Posted by: Jattzl

 

I LOVE coloplast Mio. HATE the huge useless filter. Every time I open a new box I cut out the stupid filters and add EZ Osto vents.   It's a pain but worth it. I have asked several times for them to make a filter less Mio. 

   

I was going to suggest that anyone who hates the large pre-filter on the Mios should cut them out (I did!). It's a shame that you have to do that, but if it causes more problems than it solves, it is a solution. 

Jattzi, if you can provide photos, I may even be able to publish an article as it fits nicely with the other "ostomy hacks" I have on the site! 

Hi Eric:

Now I am really confused again about filters, are you referring to the Coloplast Sensura Mio click 2 piece and cutting out the filter or the one piece? If you are referring to the 2 piece what would you do to seal the space that the filter occupied? As I mentioned before, I tried the Ezo osto vents and didn't like it because it didn't seem to expel much air and you had to be very careful that it didn't push out some output as well.

Posted by: Navey

 

Hi Eric:

Now I am really confused again about filters, are you referring to the Coloplast Sensura Mio click 2 piece and cutting out the filter or the one piece? 

Have a look at the photo. I cut out all the pre-filter that you see there, but leave the black, charcoal filter in place. None of the pre-filter is attached to the bag... It's just a flap! 

Unfortunately, if you have liquid output then this may not be a good solution, since that charcoal filter absorbs liquid, but it will give you more room in the bag, and it prevents the extra pancaking I used to get with the Mios. 

Thanks for the quick response and photo, I will take a good look at my pouch and see what you are referring to. Yes, I do have a liquid output. 

Posted by: VeganOstomy

 

Jattzi, if you can provide photos, I may even be able to publish an article as it fits nicely with the other "ostomy hacks" I have on the site! 

   

Hi Eric 

I would be more than happy to send photos. Let me know the best place to send them. 

Joanne

Joanne, send them to my email address and I'll see what we can do! :-)

I will send them in the morning.  

Thank you for your website and setting up the forums.  They both have been very helpful for me since you started!

It's my pleasure!

The filters of course are all just about worthless, imo.  Also I am surprised that no one has mentioned noise originating from the pouch.  As I am fairly new, (less than a year) with an ileo I was/am quite disappointed with the noise that comes from just walking or moving for that matter.  At the moment I use a two piece drainable system and have tried Coloplast, Convatec, Braun, and Hollister.  The first time I wore a pouch from Convatec it was so loud people could hear me walking around downstairs whilst they were upstairs, I swear it sounded like I had a grocery bag taped on.  Since then it seems to be a hit or miss with how loud Convatec pouch's are.  As for the rest they are all a close second, not much to choose between them.  Hollister sent me a one-piece sample once and the material was more rubber like vs the thin plastic material that are used on the rest of the pouches.  

DinahMoe, 

Haha! Some bags are so loud, that's for sure! I don't tend to notice it as much because I usually have my appliance in a support band or pouch covers, but some are excessively noisy. 

dinahmmoe,  I'm surprised that it hasn't been discussed also. Yes!  The noise from the bag does bother me and I notice it often!  I guess it's one of those things that I have just excepted as another embarrassing annoyance that I need to learn to live with. 

Some of the samples  I have seen do tend to be very loud.  Trash bag is very apt comparison. 

I use the Hollister bags ( why does every one else call them pouches?? makes me think of kangaroos).

I use the kind that are covered on both sides with the 'cloth' material ... a different form of plastic, but they are pretty quiet.

Posted by: DinahMoe I swear it sounded like I had a grocery bag taped on. 

It really is trial and error finding the right bag, I would recommend keep trying different samples. When I first got my stoma I used the convatec 2 piece which I loved because it had a mouldable base and the built in flange extenders. The drainable part of their bags also do up into themselves so the fuller they become the more impossible it is for the drainable part of the bag to accidentally open.

I used the ones where the base and bag stuck together like sticky back plastic, but I found that they were too flat and caused pancaking. So I spoke to my supplier and they recommended the same style base but where the bag and base clip together (using a bit of soap on the rings), and hey presto that solved my pancaking problems.

Next problem was that I found these new bags a bit smelly. Another phone call to my supplier and they sent me different style bags for exactly the same base.

i didn't like those bags either, they were crinkly and a bit see-through. Another phone call later and a different style bag, for exactly the same base was in the post to me.

I then felt like Goldilocks, I had eventually found the right combination for me ?I had the mouldable base, built in flange extenders, no pancaking, no smells or crinkle noises, leak proof opening, brilliant. 

That's my story, but I know that my combination won't be right for others. Please keep hunting and asking for samples. Stoma bags are like shoes, what is right for one person another person hates.

Btw I have never known anyone to find a bag with a filter that continues to work when it gets wet, but with a two piece or a drainable you can just burp them as required 

Filters, filters and then ... filters. They don't work if you have a really liquid output. Sigh.

I agree that filters are almost worthless. I have not experimented with many other brands but I have done enough reading to know that no company has perfected a filter system. My output is usually a bit thicker as I have a colostomy but sometimes it still blocks up the filter if it is a busy day. I have fairly good insurance so I tend to change my bag almost every day. At first I would try to make them last as long as I could but after dealing with the bloated bag, I quit being a martyr and started changing it whenever I felt like it. I figure I have paid enough for insurance over the many years I never used it. Now its payback time for me.

Posted by: Willy

I have fairly good insurance so I tend to change my bag almost every day. At first I would try to make them last as long as I could but after dealing with the bloated bag, I quit being a martyr and started changing it whenever I felt like it. I figure I have paid enough for insurance over the many years I never used it. Now its payback time for me.

It's funny how we think of things like that - you must be from Canada or the US because in most other parts of the world (where bags are given free), the norm is to change your appliance every day or other day! For someone who does that, they may never have filter issues because there's no time for an issue to develop - it's those of us who try to push beyond a few days of wear who have high expectations! 

One of the things that really annoys me is people who change their bags regularly because they don't have to pay for their prescriptions, then they moan when they have to wait for a doctor's appointment. Our (British) NHS only has limited funds and we need to respect that.

I changed my bag a couple of times a week.

Sarah, you bring up a very valid point, actually. 

I believe in Australia the national ostomy association urged patients not to hoard or overuse supplies because it puts a strain on the system. 

Even though I do have more than enough insurance to cover daily appliance changes, I don't because I don't like the excess garbage it creates or the fact that it strains the system.

But in the case of changing an appliance more often because the filter stops working, I think it's totally acceptable because ballooning can cause other problems like leaks, which may end up costing more.