Thank you I was a little confused on that .i will try it that way .it sure would be a lot cheaper . 

Hi Check out the video by Eric on Product Overload. It’s easy to feel we should be using many products together, it’s good to have them available for as and when the need arises. 

Hello...I just have a thing that I do to clean the opening of the pouch where we empty our output thru.  I remember well watching the nurse empty my bag after surgery. She made a cork out of toilet paper to clean the mouth of the bag, and it never really did the job very well but it was better then leaving residue behind. I was told that nothing can get into the stoma and that rinsing with water is just fine to do, so, after I have rinsed my pouch, I take about two squares of TP, fold them in half, and place my index finger in the center to make a triangle, I then wrap the TP around my index finger and insert that into the mouth of the bag to clean and dry out the opening. This has worked great for me and I always feel better knowing the dog will not sniff me out. When I am away from home, I always carry an empty water bottle with me to fill with water in a public restroom before I empty the pouch. However, if it is a gas station washroom or a big busy store WR, I will carry my own water from home to do the rinsing. It has paid off the few times I have had to stop on the main highway through provincial parks and there has been only trees to do this deed. On a long trip, I will carry a gallon of water in the truck of the car to refill my bottle. 

Linda, I tend to roll up some toilet paper to help clean the last few inches of the outlet - then I will clean the little corners with another piece. It's worked well so far :) 

Thought I had invented that 😂 that works very well and does leave a clean finish 

Linda,

I tried your method of making a triangle of the toilet paper and wrapping it around the index finger - what a difference it has made in the amount I used! I have a one-piece system, so could I still use water to clean the pouch?(It's something I haven't tried yet.)

Stella

Stella, thank you. I am glad it works well for you, Eric should try it too, it does save the TP, and John, VO did not exist when "I"  discovered and invented this method so don't go thinking I stole it from you John!  LOLLLL!!!!!!

Eh, I am so bad sometimes....have a nice day you all eh!

Linda

Stella, I forgot to encourage you to rinse the pouch with water, it is a personal choice, but it seems to make a difference to me in how much cleaner I feel. When I was in Hospital after the surgery, they never rinsed and I always felt like I was not clean enough and asked visitors if I stank. So, I asked my surgeon if it was okay to rinse the pouch.  I lived thru a horrible case of Cryptosporidium for almost three years back in 1996, so this was a real concern to me. On top of having it, the doctor I had at that time never told me I had it. I found out when the Health department called about 9 months later to ask how I had respond to the long term antibiotics! I asked "what, and just what were the antibiotics for?"  She was very silent for several long seconds, then she told me I was one of two in our small town with this parasite.  I told her I  had not been told by anyone until now and asked if that was why I felt like I was dieing. She sent me to our bigger hospital where the tests and treatment started and went for months. You can imagine I was a bit afraid about rinsing, but when I asked my surgeon if I could rinse, I also asked him to explain in depth how this could be safe.  He convinced me it was very safe so once home, and the stitches had healed up, I tried it and just loved the feeling plus one of my three dogs that always sniffed where my pouch hung left me alone after the first time I tried it. I buy those plastic drink cups from the dollar store and change them over once a month I use two of them, I refill when I have used on or both of them so I am always ready, but because of fatigue, I have forgotten to fill them once in a while and I really am not happy with myself when I do, so I pay closer attention to my washroom routine more then I have now. I would say go ahead and try it for a week and see if you feel differently about yourself. It took about three days for me and now I can not,  not rinse. The decision is all yours.  But I know that I am glad for the day I started. Have a one day closer to spring day today.  :)

Linda

Thanks again, Linda!

Stella

I've been trying out the Hollister New Image line for awhile now. I like the Ceraplus flange...low profile, no leaks and comfortable. The pouches on the other hand suk! The drain opening is too small for thicker, more formed stool....it all packs up into the small neck opening of the drain. I've had some success with a combination of emptying the pouch several times a day and adding plenty of lubricant to the pouch, which is not cost effective. I also feel that the pouch is much larger than it needs to be... they do make a small pouch that is only 7 inces long, but it has the same small drain opening. I also agree with Eric's pouch assessment...it's cheap. Hey Hollister: make the big pouches a little smaller and make the drain opening larger! Please!!!

@Paul W.

Hi Paul, thank you for sharing your feedback! 

Regarding thicker output, I find that adding a little water from the outlet end of the bag when I'm ready to empty my bag helps to break the stool apart and makes it much easier to slide out of the bag. Give that a try and see if it helps. 

Wow, it really seems like our consistencies of output are very similar, and we both have the same issues with ballooning and failure of filters... which is why I'm so excited about the existence of this new filter that actually worked for you!

Although, I never really liked Hollister, but I guess they're making new things now, so hopefully they'll continue on this trend. I just sent off for some samples on Hollister's site, so I can't wait to try their new stuff out! Thanks for all the great reviews!

Good luck! Yes, this filter is still good (although, far from perfect) and it's often too good in the beginning so it creates a vacuum effect that is easily remedied by placing a sticker over the filter for the first day and removing it when necessary.

I'm having a horrible time with the Hollister New Image. The flange itself is extremely comfortable to wear & adheres really well. The pouch material is also fairly comfy, although I'm also fed up with trying to get the end clean (I've never gone through so much TP in my life!)~ but the big issue, the deal breaker, is the coupling. IT IS HORRID. The rings just do not seal together tightly enough, resulting in seepage between the rings.
The first time it happened was during the night, so I figured *maybe* the rings had somehow pulled a bit apart (even though I've never had a bag even partly detach in 2.5 decades) & it didn't explain how the pouch would have 'resnapped' itself, as I triple checked it was still sealed. But it has now happened repeatedly, day + night, both after being worn a few days and freshly changed.
What a crappy design. It needs to be tighter & I suspect the little groove running around the top of the ring on the flange is also cuplable.
I'm incredibly frustrated + my skin is getting brutally sore after having to rip off a perfectly adhered, comfortable flange because its leaked on from the outside!!!

@delia That has happened to me a few times in the past two years since I got my stoma. I always thought it was something I did, and have been so careful to make sure the coupling is securely snapped all around - well, it happened yesterday with a pouch and flange that was about 8 hours old, wet and seeping from the bottom of the coupling and sure enough, it had pulled apart. I really don’t want to switch products because I am used to the New Image 2-piece, but I am also becoming unhappy with the crinkling noise the pouches make, which has been increasing really noticeably. I have heard that Hollister changed the plastic to something more  “environmentally friendly.”  I am skeptical.

Delia, 2 things:  1.) thats one reason I do not wear 2 piece bags, never a concern with a 1 piece.

2.)  the Coloplast is much easier to clean, I never clean the inside of the outlet.  you can easily modify the Hollister so it can act like a coloplast drain end.   I'll post a pic if you are interested. 

@delia I'm a Hollister 2pc user and this hasn't been an issue for me. 

A few questions: 

1. Have these problems been happening across multiple boxes or just from a single box of bags or wafers? 
2. What item codes are you using specifically? 
3. When you apply the bag for the first time, do you give it a slight tug to make sure it's sealed right from the start? I'm wondering if the problem develops as you wear it or if it doesn't seal properly from the start. 

Either way, I would suggest contacting Hollister to make them aware. While rare, it is possible that there is a defect in the batch you received and they may compensate you for any lost product. 

Please let us know if you have any new details or updates to share. Good luck!

The filter doesn't work at all for me. I have very liquid stool. No colon, no large intestine and only half of small.

I liked the larger pouches that they stopped making almost a year ago.

After 60 years, I have no problems with having to shave. something to look forward to.

Thank you for your feedback, Patrick. These filters really aren't going to be of use to anyone with liquid output, unfortunately.

Do you remember the name of the large pouch you liked?

@LLNorth I thought I'm the only one who's suffering from the annoying noise that comes with the new "environment friendly" design.
I wonder if the guys that designed this stoma bug ever tested it on themselves...
Does anyone know if they have plans to improve it? I'm using Hollister for 5 years now and don't wanna change things but the noise drive me crazy.;(