Hi Kirsten, That’s a very good question! I know for me the morning is pretty quiet. I suppose over night what I have eaten has finally passed through. Also a lot depends on the type of food we have eaten. Don’t be alarmed by no output for a few hours as for me that’s pretty normal. Based on my quiet mornings is my choice to change. But!! Yep there is always a but! Sometimes when I change the stoma seems to think hey I am free and goes to work. When I change I have everything ready and close to hand and plenty of gauze which I roll into strips to wrap the stoma. Plus don’t rush, take your time roll with what comes and get skin clean dry and a good base for a new wafer. 

Posted by: @kirsten

↑

So, what's "normal?" When do you see downtime? 

You'll eventually have a general idea of what's normal to you, especially if your diet remains fairly stable.

For me, when I eat and how bulky my meal is (i.e. usually how much fiber it contains) is what determines how often I'm emptying. Some foods pass through quickly (within a few hours), while others might take 9-12 to pass completely.

If I eat normally (i.e. dinner then snacks until midnight), I'll wake up 2-3 times at night, empty when I get up, and empty maybe another 1-2 times again before noon. Afternoon is generally quiet since I don't usually eat breakfast. 

On weekends, this schedule changes as I have more time to eat, and I'm often cycling, so my food timing and choices are different.

Blockages will come with other symptoms, not just a lack of output. Sudden liquid output, cramping, seeing your stoma "squirm" but not passing anything, pain, etc. often go with blockages.

Some coloured foods will pass without output, which can help to give you an idea when a particular meal has passed. Certain brightly coloured candy or sports drinks can do this for me. It can be fun or alarming, depending on whether you're expecting your output to look dramatically different!

Thanks everyone. It's very reassuring to hear your thoughts and experiences. 

Mine is never predictable and it seems it is always going. However if I leave the bag on in the shower and change after getting out it seems to not go so much during my changes but if I take it off in the shower that sucker will start pooping like crazy. I think these stomas just know when the bag comes off and they are like hey I’m free!!
I found I can use a plastic basin like they give you in the hospital and fill it with water and use that to soap and rinse the stoma area with wet paper towels or wash cloths. I keep the soap in a soap container and just soap up a wet paper towel then rinse with clean ones after.  This way I have more control and can get the bag on quickly and not have a catastrophie during my shower.  I was doing the take it off for shower thing for so many years but it always turned out a messy situation. 

Roughly it's during the nights until about noon.

I am an evening person and so is my stoma. I try to change as late as possible in the evening, so I don't wake up with an overly full bag. On weekdays I change around 7 in the morning. I usually need another change around noon. After that, it's smooth sailing until it's bed time. If I eat a lot of chocolate during the day, I might need another change around dinner time.

On the weekends I go to sleep much later and will sometimes wake up with an empty bag. Breakfast will get it going usually, so then my first change will be around noon. 

I am about 2,5 months out of surgery. In the beginning, I had to change 5 or 6 times a day. And even sometimes during the night. The volcano has slowed down a lot since then. On average I do 3 bag changes a day, depending on what and how much I eat and drink.

Great feedback, thank you! 

I tried fasting for 12 hours before a change - made absolutely no difference! Well, except for making me dizzy and tired! I tried marshmallows, potato chips and immodium. Early in the day, before eating and 30 minutes after immodium seems to be the sweet spot. Plus I got a plastic tube the same diameter as my stoma, so I've been putting some tissue in there and holding it in place while I get rid of the sticky residue, put on powder etc. I also find that I can shift the tube a bit after applying the wafer and put some pressure directly on the ring/wafer edge near the stoma to get better adhesion. 

You were all right, I'm figuring things out as I go. I'm getting 4 or 5 days per appliance now. I did have at really bad reaction to putting the appliance over still-wet barrier spray - blisters and a rash, it was awful. I've learned that I need to let that fully dry before putting on the wafer!! Very important!

Hi Kirsten, For a really great finish try a hair dryer on the clean skin. Also on the wafer before putting it on. Then again after putting it on. But please be careful not to overheat!! Just lightly warm. This tip was given to me just after surgery and has served me well. 😀👍

Ooh yes, I did that and it worked like a charm! If course I got that tip here 😀

This group has been so helpful for me. I've read many, many older threads and watched so many of your videos @VeganOstomy I don't know what I'd do without you 

@cat-momma wow your stoma sounds very active. I was changing twice a day for a while but now I lost my insurance so I cut it down to once a day. By the end of the day it’s ready for a change. I wish I could go longer like others but it just won’t work with me.