Hi!  Happy New Year,

I began rinsing after every empty about a year after my ileostomy.  At first it was somewhat of a hassle because I did not have a sprayer connected to the toilet.  Since I had that installed (so 10 years) I have rinsed after almost every empty.  I much prefer it for many reasons.  I do not notice any difference in the wearing of the rings or adhesion of my devices.  In my mind, I have no facts of this, but it keeps the exposure to waste down which I would guess may be more wearing on the rings etc than water.  But that's completely a logical guess.  Also, I do not aim the sprayer toward any of the appliance.  All the best  to you.

GM Chelly and Happy New Year to everybody . I started rinsing several years ago . Mainly i guess it just makes me feel cleaner . I have small water bottles in our home where I go and I have a collapsible cup I carry in one of my pockets . I wear cargo shorts so I have plenty of big pockets to carry it . I can't say I've had any problems from it . I don't use rings or anything other than a barrier and a bag . I have got myself on a regular 3 day change no matter what . Although sometimes I don't make it to 3 days . Don't know if rinsing has anything to do with that . 

Happy New Year 

@jattzl what do you use to wipe the end and the inside of the pouch off with? Do you use just toilet paper or a baby wipe?.

Happy new year!!

@njewell1 what do you use to wipe the end and the inside of the pouch off with? Do you use just toilet paper or a baby wipe?

Im.currently trying to figure out what's breaking down my rings. I do use a baby wipe that I rinse with water real well but kind of wondering if  maybe there's still a residue getting inside my pouch from the wipe. 

I could never imagine myself not rinsing . It would be a terrible mess and oh the pancaking. 

Happy New Year!!

Hi Chelly . I just use regular toilet paper . Then I give a little squirt of Safe n Simple that I mix with water to make it go farther . Its the lubricant that I get from Byram with my orders . I dont use rings because my Stoma (Norman Lol) is short so I have to use a convex barrier . 

Happy New Year 

Happy New Year, guys.

I only rinse in certain scenarios, and usually when my output is the type that sticks to the inside of the bag (i.e. peanut butter consistency). But I also only try to expose the bottom half of the appliance to water, and not the area around my stoma.

When I do an appliance change, I often rinse the entire bag and really try to swish water around so that the appliance swap is a little cleaner.

As for shorter wear, yes, this can happen. I find that it happens more when the water used is cold, since my stoma will shrink a bit, exposing a gap between the wafer and stoma. If I do have a small leak starting, I will often feel this cold water on my skin, and that's a tell-tale sign that I should do an appliance change soon.

For cleaning the outlet, just plain toilet paper.

Lately, I find that using bags with a separate clip can make emptying easier, since you can squeegee the output quite effectively. But... the lack of structure at the end of the outlet makes rinsing way more of a challenge compared to bags with velcro or other closure styles.

@veganostomy happy new year and thanks for your reply. Just hearing what you all are doing and getting your input will help ke figure this out. 

I'm getting that cold water sensation as well but if I make the rinse wster warm I don't feel it.  I wish I did not have to rinse the topped but I get pancakes which causes more breakdown of the ring than the water it seems . Oh, and of course without rinsing the odors can become a lot for me to deal with. 

Posted by: @chelly

↑

I'm getting that cold water sensation as well but if I make the rinse wster warm I don't feel it.  I wish I did not have to rinse the topped but I get pancakes which causes more breakdown of the ring than the water it seems . Oh, and of course without rinsing the odors can become a lot for me to deal with. 

You may still feel the cold water through a fully intact wafer, but if you have even a small leak, it's a very noticeable feeling!

And yes, rinsing helps cut down on odours, which is why I like to do it before an appliance change.

For pancaking, the best tricks I've found are to be to add some air to the bag when emptying (i.e. don't try to get all the air out on purpose before closing the outlet) and to tape up the filter so it doesn't create a vacuum effect. Output wants to drop to the bottom of the bag, and while it often can get stuck around the stoma for various reasons, giving it some space is the best way to let gravity do its thing.

@veganostomy yes, you had said that before on here so I do leave a little air in there now. I dont use filters. Where it gets tricky is when im asleep and not paying attention , I can easily roll onto my back and then I can really get some stuff sticking up around the stoma area. Eating peanut butter can cause problems. 

@chelly I use toilet paper or paper towels and then throw them away in disposal bag.  I've never used baby wipes.  I add a mix of M-9 deodorizer and Adapt lubricant.  I agree!  I can't imagine not rinsing.  But I get the feeling  there are rinsers and non-rinsers. lol

@chelly Did the rings just start breaking down recently? Which rings do you use?  Maybe change it up or try a thicker size ring??  Just an idea.

Posted by: @veganostomy

↑

water used is cold, since my stoma will shrink a bit, exposing a gap between the wafer and stoma

Thank you!  That is very interesting and useful to know.   I rarely feel the cold water.

@chelly I have most of the same issues you have except for the ring breaking down.  I have never found a filter that works for me and it is a problem.  I need to use the ez-vents.  

@jattzl thanks for your response. I'should try wet paper towels for a day and see if ring is still breaking down and if not I will know its the baby wipes residue.

@jattzl it started maybe a year or so ago with these rings breaking down. I'm using hollister Cera Rings. Your right though I should try a different ring to see if it works out better like maybe the adapt rings. Ive been saying this for a year and never got around to calling hollister to get samples.

@veganostomy so I think i figured out why im feeling so much water going under the wafer.

Well, you know i just had surgery and so  my stoma has shrunk down to the next size.  I was using a 1 1/8 and so today I measured and found it's 1 inch now.

It may even shrink again as ghis swelling goes down. Thankfully I have enough bags to get me through in the different sizes.  So when I rinse the next time j will be able to see if im still getting all this water. It really seemed like a whole lot of water was getting under there but when the nurses were measuring me I was lying down and I measure and put my bag on while standing and I think standing gives the true fit

So here I was going with the size  were telling me when they were measuring me in the office lying down.

I noticed it yesterday though that there was a lot of skin showing. So thats what msde me measure today. Next time I go to the nurses I think I need to have them doing everything while im standing up. I feel so much better with this size. More secure and not leaky so far. It seemed I was feeling those leaky feeling quite a bit with that bigger size for the last week or so. 

Posted by: @chelly

↑

Well, you know i just had surgery and so  my stoma has shrunk down to the next size.  I was using a 1 1/8 and so today I measured and found it's 1 inch now.

That most certainly could explain things!

Post surgery, I needed to measure pretty much with every change. And if I managed to get long wear time of more than 3-4 days, my stoma would shrink between those days.

Now, out of habit, I just measure every time. It's been a stable size, but even with long-term, slow weight gain/loss, the hole for the stoma could be different enough to impact the entire experience.

@veganostomy that is a very good idea as you are correct in saying that even weight loss or weight gain can change the size. 

So far I felt a little water get under there but not nearly as much as before. I guess I'll just keep watching to see what happens and keep measuring ..

@chelly that totally makes sense!  It's a constant journey.  

All the best to you

Hi and thanks for the response. I agree yes, it is a constant journey no doubt. Just when we think we are the expert with our ostomy something will arise and throw us for loop.