@chelly yes I use soap with the nail brush. I use a triple milled soap (just because I like them) but I have used other soaps with no issues from it. Just be very gentle when you use the nail brush, and I wouldn’t recommend it if you have any broken skin around the stoma. I hope this helps.🤞

Laurie

@tigerlily thanks so much for this tip! I’m going to the store now so picking up a nail brush to try today. I’m excited lol! With my issue of getting adhesive off I think this is going to make a difference in my routine. I promise yes I will be gentle. 
thanks again!

Posted by: @chelly

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@tigerlily I’m very interested in the mail brush step. Do you scrub using the nail brush with soap or is that before or after you soap up? Also what soap do you use? The hair dryer I have done before but my Ostomy nurse and the pouch manufacturer tells me not to do that with extended wear bags. I have a sticky melty issue. This might help

I use a standard rough washcloth around my stoma with a little bath soap to clean things up, then I rinse well.  As to all the showers, I slide a towel up under my bag, then wrap it around the front and hold it for 10 seconds. Dries the wafer and bag right out.  I always shower without a bag on changing days.

@goatherder I have always used a washcloth as well. I’m thinking adding in this brush is going to help remove some unwanted adhesive and I’m still going to use the cloth afterwards.

Posted by: @chelly

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@goatherder I have always used a washcloth as well. I’m thinking adding in this brush is going to help remove some unwanted adhesive and I’m still going to use the cloth afterwards.

 

@chelly  ... lots of great replies!  Just a share here. I understand your using a couple different soaps in your shower. It tweaked a memory with me. When my hubby & I were newly weds, he showered sometimes 3 times a day. It drove me nuts!! I examined his product packaging & found he was using a highly scented green deoderant bar soap that honestly stank to me & then a conditioning shampoo for his hair & a scented armpit deoderant.  You can do what you wish with this info. Lol! It turned out that between the three he seemed to be what I thought was basically clogging his pores from responding naturally to his body heat & this caused further & even excessive swetting. I challenged him to change to the Honey & Glycerin Bar soap I use & to wash his hair out of the shower after a good rinse while in the shower.  He took the challenge but continued using the conditioning shampoo. He said all shampoo he used did the same thing. He always chose conditioning shampoos!!  On my urging, He changed shampoos as well to a simple unscented brand I was using. The results, within about a month... He was able to start showering once a day.  He switched to all unscented products which previously had been even more chemicals for his body to deal with. He changed to my simple but effective underarm "deoderant antipersperant" unscented product for his pits.  This all combined resulted in regular nightly showers after a day in construction & a less slippery hubby in bed at night too! Hehe!  

Blow-dryer ...I'm pretty sure that between body heat & swetting that adding a bit of dry heat to the wafer to see if it sticks better would not really harm the wafer to the pouches you wear.  Mostly, they have to cover their own stomas by saying "do not use a blow-dryer!"   If you made the wafer too hot, yes, you could burn your skin & thats the last thing they want to be responsible for under anyones wafer so they say no, not to mention a possible lawsuit.  I use a blow-dry every time I change my pouch & holding it at a distant where its not too hot for the skin on the top of my hand... I've never made the wafer too warm. Think about it ... 

Maybe if you were able to elimante some of the soaps/shampoos you use & went with more simple products just maybe you'd be able to use a skin barrier spray. This spray/wipe, your preference,  really protects the skin & I have noticed since switching to the spray that the wafer does not look like velcro as I'm peeling it from my skin,  but I'm also using the adhesive remover spray first on both my skin & extra on a wipe to give a real thorough cleaning between pouches. I usually use about 8 to 10 adhesive remover wipes.  The Barrier spray/wipe leaves a thin film on the skin but it is also " BREATHABLE"! 

After stumbling onto VO, one thing I noticed was that Eric used the simplest routine possible. Correct me if I'm wrong Sir.  Seeing a video, minus hair issues, I wanted to have Erics skin under a wafer. I did my homework, ordered supplies & what a huge difference that made for me in leaks & in turn to my skin avoiding acid burns from output leaks. Thank you again Eric!!!! 

When I've put on a new wafer, I used to use a warm hot water bottle to help adhere the wafer to my skin, my hands often ached & it covered the wafer area well.  This worked if it wasn't too warm, as that made a moisture form between the wafer & my skin, I have found much better results with a blowdryer. However, right after a new one is on, I still need to spend several minutes pressing gently all around the opening by my stoma & working on my incision area with pressure as well.  I too do this laying down allowing the warmth of my hands to cover the wafer & plastic to provide heat to the wafers sticabiliity.  

You've been given a lot to read & figure out here. Go slowly & check results,  make notes if needed as you make or decide to make changes. I'm 14+ years in & still love my ileostomy compared to life before!  I can go on average in winter 3 to 5 days with the companies changes in products they deny making & at least 3 to 4 in summer depending on gardening & outside work.  It used to be 7 to 10 days activity considered. I so hope that you can get to that place of feeling in your own skin & not worry about leaks or all those horrid sticky issues you deal with.  A word of caution with the nail brush, a new one for my hands recently had the nylon bristles giving the top side skin to my hands many paper like cuts esp. around my nail beds. Be very careful. I've found using a wipe with extra spray has been enough scrub for me & works well with water.   For a long time I purchased Bar Towels from the $ store & cut them in 2" squares to use to scrub & dry my wafer & tape covered skin.  I hope something here helps Chelly! You've been thru way too much! 

@dlkfiretruck hi and thanks. I have tried glycerin soap but it leaves a slick film kind of like conditioner but I did like the way my body felt. A pouch won’t stick on me with glycerin unless maybe the brand you use is different. 
I do have to use unscented products for everything due to allergies to fragrance and asthma. I’m thinking my hair shampoo though . Kind of oily.

@chelly  ... maybe it is a different brand. I know that Pears Brand soap is similar but the one I use is not Pears.  I wish I could send you a picture of the packaging.  It's wrapoed in clear plastic.  It's a gold bar & comes wrapped,  3 bars side by side.  The label says... 

NATURAL HONEY & GLYCERIN SOAP..  For sensitive & delicate skin.   Honey 100% natural soap.    The back says..  Pure & Gentle Soap.   I just saw its been made in Brazil!    Ind.Com.Ltda    13158-118 Paulinia-SP Brazil

I hope thats helpful! 

@goatherder Yeah, I hesitated before recommending the nail brush, because I know it could be a disaster for some. But I also know it could make all the difference for people like me. I guess everyone has different needs; I’m really lucky that I’ve never had issues with the skin around my stoma. But obviously, lots of people do. As Paul Simon put it, “One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor. “ 🤔

Laurie

@dlkfiretruck I see. Yes it was the pears soap I tried. It made my body feel great but it left a film around my Ostomy that was really hard to get off. I will have to look it up. I am interested.

@tigerlily I tried the brush and yes I can see why you would worry to tell people but I’m a careful kind of gal anyhow so no harm was done. It didn’t make a difference but maybe if I put something a little oily in that area when using it and then using soap to get the oily stuff off. I’m going to experiment.

@chelly I’m sorry it didn’t help you. Many years ago, after suffering from hives and unable to determine the cause, I started making my own soap. It’s not difficult to make, and you can control what goes into it. I no longer do that, but I still have some of my homemade soap - it lasts forever. I know that soap making isn’t for everyone, but there are mail order companies like Saffire Blue, and New Directions Aromatics that carry a wide range of supplies and instructions for this if you’re interested. 

Laurie

@chelly Have you ever tried a Konjac sponge? They are made from plants, and often have added ingredients to help your skin. Such as charcoal or pink clay, or just natural, etc. If you get the sponge good and wet, it's soft for your skin, but most wil have a slight exfoliating effect, not as harsh as a nail brush. Plus, if you get one with added ingredients, you won't need any soap. They will typically last for months, if you give them time to dry really well in between uses. So if you shower twice a day, you might need to buy two of them at once.

The other thing that might help balance out your skin is calamine lotion. Not sure if a wafer would stick on top of that tho... it can sometimes leave a powdery residue.

No idea if these tips are any good, since I didn't have my surgery yet...

@goatherder yes you must have very thin skin. I tried it but I was gentle going in circular motions. No scrubbing hard at all. I know some men have to shave the hair around their Ostomy site. I wonder if I just lightly and I mean ever so lightly go over that ate but not next to the stoma. I wonder if it may help remove excess adhesive that my remover could not get all the way off. One thing that will get it off is an oily hair conditioner but then it’s a pain to get all that oily conditioner off afterwards.

@tigerlily I used to work at a place that sold homemade soaps and one of my favorite was emu oil soap. That of course would be too oily for this but was wonderful on my skin. The problem with hand made soap is they use oils like olive oil, coconut oil glycerin etc. on my skin those things get really oily. Then dr. Bonners burns my skin. Well it gives it a burning sensation anyhow.

@cat-momma I’d be afraid to use the clay and charcoal around my stoma area. With these stomas if anything is oily or some things can irritate the skin. I’d have to ask the Ostomy nurse on that one. Thank you fir the suggestion. Even if I could not use it around my stoma I could probably use it on my legs, feet etc…

I learned that Coloplast has a brava cleansing wipe. It comes in a pack like regular wipes but only contains 15 wipes each pack. You can use after a shower to remove any residues before applying the pouch  It’s not a barrier wipe but a cleansing wipe and you can even use it if you didn’t shower. It will not interfere with your bag sticking either. I just ordered 3 packs to try them out, I think these will be great to take to work too. Say if I have an accident or my pouch is falling off or needing changed at work I can just wipe with one of these and get a pouch back in in a jiff. No need for soap or anything. I figured 3 packs will be enough for me to see how they work out. They will send samples but I only a couple little individual packets. I think samples should be full packs of anything even pouches because it takes more than 3 pouches or anything else to see if things are going to work out. At least in my case. 
I was lucky enough my stoma nurse gave me 3 boxes! Yes 3 boxes of pouches my last switch and that’s what I’m in now. I don’t feel companies need to give that many but I’d say 1 box at least. It takes time to see if things are going to work out. 

@chelly  ...Actually try googling products.   *GLYCERIN is a non - oily product.

@dlkfiretruck it leaves a slippery film on my skin I don’t know why. The time I tried the pears soap I went to out the pouch on and it immediately started coming off on the edges. For some reason dial and ivory are the only things that will really let it stick for me.

Let us know how those cleansing wipes work. 

I am wondering what I'll be using in the shower after surgery, it hurts a little to give up my artisan soaps... If those wipes work for you, they might work for me too and I can keep using my soaps.