I, like you, have to have a tape border. If not things leak. The tape border seems to secure the base down helping it adhere to the skin and around the stoma by pushing things down, giving a better seal.

I found that hollisters tape boarders are strange in a sense the tape is only at the sides and not at the top or the bottom where it really needed. Makes no sense to me because the tape boarder should be all around the base not just the sides. 

Also cheaply made pouches are a deal breaker as well. You know, the ones that fall off an hour later. 

Filters are also a deal breaker becsuse i rinse my bag every empty.  

Posted by: @chelly

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I found that hollisters tape boarders are strange in a sense the tape is only at the sides and not at the top or the bottom where it really needed.

Unless something has changed in the last two years, all the Hollister appliances I've used had tape all around the borders. I recall that they had smaller strips for the release liner that had to be removed before applying the wafer, but the tape itself was always “full coverage”.

What model are you using?

And yeah, filters suck. They cause more problems than they are supposed to solve, so I try to get filter-free bags when possible, or just tape them right away.

I could not remember the exact bag so I did a search and I found it right away. I dont use these but a nurse put one on me years ago when I first got an ostomy and gave me a couple more to rake home. Im.attaching the Pic of the hollister pouch that I was saying is missing the tape boarder at the bottom and top.

I'm using a convatec active life convex  at the moment which has a great tape border.  I can also use the natura pouch with the convex moldable base plate that has a great tape border. I like the active life better though due to it being a one piece and having a clip on the end.  I cant seem to find any other pouches that actually stick well and both with tape boarders other than these 2 convatec pouches. 

What pouches are you currently wearing? What are you liking about them? 

@chelly Ok, in the photo I can see those white strips on the left and right sides. When I was using Hollister bags, there was a plastic liner, and then those white strips that both needed to be removed to expose the adhesive. They are there to help you handle the appliance without touching the adhesive directly. 

Many wafers don't have those extra release liners, which can sometimes be a challenge.

Posted by: @chelly

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What pouches are you currently wearing? What are you liking about them? 

🤭very inexpensive bags off Amazon under the Deraymi brand.

They are *not* perfect by any means, and I do run into issues sometimes. But since I developed a sensitivity to Hollister wafers, these have worked well at a fraction of the price.

The biggest concern is that a no-name brand like that can (and usually do) simply disappear, which would leave me stuck looking for something else. I don't think I could afford the $15+ dollar appliances if I was forced to go back, even with the ostomy grant money.

@veganostomy oh ok , I thought they were tape boarder on the sides. I had no clue and I could not understand why the top and bottom did not have them. At any rate those hollister bags did not hold up for me. They would leak under the flange. Anything that does not have tape boarder would always leak and then to have to use those tapes that you can put around the sides, we'll its just not the same as a built in tape boarder. 

I had forgotten that you have to pay out of pocket for your pouches. I'm happy to hear that you  have found some that are working out for you. I would be in some real trouble if mine were not covered. 

@chelly ... Hi all!  Chelly.... I'm just wondering how big you cut the hole in your pouches wafer? How close to your stoma do you mark & cut the wafers hole as compared to the actual size of your stomas surrounding skin/ stoma is... i hope that makes sense... ...

Also, when rinsing, one thing I did before I had a Bidet hose set up for rinsing was ... I bought cheap plastic party cups at the dollar store, I filled two or three of them with fresh tap water after each rinse leaving the water to come to room temperature. 

But with you, you're still healing, so you do need to, as you said, you need to measure your stoma area every time you change. I think I measured mine with every change for a good 6 months them I went to every second change & dropped it according to stoma healing times. I'm  trying to cheer you on here, Chelly,  You have been thru SO VERY much! 

I'm sorry,  my eyes are not enjoying screen time at all so I can't chase down your surgery posts.  I am wondering how you happy you are with your stoma revision ??  How did the two Surgeons do??  Do you have a good size outtie ??? 

@dlkfiretruck hello, I get precut wafers and right now im in a 7/8. I am watching closely for any changes in size. 

Ive been using a plastic water bottle and at times I have used the cups like you did. I have some Styrofoam cups here I could use in case I run out of water bottles. 

So far im pretty happy with the job the surgeons did and so far its still an outtie. The surgeons did a good job. Im still using convex bags though. They just seem to work better. 

They secured down my abdomen with a little more mesh but in the stoma area they did not because they want to make sure the stoma was working correctly. Should I wind up with a hernia in that area down the road, then he will fix it. 

Posted by: @chelly

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I get precut wafers and right now im in a 7/8. I am watching closely for any changes in size. 

If you find that your stoma's size fluctuates even just a millimetre here or there, I would go with cut-to-fit, personally.

Of course, cut-to-fit also runs a risk that the hole is not cut exactly as it needs to be, so go with whatever is most reliable for you.

@veganostomy thanks for advise, that might not be a bad idea to try again.  I used to do cut to fits. That kind of was the problem is the cutting was not consistant even though I had a template and I was very careful.  It seems this thing is shrinking pretty quickly. Im down to the 7/8 now and I may need to get some bags from the hospital for 3/4 just in case it shrinks more. 

My convatec convex bag does not come in cut to fits so that is the issue with this bag. I have a couple flat active life here that are cut to fit. I can always use one of those in a bind if need be. 

@chelly I guess it's also important to note that some wafers use hydrocolloid that "swells" more than others, which naturally fill in gaps between the stoma and the hole of the wafer.

Some wafers do this more than others, so a little gap may not be problematic, depending on what you're using. 

I've used some brands where a perfectly sized hole could cause the stoma to be constricted once that swelling expands, so those needed to be cut a little larger.

The downside I've found with wafers that swell a lot, is that the hydrocolloid that has expanded tends to get gummy and break down much faster than one that hasn't expanded much.

This could be explained by the difference between wafers intended for colostomies vs ileostomies, or "regular wear" vs. "extended wear" appliances, which each using a different formulation in the baseplate.

@veganostomy im using a convatec durahesive wafer. I do belive that is hydrocollid. And yes it can get quite gummy.

 I ran out of measuring cards and maybe this precut 7/8 inch may be too constricted but in the 1 inch I was getting a lot more water feeling. I need to contact my supplier to get more measuring cards. 

Thank you, you give me a lot to think about here. 

Posted by: @chelly

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7/8 inch may be too constricted but in the 1 inch I was getting a lot more water feeling.

Having converted to millimetres, those two sizes are at least 3 mm difference, which could be significant if we're talking about fit! If I had to personally choose between the two, I think I would stick with the smaller size, but it will be good to measure your stoma and see how close (or far) those sizes are! 

Good luck!

@veganostomy ... Eric, I'm so grateful you have been helping Chelly here.  Your knowledge of wafers & bags is impressive. Thank you!!!! 

I was also going to suggest Chelly cut her own hole in her wafers too.   I wanted to remind her that a good cut comes from tracing the size on the wafer then "turn the wafer,  not the scissors" when making the cut.  I often hang onto the piece being removed to help me give a slight tug as I'm going around the cutting line I traced on.  Once I learned that it was a game changer for me.  

I was sent the convatec pouch to try when I first had my stoma & it actually was SO wrong that after removing it after the first day bcuz it caused so much discomfort,  I found many bruises where the wafer had been.  It was a nasty situation for a good 10 days while things healed up.