Hi Jonathon, A few suggestions until Eric can answer you with more detailed knowledge. The flange being close to the belly button have you tried to wear it as a diamond. and also now you are Vegan I can say the output would be thicker? and could this be causing pancaking! leading to leaks. Going back to yer old diet when you now have embraced the new life style would be a shame!! look at it this way Eric is doing it and showing it works along with many other Vegan Ostomates. Plus this could just could be a total coincidence that the trouble has started at this time. 

John, yes, I am looking forward to Eric's answer.. Thicker?????? 

Jonathon, thanks for being a part of our community and bringing up this interesting topic!

I want to focus on this part of what you wrote:

 I've always had issues with leaks because of my stoma's low profile and its placement right near my belly button (the appliance actually covers part of my belly button), but I felt like I had it relatively under control until going plant based.  Since then, it hasn't been uncommon to have to change the bag (appliance) within 24 hours and one day I actually had three bag changes.  I noticed my output was generally thicker than when I ate meat, although not always.

I use the 2-piece Sensura Mio from Coloplast and I feel like I've tried everything..... using barrier rings, not using barrier rings, trying a smaller flange size, using strip paste, using more strip paste, using the gooey paste, flange extenders, applying heat from a heating pad, no heat, skin prep, etc.  

There are several clues here that I'd like to explore!

First and foremost, have you tried using a convex wafer? Your type of stoma is the perfect type for convexity. That may help with the leaks altogether. 

You mention thicker output. With my stoma, when my output is thicker my stoma will retract somewhat whenever there is any output on the way. This is actually something that happens more when I'm experiencing a partial blockage. 

If your stoma is already low-profile and you experience the same retraction, it will cause leaks 100% of the time. 

Are you able to wear clear bags for a week (or use the inspection window of your bag if you have one) to see whether or not your stoma retracts whenever you're about to have a bowel movement? 

Also, do you find any particular foods make these problems worse? Consider keeping a food diary and keep track of the leaks in relation to specific foods you're eating - if there's a pattern, we can investigate further.  

Hi

I too have a Stoma very close to where my belly button was & a very low profile. I use a deep convexity sensura mio 2 piece appliance with a belt (that fits this baseplate) Without the belt I have leaks & change daily, but with belt get 3 days out of baseplate. I too eat lots of veggies but find eating slowly & chewing food really well & eating smaller amounts makes a huge difference. Also increasing fluid intake helps as well. Everyone is so different but I hope you can sort it out.

PS I use barrier ring & 2 flange extenders on belly button side, using hair dryer to make sure 'all dry' beforehand.

Cheryl

Hi there,  I too have "low profile" stoma as well as a deep scar on one side from a previous ostomy, that can cause some leaks, so I understand your situation.  Do you have access to ostomy nurses are your local hospital or clinic. I had two awesome ostomy nurses that went above and beyond to find an appliance and pouch that worked for me. I used to use the Sensura Mio, but my nurses found that the Hollister products worked better for me. Perhaps if you could contact the nurses they could help problem solve this dilemma with you.

Hi All,

Thanks for reading my post and commenting.  Looks like a few of you have questions about my situation, so I'll elaborate a bit more for you.

Captrue - Yes, I do have access to stoma nurses and they know me very well by now!  I noted in the second paragraph that I've tried Hollister in the past and it simply hasn't worked for me because the edges of the flange would go over my belly button and not have anything to stick to.  I use the extenders to help with that issue, but because the Hollister flange has a fabric top it makes it difficult for the extenders to stick.  So unfortunately, that option has been exhausted.  But I will continue to go to the stoma nurses until I find a solution.

Cheryl - It's been a while since I tried the deep convex flange, but I might give that another shot.  I started with the deep convex, but then moved to the light convex because I was concerned that the convexity was leaving a gap leading to leaks (I was down 50 lbs at the time and so I though the distance between the flat sticky part and the deep convex wasn't actually sticking to my stomach.... a problem I no longer have now!).  Now that I use the strip paste, maybe that will help fill the void.  I've tried the stretchy belt that connects to the flange in the past but it always came undone.  I hated it and now cut those hooks off before putting on the new flange.  And yes, I do drink lots of water, but I do need to work on my chewing (old habits are hard to break sometimes).

John - Yes, I often wear the flange vertically (diamond) as opposed to horizontal.  It was recommended to me by my GI doctor who, fortunately for me, has actually had the same surgery.  So he not only has the technical knowledge, but the life experience.  I like it because less of the flange has to cross my belly button meaning more of it can stick to my skin.  Interestingly though, one of the stoma nurses advised against it, but I think it is more of an old school mentality.    

Eric/Marcie - I have generally had thicker output, even when I was eating meat, but I find it has been a little thicker having gone veggie.  I always line the toilet with toilet paper and it can still sometimes take 2-3 flushes to get everything to go down (that may be TMI!).  Nothing in particular comes to mind when it comes to eating certain food to make my output thicker.  John eluded to pancaking and, coupled with your thoughts on retracting stomas, I think you are on the right path.  My stoma loves to "volcano" whenever it get the opportunity to breath fresh air and so I have seen my stoma retract slightly.  With the low profile, I find that the flange doesn't go around the stoma, but sort of sits to the side of it.  So when I do have a particularly large, thick output incident, I suspect it is hitting to other slide of the bag and then pushing back.  And since lip of the flange is adjacent to the top of the stoma (instead of being around it), there is the potential for output to fill any gaps leading to leaks. 

Looks like I have a few more things to try, but I'm concerned the ultimate answer will be another surgery to re-position the stoma.  I'm not keen on the idea because I'm not sure where it would go that isn't close the current stoma location (possibly leading to leaks towards the stoma scar) or be placed in an area where I am more prone to hernias.  On the bright side, it sounds like I can stick to my plant based diet! 

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to comment.  I'll let you know how it goes :)

Jonathon