@ Gerry W ...Welcome  to VO!  Agreeing to my ileostomy, just over 12 years ago was the best thing I had done for myself in a long time! Before that there had been about 8 bowel surgeries. Different people different situations.  Fear is normal but if your feeling high anxiety the day of surgery do yourself a favor & tell the nurse looking after you. Sometimes they can give you a little  magic  pill to help you relax better. Its well worth the honestly! Lol! 

I know you haven't really asked for advice but I would like to encourage you to get up go for walks  "with assistance", as soon as your told its safe after surgery. Its the best way to encourage you guts & whole body to wake up & get moving. Drink lots of fluids after to help wash the drowsiness away & stay hydrated.  Don't be a hero over the pain situation. Let the Nurses & Doctor know if its not under control & don't be afraid to say so. I think I've found the 1st 3 days to be the most challenging. Once over that hump you'll do much better.  

Go armed with a journal so you can write down questions & answers for the Doctor & information like keeping track of how your guts respond to foods once your eating again.

Stay in touch & let us know how your doing. Slow & steady wins the race! Lol! Maybe when your up to it you can start a new forum & tell us your story & introduce yourself to the group. We do like to give newbies a hearty welcome!  Any questions... know we are here for you!!  Hospitals have a guest internet you can sign into if your up to viewing Erics ever so helpful videos! All the best & be as well as you can be! 

I'll be praying for you! 

Linda

Hi, I have a question about pouch changes. When inspecting the back of the wafer when changing the pouch, is it normal to have a little bit of seepage? Not enough to make a leak, but just a little underneath the wafer/barrier ring. I've had some ostomy nurses say that this is totally fine and others say that it should always be clean and without any sign of output underneath. I guess I'm trying to figure out the balance between achieving a system that works but not trying for unrealistic perfectionism. I'm also wondering if in the photo you showed of your used wafers if you were using barrier rings. I've been seeing mixed reviews about whether the barrier rings are needed. I was given them in the hospital, but I'm not sure if they are helping or possibly actually unnecessary for my pouching system. Thanks so much for any thoughts.

Hi Ki,

In my experience, a little seepage is pretty normal and if it's not causing damage to the skin, I wouldn't worry about it.

You may notice itching around the stoma when this seepage happens, so it may even be a good thing since it gives you a heads-up that your wafer will need to be changed soon.

In those photos, I was NOT using a barrier ring, although I will say that the swelling effect you see appears more exaggerated than what I get now. If your output is on the liquid side, the wafer will likely look like the photo.

If you suffer from leaks, barrier rings can be helpful, but I would prefer someone to find an appliance that works for them without needing to use extra supplies.

What is your wear time like with and without the barrier rings (if you've been using those for long)?

Thanks so much for this response.
So far I've actually never tried just wearing a wafer without barrier rings. My first ileostomy surgery went horribly wrong (stoma ended up being flush and about 5mm in diameter. Saw a new surgeon and he said it was one of the worst cases of retraction he'd ever seen). With that one I never got a real sense of wear times because the situation was so messed up. Now I'm 6 weeks out from the revision surgery when the malfunctioned loop was changed to an end and I've been changing the pouch every other day and I've been using the barrier rings every time. I've experimented with different rings though and found certain ones hold up better than others for me. No major leaks so far, just the little bit of seepage I mentioned sometimes visible under the skin barrier when I change it. I guess since I was instructed to use the rings in the hospital I had assumed that it was just a part of the pouching system. My output is typically thick applesauce consistency, sometimes gets a little more liquidy at night. I want to experiment with other set ups, but it causes me a lot of anxiety too.

If you have the time to experiment, try seeing what it's like without the barrier ring.

I trust that your new stoma is no longer retracted and sticks out a bit? If so, it should be fairly uncomplicated to try new things.

I personally find that wafers have far better adhesion to my skin than barrier rings, so I can push my wear time to 7-10 days without leaks, where barrier rings would usually top out on my after maybe 4 days.

Post again with an update if you do decide to try new things.

Good luck :)

You may want to à stoma RN to assess if convex flange could be better for you. This helped me to forgo the barrier ring.

Same here. My partner had emergency surgery in October, she soent 10 days in ICU andxalmost dudnt oull through! . We are in our mid seventies. She has an ileostomy and during recovery I was and still am her sole support. She is getting better at changing her bad herself, but still needs me around to help with cleaning around the stoma, etc. It seems that the leaks are more frequent. She uses the coloplast transparent bags x 10 wafers which is covered by our health care, We live in Spain. All other accessories are not covered. I tend to think because the stoma retracts under the skin, is the cause of the leaks and a convex wafer is the answer. We are seeing out stoma nurse and will ask if we can changer the wafer. This has been life changing, not only is she dealing with this but has Metestatic cancer and you can imagine, when once we were able to travel without a care in the world, now doctors appointments are are the new normal and our emergency stoma bag goes Wherever we go! If I could give her my colon, I would! There were so many other complications that only now is she managing to get her mobility back and walk short distances. We are both sleep deprived but will live this out the best way we can! Thank you all for such encouraging reads and blogs. Bless you all, onwards and Upwards 💃👍💪🙏

Hi Lesley, Firstly Welcome both of you to the forum. A stoma certainly is a life changing experience but once under control can and will lead to a pretty normal life. This may not seem like it now ! But don’t judge the early months as what it will always be like. Sounds like the stoma is flush and yes a convex would be the answer. You are taking the right path by seeing the nurse with this problem. The VO site here is a wealth of info. It’s great to hear that you are helping. Please post any questions you have and help is always offered. Best wishes to you both 🙏👍

Hello Lesley,

A stoma nurse will have knowledge and experience that can be of great help to your partner. It might be a good idea to write questions down so you don’t forget anything when you talk/meet with the nurse.

An ostomy is certainly a big change and does take some getting used to. Your partner will learn what works for her, little adjustments and techniques, as well as some trial-and-error. There are good people on this VO website who share their experiences and have good suggestions.  I have learned much and am thankful.

All good wishes to you both - 

LL

Welcome to you Lesley and your Partner! I'm sorry for the circumstances that brought you here but, you are in a good community of folks now & from all walks of life. We do our best to help answer questions just from our own real life ostomy experiences.  That had to be so frightening to have your partner so ill in ICU.  I'm glad, even if slowly, that things are moving forward for you both. 

I know there are others here with a flush  stoma that may be able to give a tip or two to try.   There is a lot to deal with when adjusting to stoma life & as said above, things will improve! At some point it will be old hat for you both. I'm 66 and 15 years with an ileostomy. Your partner  is very fortunate to have you for support. Stay strong & encouraging. Sleep will improve when leaks are under control. Ask anything you wish here, there is no such thing as a dumb question no matter your age! Lol! 

You know, when I first had my Ostomy, my hubby was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer & needed his sleep desperately.  So not to wake him with my frequent trips to the washroom at night, I used a small  flashlight to get there & back & he did the same for me. We also placed a foamy mattress over our regular mattress & it prevented him from being further disturbed when I was getting in & out of bed. Rest, sleep & comfort are necessities in recovering & in all honesty, you are both recovering from this experience so make sure you both get the rest you need even if its a nap in the daytime. I hope this helps, even just a wee bit.

All the best to you both & hang in there! 

Lesley, you are certainly dealing with a lot! You are absolutely correct about a convex wafer. My stoma is almost flush, and I had lots of leaks early on. When I changed to a convex wafer, the leaks stopped immediately. I’m sure your stoma nurse will agree to try it. Best of luck to you both, and glad you found us. 

Laurie