Hello all! I joined 2 days ago and don't know if I'm posting in the right forum. My husband has an ileostomy on the right, about 3 to 4 inches above the waist. He is 86 and has had it for 5 years due to a benign, soft tissue mass on the rectum that they tried to remove but would grow back. The doctors at Memorial Sloan in NYC said it could become malignant and this was the best option. I know he won't join a forum so I did. I am the one that changes his ostomy bag anyway. He uses "Coloplast SenSura® EasiClose™ WIDE Outlet Maxi Pouch with Integrated Filter, Convex Light Skin Barrier with Belt Tabs" that we change every 7 days. It works well. During the past five years, he might have had 3 or 4 leaks, at the most. I also use the Coloplast Brava® Ostomy Powder and the Cavilon™ No-Sting Barrier Film. Have used the same routine, same products for the past 5 years. Well, this past month or month and a half, he must have had 6 or 7 leaks! The latest one on the second day after the change! The leaks have occurred even using the Coloplast Brava® Elastic Barrier Strips – Curved. That is not part of the routine, I used it just when it seemed it wasn't sticking well and, now when he started leaking frequently. I checked the expiration date of the bags and they have 4 more years to go so that's not it. These recent leaks happen during daytime mostly and leak from the top. Everything is the same as it has always been so I can't figure out why the frequency now. I noticed that lately he has been slouching more on the couch where he spends most of the day, watching TV. Do you think that could be the cause? What else could cause them? Any suggestions, comments, tips are much appreciated. Thank you. Hi Sambucca, Welcome to the forum, Although you have not changed your routine it could be a number of things, has the stoma changed size maybe worth while measuring to see if the fit is right. may be your husbands tummy has changed and a dip/hollow needs some paste or extra part of a ring to fill. Tummy hair can also be a cause. could a new waist band on trousers be interfering. When you remove the wafer has a good look to see where the signs of leakage may be. Have a look at the section on leaks where more causes are listed. You have done so well and 7 day wear time is some thing else so it pinpointing the problem. ileostomy 31st August 1994 for Crohns Hello and Welcome, Sambucca, To John's reply I would only add... have their been any changes in his diet that might affect either his output ( thicker, thinner) or his skin ( more oily, dryer)? Is the bag being emptied at about the same level of fullness? Also is there more gas than usual...is the gas filter still working as well as it used to? Since things have been stable for so many years you are right to try to pin point any changes that may have occurred. I hope you figure it out quickly, its always horrible when something works for so long then it doesn't. Let us know. Onset of severe Ulcerative Colitus Oct.2012. Subtotal colectomy with illiostomy July 2015; Peristomal hernia repair ( Sugarbaker, mesh, laparoscopic) May 2017. Is he leaking from the filter or from where the bag and wafer meet ? Hi there Sambucca, Welcome.I admire you doing this for your hubby, you are a strong character. Ideas will be tossed out here, but I would also see a stoma nurse.Call your doctors receptionist to get you in there if need be. I would also suggest watching as many of Erics videos as you can, you never know what might click with a problem and they are great to revisit after a problem is solved. I went thru a time of crazy leaks. I began by marking ( with a sharpie) the area where the leaks happened and then checked for irregularities in skin under the wafer in that area. I marked it as soon as I felt the leak and where I was. Then took care of it.I had this tiny head of a sewing pin size bump on my skin, just at the edge of where my stoma is attached. I found this little buddy after a few weeks frustration. It took a magnifying mirror, and a flashlight, I used my most sensitive fingers and very gently ran it over the area of skin beneath the wafer. I also used my finger nail to help locate this bump. That along with as little as the five lost or gained pounds can make a difference. The whether also, muggy or too hot...I had lost 5 lbs. at the time and it gave me a different shaped stoma. D shaped, upside down of all things. Measure several changes in a row to make sure you get the right size and cut. Remember, even the mildest soap can leave a residue behind that can cause a problem to. Too much or too little skin barrier can cause an issue also. It is a picky process sometimes. I start by going back to the basic steps to make sure I am not missing any. I hope you can figure this out it is so important to protect the skin. Does he have a rash of any kind? Because of my issue, the first thing I do when starting to apply the new bag is make sure the skin and my stoma are dry when placing on the new bag. Working quickly. It means a few squares of tissue just before putting the bag over the stoma to dry that area of skin and stoma. It helps to also secure the area around the stoma before concentrating on the rest of the wafer. I hope this helps a bit. Lets us know how things go. Linda Hi Sambucca, That sounds very frustrating for your husband. Whenever I hear sudden problems after years of having none, I always explore the following: I would also suggest having a stoma nurse help to troubleshoot with you and your husband. Sometimes, we miss something that seems so trivial but it may have a profound effect on how our appliance fits and works. Best of luck! Please, let us know if you have any new details or findings to share. Just your friendly neighborhood ostomate. Hi, all, Thank you for your replies. I will check more diligently, if possible, around the area where the bag goes. From what I have checked up to now, there are no skin changes. My husband hasn't gained/lost weight or changed his diet. The stoma shape or size hasn't changed but I will remeasure it. I have always shaved or cut hair growing on the area so that is not the problem. Now, I will write about the bag and leak but you have to excuse me if I don't have the right terminology. He only let me see the leak twice and both times it was happening on the top. I will take a better look next leak [hopefully, it won't happen] to see if it is from the filter but it didn't seem so. It was where the "round thingy (tape) sticks to the skin," by the Coloplast tab to pull it. I guess that could be from the wafer. I will have to search for a stoma nurse. His surgeon moved from Memorial Sloan to head of the ostomy department in an upstate NY hospital and I have no idea who was the nurse. It has been almost 6 yrs and we haven't needed her again! I was just reading articles and looking at some videos on this site and see that there are two possibilities for the leak from things that have changed, he is slouching more when he is watching TV (which could be all day) and, he is placing the bag inside the pants and using a belt. He used to leave it over the pant's waist, therefore, the belt was not over the bag. He used to leave his shirt or t-shirt loose, not tucked in. Do you think any of those could be it? Again, thank you for all your tips. This is a wonderful site! and, he is placing the bag inside the pants and using a belt. He used to leave it over the pant's waist, therefore, the belt was not over the bag. He used to leave his shirt or t-shirt loose, not tucked in. Do you think any of those could be it? This could be it!! What tends to happen when I wear my ostomy bag under my pants with a belt over is my stool will collect above the belt (into the top part of the bag), which is where you'd get the leak. Because he's getting leaks on the top (which is very unusual under normal circumstances), my guess is that's what's happening. He may not feel pressure before the leak, but he might if he's paying close attention. The stool has nowhere to go because of the smaller space (not being able to get to the bottom of the bag), so it forces it's way up and out! Just your friendly neighborhood ostomate. From what I have been reading for some time..... This depends on where the stoma is placed. Including clothes of styling's, and proper pouch's and or setting of pouches. Many as I see it, are individuals. Just find what works for you and do the adjustments forward to your comfort's. IT's a new you----- and for some this can be a difficult task. I am sending you all a bouquet of flowers of wellness and success - may the force be with you !! You shall succeed. !!!!!!!!!! 2014 - 3 strangulations of colon, Ulcerative colitis, removal of colon, illiostomcy named woooh Nellie.. Thanks! It´s wonderful to see I wasn´t off thinking the pants/belt pressure on the bag could be it! I have already told him he should leave the bag out but I have to keep an eye on him though because he will return to the old habit after cleaning it if I don´t remind him. Good luck! It's not that he has to wear his bag over his clothing, but if he does choose to wear it under, he has to either keep a close eye on the output to make sure it's not being trapped (inconvenient and not ideal); wear loose enough pants so that the belt doesn't cut off the flow to his appliance (many men will use suspenders for this purpose); wear a stoma guard or similar product to create a space for output to flow down into. These are just some options, so he's not stuck one way or another :) Just your friendly neighborhood ostomate.
~ Crohn's Disease ¦ Ileostomy ~
~ Crohn's Disease ¦ Ileostomy ~
~ Crohn's Disease ¦ Ileostomy ~
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