Emptying my bag if I am urinating at the same time, I will empty into the toilet after adding tissue to the toilet. If my bag is pretty full or if I don't need to urinate and I'm at home, I empty into a disposable cup placed on the counter. 

I could not get the OstoEZ vents to stick to Convatec bag samples. I used rubbing alcohol, not alcohol pads.

I used them on my Coloplast bag and they worked best on them. Since I was having to change bags frequently, I started reusing my bags. I would use a little liquid dish detergent with a little bleach and hot water into a old hospital bath basin, use latex gloves to swish around and let the bag soak overnight; then rinsed out, stuffed with a couple of paper towels to keep the end open to air dry, put a small piece of paper towel with some essential oil on it and placed in the bag. This was working well for me until I started with the stoma issues. I hope to be able to speak with my Coloplast rep to see what in the Coloplast line is similar to the wafer on the Hollister Premier CeraPlus due to the poor quality of the bag pat of the Hollister product.

I’m in a bad place too, so I agree with you today, the whole thing sux and I wish I could go back to whatever normal was or is.  

I don't like this :(  Perhaps you can start a new topic and we can go over some of the challenges you're having. 

Here's my plan for now: I will get open ended pouches with next month's order to use when I'm at home. That way I can practice emptying and cleaning in the privacy (and cleanliness) of my own home. I will continue using the pouch liners for when I'm away from home, until I run out of them. And after that I hope to feel confident with the open ended pouches.

I love this plan! Good luck, and let us know if you have any other questions or concerns as you move forward. 

Yes, IBS is frustrating but not anything like IBD. 

When I don't take magnesium and vitamin C my output gets very thick and leads to pancaking and leaking. This was my main challenge for the first few years after surgery until I started the magnesium and C. Also, if I don't take them, my output slows way down, and that worries me since being hospitalized with an obstruction. I certainly don't want to repeat that nightmare. I know many on this forum have shared this experience.

Here's my plan for now: I will get open ended pouches with next month's order to use when I'm at home. That way I can practice emptying and cleaning in the privacy (and cleanliness) of my own home. I will continue using the pouch liners for when I'm away from home, until I run out of them. And after that I hope to feel confident with the open ended pouches.

I truly appreciate this forum. Thanks for all the help!

Marci 

I really don't see myself kneeling on any public restroom floor. Sorry.

I tend to either squat or place toilet paper on the ground when emptying at a public toilet, but only if the floor is dry and looks relatively clean. You can empty whichever way you like, but aim for the toilet bowl walls to avoid splashing. 

Unfortunately I have the type of IBS that swings between constipation and diarrhea, and I never know which it will be. This has been the case since my teens, when I was diagnosed and is still the case after my surgery. I take lots of magnesium and vitamin C to keep my output moving. So sometimes my output is loose and watery and other times it's thick and pancaking is a problem. 

That sounds frustrating. 

If you stop taking the magnesium and vitamin C, are you always constipated? Does a change in diet help at all? 

I will see if I can get the wide end pouches to try.

I think I will just have to figure it out as I go.

I really don't see myself kneeling on any public restroom floor. Sorry.

Unfortunately I have the type of IBS that swings between constipation and diarrhea, and I never know which it will be. This has been the case since my teens, when I was diagnosed and is still the case after my surgery. I take lots of magnesium and vitamin C to keep my output moving. So sometimes my output is loose and watery and other times it's thick and pancaking is a problem. 

I don't mean to sound ungrateful but I'm in a rough place today emotionally because my ostomy journey has been pretty rocky. 

I will take a look at the article on emptying pouches. Thanks!

Marci

After reading here and watching Eric's video about the EZ vent, I want to give it a try. I even got the squeeze bottle so I can try irrigating my pouch through the EZ vent, since pancaking is also an ongoing challenge for me.

I applaud you for trying! 

But then I started wondering how I will change my pouch when I'm not home, because I am so used to wearing closed end pouches and either flushing a pouch liner and putting in a new one, or, lately, throwing away the used pouches, i'm very nervous about dealing with an open end pouch.

Early on, i decided I was not going to use open end pouches because when emptying into the toilet I always got splash back , and I never felt like I could get the opening clean enough before closing it back up. I also have IBS and my pouch can occasionally go from empty to almost bursting in under a minute and I worry about the end of the pouch giving way. 

I find that loose stool to be more difficult to empty without splashing (see my next comment below), but one trick I use is to aim towards the front of the bowl and not directly into the water. Place toilet paper wherever you do aim to prevent splashing and "skidmarks". I illustrate how I do it in this article: How to Empty and Clean an Ostomy Bag

I'm just worried about the logistics. I wish I had the type of output that was formed and would just fall out, but I don't. I have to keep my stool on the loose side because I'm prone to blockages.

There's a product for you!! Seriously, consider using gelling products! They will thicken up loose stool and make it much easier to both empty and manage your appliance (less chance of leaks). 

Gelling Products

I can understand your reticence concerning changing your system, but I have found, like dogtalkerer, that the Coloplast widemouth bags are fantastic. Also, like Barbara, that I find that kneeling in front of the "throne" and laying out toilet paper in the bowl help reduce splashing. Pancaking is an issue with me at times - I can't use a filtered bag as they can be pretty powerful -  but Eric has a wonderful video which deals with this problem. Concerning your ballooning issues, have you tried using natural probiotics - yogurt, kimchee and other fermented foods? I find they help cut down on the gas that can build up in the pouch. I hope these tips help you.

Stella