Hi Chris,

I am new to all this as well and it took me several weeks to even attempt changing the bag on my own. I had a very rough start with leaking, lack of knowledge and short on supplies upon leaving the hospital.

My daughter changed everything for me, and I have/had high, liquidy output all the time due to trying to regulate my diet.  We did a lot of rushing.  She had a stack of clean paper towels and gauze that she would use as a tent over the stoma.  She had to repeat the cleaning whenever I erupted.

i realized the output slows down considerably for me from 8am to noon.  I now change my own bag once my output has slowed down for at least an hour and I avoid eating until after I finish changing.  If you get lucky enough to have time to change before the site gets active you might find, like I did, that the stinging goes away.  I feel like I experience stinging when my Eakin seal is not close enough to the stoma so I try and fit it as closely as possible.  I wouldn't reuse anything that's not sterile if you are stinging.

Eric's Eakin seal video helped me.   Also watching him change his set was very helpful.

My stoma nurse also recommended that One more thing I do is have a heating pad and towel ready.  Once I change the set, I out the heating pad on low with a towel underneath it, and I keep this over the system for a good 10-15 minutes after changing.  It might be overkill, but I feel it enhances how well the adhesive sticks to my skin.

...then be prepared for your plans to go haywire!  I was all set to change then I erupted!   It took a bit longer cleaning up but I decided to shower first and this bought me more time to get extra clean before the new system was applied.

Good luck!

Hey Chris, sorry that you're having a frustrating beginning - it does get easier!

For reference: 

How to Change an Ostomy Appliance (w/ video)

A Mini Guide to Ostomy Supplies : Barrier Rings (w/ video)

Let's go over a few points

I had an ilieostomy, and I try to do it at a time when my stoma is quite but so far there has always been some activity. How do you guys deal with that?

I keep a "kitchen catcher" bag hanging off my waistband to catch anything that falls out of my stoma. When I'm done cleaning around my stoma I wrap a bit of gauze around it to keep the skin around my stoma free of any fluids or stool.

Do you have to reclean the skin and dry and then rush before it happens again whenever it spits something out?

With the gauze in place, there's no need to go crazy cleaning again, but I always make sure the area is clean before I move to the next steps.

And when I put the eakin ring on and that activity occurs, then what? I freaked out yesterday and threw the dirty ring out and then rushed to grab another and get it on before anything else came out again. That was after another frustrating clean up and rush. Can you clean the eakin ring and reuse it? Does it matter if it's dirty?

Once a barrier ring is wet, it's useless - this is why I like putting them right on the wafer. Once you're ready to put your appliance on, it goes on and that's it - no time in-between for something to happen.

Eric: if you read this, you mentioned in a video that you apply the ring to your wafer. Is there a video showing how you do this? Is it just a matter of sticking it to the backside or do you mould it into a shape?

The barrier ring article shows how I do it.

oh.. and I'm feeling a little bit of stinging periodically... and this is just after my bag change yesterday.

That's pretty normal, especially since you're so new. I was stingy and itchy at the beginning, but your skin will adjust.  Now, if you notice a lot of redness or anything like that under the wafer, it could indicate a sensitivity or something else. 

The skin around your stoma will likely itch a bit as a little bit of that skin will still be in contact with the effluent from your stoma. Changing regularly while your stoma is still changing size is a good way to minimize any skin burns.

Hi Chris, You will get the hang of it. I am almost exactly two years out from my illiostomy  (stomaversary..I have heard it called).

The first few weeks the picture in my mind was this:

You know those scenes in western movies when they are breaking the wild horse to the saddle? Those close ups of the horses's darting panicked eyes, the sweat, the trembling? That was me! 

It does get lots better. You & your new best friend will adapt to each other.

One ( or two tips):

Buy a ton of really cheep cotton wash cloths ( the kind that come in bundles of 12).  I use them to cover my stoma after a shower, while I am replacing the wafer/bag etc. They are great for quick wipes etc. I even sleep with one under my pillow in case of a leak in the night. If you can find colored ones on sale buy a bunch of those, the uglier the better. The white ones will get nature's tie dye over time.. ( sure you have to wash them, but they are reusable forever).

You will figure out when is the best time to change, when there is the least output, but it can and does happen anytime.

Like Eric recommends, I also apply the barrier ring to the wafer BEFORE I put it on my body. Press it on there hard, smooth out the outer edges, and try to keep it flat..not lumpy from your fingers. Handle it as little as possible. I leave a small ring of it within the opening that goes around the stomas.  Depending on your fit, this might help to seal it. Experiment with how much. ( I use Hollister stuff with an Eakins barrier ring), I also put a 'bead' of stomapowder just around the base of the stoma ( dry it first)..then blow off the excess with the hairdryer.

I use a hair dryer to warm and dry everything. Heating pad as recommended above will also help. Warmth & pressure ( as well as dryness) seem to be the things that help it adhere.

And, keep breathing! As in the great opening lines to  "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy " 'DON'T PANIC'.

I'm a bit like Eric, I hold a small plastic bag underneath my stoma if it starts being active. However I find that swearing at my stoma and telling it that I'm not putting the bag on until it stops really helps lol.

I've tried all kinds of swearing, but that doesn't seem to make a difference in my case ;)

I really appreciate all the tips and words of encouragement. Of course the videos and articles are invaluable. Ill definitely use some gauze/wash cloths and try to attach the ring to the wafer. Plus, I'll have a heating pad at the ready. I'll let you know how it all goes on my next change!

Thanks again,

Chris

Hi again Chris,

I forgot to mention that I change my 'stuff' while sitting up in bed , basically laying down,( not standing ...although I can do it that way). I just find it easier and more relaxing. Gravity seems to be with me when I do it this way. If anything escapes my stoma during this time it sort of pools and I can mop it up. I can also see my stoma better. As you know, its hard to tell by just feel if anything is coming out. Anyway, maybe worth a try. I do lay on a bath towel, just in case.

Good luck!

Posted by: Dona

I forgot to mention that I change my 'stuff' while sitting up in bed , basically laying down,( not standing ...although I can do it that way). I just find it easier and more relaxing.

This can work for many people, but be cautious that if you apply your wafer while sitting that the skin may stretch when you stand up. I've seen some ostomates develop "mechanical dermatitis" when their skin is trying to stretch under the adhesive of the wafer. Easy to fix, but not so easy to figure out what's happening.

Good point Eric!

 I am careful to kind of flatten everything out. One of those things you just have to get the 'hang' of, so to speak.   I have a pretty flat stomach and the wafer misses my belly button. I think I use this method since its what they showed me in the hospital and the home nurses who came for a few weeks.

I forgot to mention that I REMOVE the bag etc standing up, then shower, then lie down to put new stuff on.

Gravity helps with the removal part! Use some adhesive remover too.. be kind to your skin!

So I decided to change my bag this am after 4 days. I was a little itchy and was interested in seeing if the barrier ring fiasco I went through last time was effective or perhaps the opposite. 

I am always really dehydrated in the morning.. it's actually kinda rediculous, but I still didn't drink when I awoke. I moved around a lot.. took out the garbage and recycling, cleaned the dog poop off the lawn, but I didn't take in any food or liquid. 

My surgeon, for some reason, gave me a stoma with a freaking map of Italy sticking out of one side. So its no where close to round. Which is going to drive me nuts in the future I'm sure. Anyway, the skin is red around the Italian "boot" and so I applied powder, barrier wipes and a barrier ring all over the place.

The good news is.. my stoma was quiet for the whole thing! I had gauze at the ready however, but never needed to cover it. I was planning on trying it lying down but everything was going so nicely, I just forgot and kept going standing up. 

I took an eakin ring and tore it in half and applied it to the wafer I cut. I kind of covered over the "boot" part of the stoma with the wafer and barrier ring. I don't think any poop comes out of this area so I'm hoping it can't be too bad a decision. Otherwise I would have to cut the wafer in a really weird shape. 

Ive attached what the finished product looked like. 

Anyway.. all in all it was a happy change and I feel really good about it. I did lie down afterward and applied warmth to it for a bit. 

I dont one think I needed to change it today so I think I'm going to go 5 days before the next change.

One thing I did consider was the bag I was throwing away didn't really seem to be in a throw away state. I felt like I was wasting. I may consider going two changes with one bag. What are the potential issues I might run into doing this? 

Anyway, thanks again for all the tips. I was much more relaxed this time. :)

Wow, Chris! Great job!

4 days is actually really good! I wasn't able to to get more than 2-3 at the beginning, so you're off to a great start!

I know people who reuse their bags for weeks - there really isn't a problem doing that, unless you want a fresh filter every time you change your wafer. You may also notice the fabric on the bag starting to tear or look worn out, so you may decide to change it then. 

I hope that things continue to go well!

I'm impressed with 4 days too, I was lucky to last one day initially. I then got in the habit of changing it twice a week, seemed a waste to do it more often.

In the old days people wore rubber bags that they would wash out and keep re-using. A friend of mine works for a supply company and she told me that someone ordered one the other day. I don't know how long the bags last but as she has been working for the company for about 6 months I'm guessing a long time.

Yeah I guess the filters would be the biggest problem. I notice that - while I was sleeping on my back due to my wound infection - the output had nowhere to go and so would clog the filter up. Now I'm getting a little comfortable sleeping on my left side and just last night rotated my bag to sit down over my belly button. Seemed to work.. maybe I'll get more use out of the filter this way.

Also, the ezvent would help get me further I think.

I just don't know about the whole washing it out thing. I have an issue (mostly because I'm just not used to it) with having poop anywhere else in the bathroom but the toilet. I guess the most sanitary place would be the shower and then bleach the hell out of it?

If I lived alone things might be different.. but I joked to my wife that I got a little poop on her toothbrush the other day and she didn't find it as funny as I did. I told her I rinsed it three times but it didn't make a difference.

Anyway, lets say what today brings.

(Now that I said that I'm definitely going to have a leak)

Chris, great job on the 4 days and the lack of eruption during your change!  I'm going fine now so I decided 4 days is my time.  By the end of day 3 it's starting to feel a little, I dunno, sore maybe?  It's so different for everyone

Yes Chris... four days is great! Especially this soon after your surgery. I get four to five days now ( two years with my best friend the stoma ).

I think everyone maybe gets a 'feeling' under the wafer when its starting to break down. Mine feels sort of like my skin crawling.. or like an itch. 

One thing you can do if you have to ( or want to ) sleep on your back and you are having thick output, is to just sort of squish it DOWN .. off the stoma and into the bottom part of the bag. This will help with the dreaded pancaking ( read all about it on this blog .. Eric has a good bit on it.)

You should be able to do this squishing and not even have to wake up much. I use a Hollister bag, and the so called filter does not intrude into the bag space.  ( I .. or rather saintly my husband, ads an EZ-vent to each bag).

Sarah,

That was an interesting post about the rubber bags that people used to use ( and apparently some still do).

I have often wondered about the history of these appliances that make life quite good for us ostomates.

 As much as we complain about some aspects,so many improvements must have been made over the years with the advent of new plastics and adhesives ( let alone the surgical techniques and imaging technologies).

Thanks.

I have had a eleostom for eight years I use coplast products all the time 

I find they are better than any I have tried and I tried  a lot 

if you eat earlier in the day before I go to bed it is a lot easier to change in the morning when I get up up as it is very quiet nothing really comes out of my stomy 

i am 81 years old I do it all on my own nobody helps me 

I Change my everything every 5 to 6 days with no problem

Drink a lot of water that helps in the emptying it a lot 

I hope this helps you 

from this old guy

jeff smith

Jeff, thank you for giving us the benefit of your experience!  As a newbie, I appreciate hearing your experiences and hints