Posted by: @dickie

Maybe a bit off topic, for my two piece system, I am going to reuse a bag maybe once a month so that if a bag should fail I could have plenty of replacements. I'll just pick one that's pretty clean and rinse it out for reuse. I could build up a small supply - half a dozen - extra bags should I need to change pouches because of pouch failure before it's time to do a full replacement.

In general I find that my wafers last longer than my pouches, and put on a new pouch when I change the wafer.  I rinse my bags out when I empty them, so doing a bit of extra cleaning to transfer a bag to a new wafer is not such a stretch, and I did this once when I had insufficient supplies on hand.

I wouldn't try cleaning and drying a pouch for future use, but if you can 'stretch' a bag from one wafer to the next then that 'saves' a new one.

I am currently using far fewer wafers or pouches than my insurance would cover, but I don't like to be wasteful.

I find that a water based lube really helps with pancaking and cleaning the pouch.

I've also found that I prefer the coloplast bags without the built in filter.  I use their external stick on filters, and find that I can push a pin through the center again when the filter clogs.  The filter clogging is the limiting factor for how long I can use a bag.  I wish they made these with the opaque cover.

-Jon

@dickie ugh, pancaking - I have tried so many things, and I keep air in the bag, and a little water, drinking a little prune juice - anything that seems to help is only short-term and slight. I used a filter bag once and, my goodness, yes, a vacuum, as you said! And who wants a shrink-wrapped stoma?! 😊 not me!

@winnie

I don't keep a used bag for later use but just reuse it for the immediate, next appliance change when changing base plates. I wouldn't suggest keeping one or more used bags for any length of time.

@dickie

As always, I am coming in late on this, but regarding Coloplast, I did have one box that seemed to have problems. That only happened once and have never had any problems since. I use the Sensura Mio one-piece because it prevents any skin problems under the barrier. I use the filtered version because the unfiltered uses clear bags. To solve the problem of pancaking, I place a shower cover over the filter - that way I have the best of both worlds when needed.

Stella

I've used Convatec products for about 35 years. I never had this happen until 1 month ago, but now it has happened 5 times. I reported it to convatec but I'm out of town and couldn't supply the lot number to them. I suspect I just have a defective batch, but it sure is frustrating!

Posted by: @stevestei

I reported it to convatec but I'm out of town and couldn't supply the lot number to them. I suspect I just have a defective batch, but it sure is frustrating!

Welcome, Steve. Give us a follow-up if ConvaTec confirms that there was something wrong with your batch, and how they decide to make it right for you.

It's a shame to hear that you run into these problems after decades of success, but I do hope it's just a one-off issue.