for a concave stoma

I am new at this, I think the term is newbie. Anyway, the hospital used a Hollister appliance on me after surgery, sent me home with the same. And that is what I have ordered from the medical supply.

But, I am having to change EVERY DAY. The wafer is melting and causing all kinds of rash problems. My nurse/friend said I am doing everything right. So I wonder if there might be a better product out there.

I have 10 pouches left and it takes the medical supply at least 4 days to deliver, so time is of the essence. My nurse also told me that my stoma is concave. So that I needed to add a belt. This did not make a big difference. WOULD love some new product suggestions. Thanks, hon.

I like Hollister but use Brava rings from Coloplast.

Have you tried a convex appliance? Call the Hollister customer service and talk with a rep to see what samples they can send. You could also try other manufacturers as they will all be willing to send you samples.

I finally found a solution with a 2-piece Hollister, with a Brava ring, and using a good skin prep.

Wish you luck figuring all this out. In the beginning, it can be quite frustrating. I'm 6 months into this and still learning.

Good evening Honeymama,

What kind of stoma? Colostomy, ileo?... If you have colostomy on the left side like me, you could try irrigation because I also have a big concave stoma. My collar takes off after an hour or two, even with the Brava ring. It's the reason I start irrigation.... I put too much money in 1 year for all kinds of products... Let me know, please.

Regards

Danielle from Québec, Canada

The best way to try new products is to order samples through the companies. The other two big companies besides Hollister are Convatec and Coloplast. There are smaller companies like Marlen (who I use) and Nu-Hope who also do samples. I ordered a ton of samples, tried them all, then ordered what I liked the best. Before I found my perfect combo of products, I was changing my bag daily or two times a day. If you are not already using a convex wafer, make sure you are doing that, as it will push the stoma out. Make sure you are using a barrier spray, barrier ring or paste, medical adhesive (which is optional but helps a lot with wafers and bags sticking), and barrier strips (which reinforce the edges of the wafer). Also, make sure you are measuring your stoma every time you change your bag for the first 3 months. Hollister is used by the hospitals because it is the cheapest ostomy supplies. If I didn't use Marlen, I would use Coloplast, which is extremely popular. Whatever you do, make sure you get a convex wafer and barrier strips and see if that helps.

Hello Honeymama. Welcome and what a lovely name! There is some good advice above which I wholeheartedly endorse. get as many samples as you can to see if there is anything that suits you best. Eventually I all-but gave up on the manufactured items because none of them really suited my needs. The problem for me lay in the baseplates, so I now make my own and stick the manufacturers wafers to those. It does mean that I can continuously tweak my own devices until they are as good as they can get and I only have myself to blame if I cannot get them exactly right. The advantage is that both the finished baseplates and the manufactured goods last a very long time, so I'm not forever fiddling with them now I've got them more or less as I want. I don't recommend inventing your own stuff until you have explored everything that is on offer as these things have been well researched and developed to suit most people so there should be little need for most people to DIY.

Best wishes

Bill  

What are you using to seal? Paste or wax ring? I use the two-piece Hollister, 7/8th inch convex skin barrier and the wax rings to seal with. They are moldable so it can be molded to fit the skin barrier. I change mine on Sunday and Thursday. I got really bad, raw skin for a while but I used the skin wipe and stoma powder which cleared it up. You can look up other companies and request samples to try out. They are really nice about it but continuously hound you with phone calls about how you liked it. I would rather call them if I liked or didn't like the product. Just keep your skin dry and if you are using a one-piece, try a two. Good luck and welcome to this awesome site! It has been my lifeline!!

Hi honey,

I was sent home with Convetec one-piece which were actually about 3-4 pieces and horrible. One day I changed 3 times! Never got more than 3 days. I changed to the Coloplast one-piece which is actually one piece and so easy to get on. I get about 8 days out of the first one and 5-6 usually but still had leaks. I started using the Brava Y-shapes barrier strips and they solved all of those problems. I got more use from a pouch and if there was a leak the pouch adhesive would fail but the Brava strip gave me extra time to get to somewhere to change before I had poop everywhere! Then I started irrigation! (Colostomy here). I found that a two-piece works ten times better even if I did not irrigate! I irrigate every 2 days and still have some output but that is because of my eating habit! I continue to use the two-piece and just pop the pouch off and irrigate and pop it back on afterwards. I change the flange and pouch every 6 days! Really cuts down on the supplies you use so you can build up a reserve!

Order as many types of pouches from each of the companies, they will get them to you in just 2-3 days so you can order after you try them and find the perfect fit! They usually send 3 of each that you ask for. Ask for each brand's one piece and two piece.

Puppy

I've had mine for 10 years now, so I'm very comfortable with it. I did a lot of searching and asked quite a few companies for samples. First, do a search on YouTube. I was surprised by all the info on supplies and problems. Even after 10 years, I learned a few new things! I use a one-piece Coloplast Sensura Mio most of the time, and I use a Brava moldable seal with it. My stoma has gotten smaller the last few years, so I switched to a light convex, but you probably don't need that. I've found that the Brava moldable seal makes things last much longer, and seals like glue! Here's what I do: First, if I have any areas that are irritated, I take a little hydrocortisone cream (cream NOT ointment) and rub it in well until it's dry. Then I use protective barrier wipes. If you have insurance, these are very inexpensive, like 2 for a box of 30 or 50. Wipe all around the area that will have the barrier, then let dry completely. It only takes about a minute. All the videos and all the info tells you to put the seal on then the barrier. No matter what I did, that way leaked half the time. I do it this way: Cut your barrier to the size of your stoma, with just about a hair's width wider. Use a hairdryer on medium and warm up the seal for about 30 seconds, makes it very pliable and sticks quicker. Then place the seal on the barrier with the seal opening slightly smaller than the barrier. This way you can have it very close to the stoma, touching it and sealing all skin without a chance of irritating the stoma. I use the seal covers, the thin pieces that keep the seal fresh, put them over the seal, both of them so it's all covered, and use the top of a small spray can to press them together FIRMLY. Then I take off the thin seal covers and place them around my stoma and put pressure for a minute and I'm good to go. I'm very active, running and training dogs, so I perspire easily and am twisting all over, and this holds tight. The other brand I like is Cymed. Their barrier is as thin as cellophane, and when on, you can hardly feel it, and I never have leak issues, as they have a seal built-in. They are more time-consuming to empty, just because the opening is smaller than Coloplast. I hope I explained clearly enough, but don't hesitate to ask questions.