I feel for you. There are probably a few variables that you'll need to keep an eye out on. 

But first, what wafer are you using? Is it a tape border or the thicker hydrocolloid? Write a product code down so I can see. 

Do you think that bending might be causing the problem? In addition, sweat can often reduce the wear time of some appliances and some people will often change after strenuous activity or workouts - this can depend on the wafer used and sometimes our own body chemistry. 

Is your bag being supported by anything? It's also possible that with activity your bag is tugging on the wafer, which will also create problems. 

I think we can come up with a few solutions, but lets address each of those points first. 

Hi Terry, That’s frustrating especially when you feel enough to work out. I can give an idea of what works for me. I work in construction and bend,lift and sweat. Also wear work belts and heavy outdoor work wear.. I do my change when I come in from work so by the next day it’s had time to settle in. I use the heavy hydrocollied wafer. I wear the bag inside and it’s held snug with boxer briefs. I fit the wafer at an angle so it’s not creasing when bending. As Eric has said I empty a little more often to stop tugging. I have a habit of using baby powder around my waist when dressing as I feel it helps with sweat. Breathable clothing as well. I find some of the supports or aids can cause more problems although you do need to maybe consider a belt if you’re weight lifting. Remember there is always a solution 👍

Hi Terry,

@varg55 Glad you are up for getting back into your workouts!

I'm finally doing modified gym workouts 3x week and upping my walks to slow 5k hill runs.  (surprise ileostomy last thanksgiving). Figuring out the appliance has been a challenge, but I'm starting to sort it out.

I need at least a soft support to avoid creating leaks and discomfort pretty much all the time, and the more secure stealth belt for more strenuous activity. Its warm and humid (90" rain/year) here & I was getting heat rash under the support belt. I cut the neck/arms off a cotton tank top, then doubled over the rest of it, cut a small round hole through the 2 layers to fit snuggly around the barrier ring, and I slip this on under the stealth belt. As soon as I'm done with my workout, I take the belt and tank top band off to dry. The cotton fabric is wicking enough sweat away from my body to stop the heat rashes.

I use the 2 piece Hollister. For me, the bigger, thicker wafer sticks better than the thinner smaller one.  I've started playing with shaping about 2/3 of it into a snake and sticking that in a ring around the opening of the barrier ring, with a bit of overlap to create a good seal and keep the plastic ring from poking my stoma. My little volcano is quite active and a bit of a shape shifter, so the wafer cushion seems critical to me in preventing leaks, especially when I start doing weights or bouncing around running.

Hope some of this helps. I've still got a lot to learn - thanks for starting this thread!

Marian

I have a colostomy and wear a 1 piece.  and yes,  wear time goes downhill fast,  the more you move.   skiing, mountain biking, surf ski kayaking reaks havoc on the seal.  I do not find sweat to be the problem.  I've done 30mile mountain bike races in hot weather and a new bag held well completly soaked in sweat.  also kayaking for hours in the surf, being wet all day in a wetsuit.   for me,  its just all the constant twisitng,turning,bending that loosens the seal around the stoma where leaks start migrating from.

I swear by the 1 piece bag with its highly flexible flange.   , the coloplast sensura works pretty darn good.  the Cymed micro skin is a bag you should try.  in the past their bag was the gold standard for staying on.  but they've changed their supplier and I do not like the drain end- too hard to clean.

@jeff...Hello Jeff and welcome to VO! Here is where you get support of all kinds and also learn that you have super powers!! lol!! I always thought mine was the eyes in the back of my head! 

I think that if you want to bring this topic up with your Doctor you very well should. As a matter of fact let me fully encourage you to do just that.  A few things to bring up would be that you rely on exercise for your health and that the placement is affecting your quality of life.   List a few things....leaks, in public or not, time consuming changes...you'll figure it out.  Tho not dramatically as cancer or other diseases, I think if its preventing you from living as normal a life as possible, I wouldn't hesitate to bring it up at all.  I know that stomas are moved for various reasons, though I'm not sure this is one, but your a strong healthy person & they will be in there anyways, it can't hurt to ask. Risk.  I think the biggest risk is further scar tissue.

If they consider this,  ask for the help of a stoma  nurse to help find just the right place for it so there's no error made. They can mark your tummy for it as well. Be sure and take your clothing styles in preference to.  The worse they can say is no, so go for it!! Good luck, keep us in the loop! 

@jeff 

Have you tried building up a bit of the wafer material by your belly button crease? Or applying a bit of paste?

For a while, I had a crease on either side of the stoma that was where I was getting leaks. They re-purposed the cut they had made for the robotic device to retrieve the 4cm colorectal tumor during my initial resection surgery which was about 10 days before the emergency Ileostomy. Those creases went away as the larger opening closed up to fit my stoma. I didn't have any luck with the paste, though I saw some videos of others that used it, but adding a tiny bit more of the wafer material to fill the cracks did help. 

I think my reduced wear now is more from motion than the sweat. My issue with the sweat is heat rash, and the layer of cotton material I put under my stealth back has taken care of that. 

I feel fortunate we have these challenges when it means we're getting back to our active lives. 

@jeff

Hope the extra 'plumbers puddy' does the trick. Be careful to leave plenty of the surrounding adhesive tape in contact with the skin, and a little heat (your hand or a hair drying on low) once installed helps mold it all into place. I put the wafer material on the appliance as part of my prep, then give it a quick blast with the hair dryer right before I stick it to my body, then press it against my skin right around my stoma before I snap on the pouch.

Good luck with it and keep up the good sweat!

Marian

@mmz...Marian & Jeff...I want to make sure you all know that Coloplast makes a C Shaped tape that extends the width of the tape to the tummy surface. It comes in 2 different sizes.  I can't exercise to the extent that it sounds like you do, but I walk a lot, I've always groomed my own dogs who have had long hair daily & plenty of play time on the floor.  I  grow my own Veggie garden & flower beds. There's a lot of bending involved in gardening.

The C-Shaped tapes... Coloplast Elastic Tape Barrier Strips. Ref.# 12070 for original size & Ref.# 12076 for extra large. Guys, you may want to shave first!  I use the C Shaped tapes and love them. They have allowed me to stop leaks before they get to my clothing!  They will send you samples so be sure & ask for them in the two sizes. When applying, place then on top of  the edge of the wafer not just the taped area.  Hollister also makes a air spritz that settles room odour very well. They sent a sample to me not long ago & though I don't need it often as my output smells like roses, haha...it has been very helpful when in public restrooms. Whats one more thing in the carry bag at this point anyways?! Keep up the good work!!! 

@veganostomyThanks for your reply.  When I had my worst blow-out, just 24 hours after changing my appliance, I was wearing a Coloplast Brava, Code 12037.  I had previously worn this same combination, two piece Hollister and same barrier ring successfully for four straight days before changing on the fifth and finding I probably could have even gone longer.  This barrier ring is the one I have been wearing since starting the gym workouts.  One time I went three days but when I changed it I could see my output had gotten under the barrier ring all around the flange and would not have lasted much longer.  I never had a problem with sweat during the summer months, so I tend to think it's more related to movement.  I'm not doing a lot of bending, but when I'm pumping my legs up and down on the elliptical (for 30 minutes) it's probably tugging a bit on the appliance.  Sometimes I tuck the end of the pouch into my waistband which is at hip level under my stoma, but often the pouch is unsupported.  I always empty before I begin my workout and I do it at a time that things are not very active at all, so I don't think that is a problem.  

Another question, is the barrier ring used for it's extra adhesive or is it primarily to protect the skin around the stoma?  I'm wondering if I'd be better off if I didn't wear a barrier ring.  When they sent me home from hospital the ostomy nurse gave me a bunch of pouches with convex flanges, but didn't even mention barrier rings.  I only started wearing them because they were recommended on another ostomy support site for ileostomates with very sensitive skin.  My peristomal skin seems to be in pretty good shape now.

Many thanks,

Terry

@mmzThanks Marian,  This is all good info, but I'm having trouble picturing what you are describing with shaping your wafer?  Are you meaning shaping your barrier ring or wafer?  I don't understand how you could shape your wafer as they are so rigid.  What is it you are shaping into a snake?  The barrier ring is very malleable, is this what you mean?

Thanks,

Terry

@dogtalkererThanks for this.  I have used the Coloplast Sensura Mio with convex wafer, is this the product you are talking about?  Is the Cymed Micro skin a Coloplast product or is this a different company?  I have not heard of this one but would like to check it out.  Thanks,

Terry

(@varg55) Hi Terry, Sorry I'm still getting some of the terminology discombobulated. I just grabbed my gear so I can get it right this time....

I use the Hollister Ceraplus #11203 which Hollister calls the flat Skin Barrier or wafer (2 pc w/pouch).

The 'barrier ring' (per Hollister) I use is the Eakin Convatec #839002 (per Eakin; an 'ostomy barrier seal). This is what I break off about 2/3rds of and roll into a snake and then make the ring around the opening in the Ceraplus Skin Barrier.

The supplier pulled a fast one on me and sent me the Hollister Adapt CeraRing Slim #8815 in my last order, and I had my worst leaks with that product. It didn't seem to stick well to my skin or to itself when I tried molding it into a thicker ring. Fortunately, the supplier express mailed a pack of the Convatec after I called about it.

The barrier ring seems to have adhesive properties - at least I notice it stays pretty stuck to my skin, but not more adhesive than the Skin Barrier - just more cushion and it swells up a bit when it gets moist from your output

I'm holding off on trying other products since I'm hopeful that my tests show me ready for reversal early March and that the reversal will be successful. If that doesn't go according to plan, I'll be doing more experimenting. 

Hope that makes my notes more useful.

Marian

(@dlkfiretruck)

Hi Linda,

Thanks for bringing up the c-shaped barrier strips. There were some of those in my first order, but I wasn't sure what they were and tucked them away. I'll dig them out and give them a try. Might make me less nervous about going for a longer trail run where a leak would be super hard to manage. 

Sounds like you're getting your workout in with the garden and dogs. That's my favorite part of our weekends too, although I'm kind of negligent with the brushing...

Marian

@mmzHi Marian,  That is the exact wafer I am using, the Hollister, 11203, only I don't like the Eakin barrier as I found it is hard to get the adhesive off when you remove the pouch, the adhesive remover just doesn't want to take it off and it leaves little bits all around my stoma.  I switched to the Coloplast or the Hollister barrier rings.  My only complaint with the wafer and pouch is that Hollister only has a clear or opaque option.  I don't like using the clear pouch but the opaque one doesn't even have a viewing window and I want to be able to see what is going on with my stoma and output.  Maybe I won't feel that way after I'm used to things but this is early days for me.

I hope you get your reversal and it's successful.  Mine is temporary also as I'm going to have the rest of my large bowel removed and end up with an "end" ileostomy, which hopefully will be a little easier to deal with.

Terry

@jeffThanks for this Jeff.  I've just spoken to my ostomy nurse and she is going to give me some samples of convex moldable pouches to try.  Sounds like a really good idea, much appreciated.

Terry

I also live hard and train intensely, had massive leakage and bag blowing up issues until an emergency room nurse used “two” ring seals on bag. I added a third on the outside of the two which are pancaked on top of each other. With a “taller” wall due to two barrier rings the acidic stool doesn’t splash down and wear out the adhesive as quickly, the third barrier ring is placed around the outside of the bottom ring. It’s a secondary backup super non leakage flood barrier or acts as such. Go for three and see how secure that bag is and also use the adhesive swipe stick on dry clean skin. So important. I’ve done the most strenuous lifts and presses and it holds up for 5 days every time even with 109 degree valley heat and massive sweet. Hope this helps!

Hi,

So far, knock on wood, I have not had any leak issues at the gym, trial running or paddle boarding.

I wear the Coloplast Sensura Mio two piece click Convex light barrier with the Coloplast ring seal. I always wear my Ostomy Armor belt while training. I change my back every 3rd or 4th day.

Before I switched to the convex barriers I had minor leak issues during even normal wear but since the switch I have had no issues.

cygo