Table of Contents
Video
By playing the above video you agree to YouTube's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
What is Medical Tape?
Medical tapes are used in a wide range of applications when it comes to having an ostomy. The most common use is as a wafer extender, which helps to secure your appliance without the need to use an accessory belt.
How Medical Tape is Usually Sold
Medical tape is commonly sold in rolls of varying lengths and widths, although you may find tape strips for specific applications.
Because medical tape can be used in so many ways, they also come in a huge selection of material: fabric, waterproof, breathable, stretchy, stiff, easy to remove, clear, opaque, etc.
Pricing for tape can vary wildly depending on the material used, or even by the size and length of the roll. I find that because tape can be cut to size, buying wider rolls and cutting it in half can save a bit of money. Many insurance companies cover medial tape.
Purchase on Amazon
You can purchase medical tape on Amazon (affiliate links): USA | CANADA
How to Use Medical Tape
Medical tapes are commonly used to hold wound dressing in place, but in the context of having an ostomy, we can get pretty creative!
Here are some of the things I’ve used medical tape for:
As a wafer extender:
Yup, you can absolutely use medical tape to replace traditional wafer extenders, however the results may vary considerable, and they may not be as effective as commercial wafer extenders. If you go this route, it’s important to pick the right tape for the job: do you need tape that’s waterproof? Flexible? Breathable? Do you want it to have weak or strong adhesive properties? For wafer extenders, I tend to use something like the Opsite Flexifix, which is a thin, flexible and waterproof film.
To keep my pouch flat and close to my skin:
You can use regular medical tape to keep the top of your wafer from sagging when your filter has been clogged. You can also use tape to secure the bottom of your pouch, although I’d rather use an ostomy wrap if I wan to keep my appliance secure.
As a protective barrier under my wafer:
This is an extremely useful trick that has come in handy for me when using specific wafers. The idea is to apply a layer of film tape (like Opsite Flexifix or 3M Tegaderm) to your skin before applying the wafer so it protects your skin from being cut by the edge of your wafer. I’ve dedicated an entire post and video to this trick, which you can find HERE.
Tips When Using Medical Tape
- Some tapes are hard to remove, so use an adhesive remover if you find that you’re tearing out skin and hair when removing tape.
- Some types of tape aren’t meant to be worn for the entire life of your appliance (3-5 days).
Are Medical Tapes Vegan-Friendly?
Tapes may or may not have animal-based ingredients. Most are made using chemical adhesives, but it’s best to check with the manufacturer if you have doubts.
I’ve put together a list of vegan and non-vegan ostomy products that can be found HERE.
Not to suggest that tape can’t be used to prevent a blowout, I’m saying that if you have to rely on tape to prevent a blowout then there may be something else going on that’s causing issues.
Some things that come to mind might be:
– improper appliance fit.
– waiting too long to change the appliance.
– dietary variables that lead to excess gas.
– using too many products at one time
and so on.
I’m not trying to make a blanket statement against the use of tape. Some people simply need to use tape to better secure their appliance during certain activities like swimming, and I certainly use tape strategically (sounds like you do the same). But I feel that if there aren’t any special circumstances then an appliance should be “leak-free" on its own.
I would say that leaks and blowouts do tend to be more common in the first year (this is a statistical fact), but a well-managed stoma should almost never have a problem with leaks.
I hope that clarifies my point.
vegan, can you explain some things in detail?"""Blowouts should be rare to nonexistent. Tape shouldn’t be used to prevent blowouts and blowouts point to a much larger problem.""""why shouldn’t tapes be used to prevent a blowout? what else would you use? I do this to extend wear when I’m in fix. what kind of “larger problem" are you referring to? in a way, thats the Cymed design of their microskin, tape preventing blowouts.over the years I haven’t spent much time online, but leaks and blowouts seem to be the most common complaint. so maybe they should be rare, but observation says they are not.I agree that a 2 piece introduces a 2nd failure point, thats the exact reason I do not use 2 piece, besides they do not look comfortable to do any sort of bending in.