Do You Swear When You Have a Blowout?

I say lots of stuff I cannot put on here. It bothers my wife, but what does one say when there is shit all over the place?

Shucks

I rarely express any frustration about anything out loud. But inwardly I try to keep my expletives factual. Hence my favourite expressions to myself are 'shit!' and 'crap!'
If the thoughts linger, I will take time out to write rhymes about the incidents, with a view to sharing them with people like you.
Best wishes

Bill

Fortunately I've not suffered a bag blowout.  Had a couple of close calls.  Stuck in traffic once with a ballooning bag and being new to the ostomy game... Didn't pack extra supplies.  

 

I have never had one in the almost two years, but I do use the F bomb when I've had leaks.

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Definitely the 'F' Bomb! "Oh FFS!" 😂

No, I've only ever had leaks. I've never been one to swear I've had a bag that long. I just take it in my stride. It must be well over 10 years since my last leak, luckily.

You know if you lift the bottom of the bag up and open the end a little, you can let the gas out without any liquid by gently pushing on the bag. Try it next time. Regards, IGGIE

It's a word that really expresses the situation with meaning. Regards IGGIE

I only use the F word under special circumstances; shitting on myself is one of those circumstances. 😁

The handful of times I've had a blowout in the last eight and a half years...uh....absolutely, but I wait until I'm alone.

If there are people around, I use the Justin Timberlake / Janet Jackson line: "I seem to have had a wardrobe malfunction." When alone, it is "WTF" or "YMF Idiot!"

Wow! All of you lucky ones that have never had a blowout. I try not to say the words "shit" or "crap" because that's just what happened, and I don't want to encourage any more of that stuff. So, I like "shucks," what Maried said.

Iggie cheers, are you looking forward to the Rugby World Cup?

Hell yes, I swear when I have a blowout, but then I have a potty mouth anyway, and I swear about many of life's little frustrations.  I find it therapeutic.  This brings up an interesting question though, someone else referred to a leak as though it was different from a blowout.  How are we defining blowout?  Isn't that the same as a leak?  Or is a blowout only when it's catastrophic?  Does a leak become a blowout if it's really bad?  What say others?

Terry

I’ll say a leak becomes a blowout and I’m a fellow potty mouth, Terry, unless I know it would offend someone; then I rein it in!

I have a blowout every few weeks, usually at 2 or 3 in the morning.  And yes, I silently mumble 'SXxx' as not to wake my family.

To those who never have them, please share some tips as to how you manage it. This is so frustrating!

A little history... I had emergency surgery for a perforated colon in July of 2022 after years of battling UC. I've had an illeostomy since January 2023.

 

Hi A,

  The folks on here should be able to give you some good suggestions about how to stop having those late night/early morning leaks.  Start a new post so people see it and let us know what they removed and what type of ostomy you have.  Between things like irrigation, what and when you eat and setting your alarm to wake you every few hours (it's not that bad, really) we should be able to help you out.  

;O)

I have had several embarrassing massive blowouts. Would appreciate any tips about how not to have them.

I used to cry with embarrassment and frustration, but I got over that. Most blowouts happen when eating unfamiliar foods or ones that give me a lot of gas. Yes, I have learned to "burp" my bag when there is no reason to go empty. I eat dinner before 6 PM, except for my cannabis edible. I usually get 7 - 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. One of the worst blowouts was shopping at Wally World. I had a change of bags on me, but my clothes were not wearable. My then-hubby got clothes off the rack and had a stranger bring them to me in the ladies' room.

Stress seems to add to my problem with extra cramping. I have had an ileo since 12-89, with multiple revisions, loss of J-pouch, and another 10 inches of infarcted gut. It has been quite a journey for me, and a divorce. I still have some problems, but it is all part of the deal that saved my life.

What do you use for Ostomy equipment?

One word … Shit!

Hi Adrianna,  I see you have an ileostomy.  What kind of appliance and other products are you using?  It usually takes some trial and error to find a system that works for you.  Have you requested samples from the ostomy manufacturers?  They will happily send samples out to you, and it's worth it.  If you are having leaks, it could be the type of flange, convex versus flat, or simply one brand over another.  I've found that I get leaks with Coloplast no matter which product I wear, but I've found a Hollister product that works really well.  No one can advise you which one to use as everyone is different.  You might need to use a barrier ring for added protection, but again that is an individual thing.  I've learned that less is more, in other words more product isn't necessarily better.  How you apply your appliance can make a big difference too.  Always make sure your skin is really really dry and warm the flange before application, taking the backing off it and giving it 30 seconds with the blow dryer works wonders.  If your skin is raw or badly irritated, you will need to apply some stoma powder and skin prep, or a barrier ring, otherwise the flange won't stick properly.  As long as your parastomal skin is healthy, you probably don't need anything else.  Is your stoma well elevated from your skin?  If it doesn't stick out enough, or the hole is very close to your skin, it can make things more tricky.  Experimentation is key.  Good luck!

Terry

I just had another thought...you say your blowouts are usually in the middle of the night, so it could be how you are sleeping.  Are you a back sleeper?  If you sleep on your back, output can pool around the stoma and start to get under the flange, causing the adhesive to break down.  What side you sleep on can affect things too, ie, if your stoma is on your right side and you sleep on your right, it could put pressure on the side of the flange.

Terry

I'm the same,  I can let fly at home, as my husband's mouth is worse than mine!  But I do seem to self-censor unconsciously when I'm with people who might be offended.

Terry

Very interesting topic. I would like to use an analogy.

Think about this: you're driving down the road and all of a sudden, "boom," the tire blows out. It's quick; the car feels funny; you're like, "WTF is happening?" You pull over and go take a look, letting all kinds of explicit words and sentences exit your mouth.

Decide what's next.

Make some calls, check your spare tire.

Then realize there is none, or that spare is flat (insert words and sentences here again).

You don't get this boom with a slow leak.

And without a "spare" bag, it ends the same way as above.

"* !#$@:;&ס\<=￦}©*".

Newer cars have a tire pressure monitor icon. It lights up when there is an issue with the tire.

Imagine one of those things for your bag? Hah ha!

May your days be filled with fewer booms and catchable leaks.

Yes, someone please invent that "bag blowout" monitor icon!

Hah ha, actually, it's a sensor in the tire... but we as humans already have that sensor.

Unfortunately, our nose may let us know too late, but imagine actually seeing a number equating to pressure in the bag for an indication of a blowout coming soon.

Or perhaps a color-coded bag indicating high pressure.

Holy crap! That would be worth some engineering. Ah, the next big thing.

 

 

Always especially in the middle of the night. 

Hi Terry and many thanks for your response. I currently use Hollister CeraPlus 1 piece drainage pouch Precut 1". My stoma is an 'outtie' and the pouch fits perfectly snug around my stoma so I'm not sure why it leaks sometimes. I've tried using the Adapt CeraRing occasionally and I've still had blowouts.

I sleep on my side. I recently started using a wrap when I sleep and it's helped me feel more secure. I've lost a lot of sleep worrying about a spill and have been very tired lately. I've spoken to my physician and it may be that my output is really loose, hardly any bulk. So that may be part of the issue. I'm going to meet with a nutrition specialist next week. Hopefully I'll get the information to get good nutrition and bulkier output.

Thanks for your thoughts 🙏