Supplies for Outings as a New Ostomate

Maybe I'm not aware, but I don't have odor from my unopened pouch. Am I missing something?

Well, knowing the question was understandable was half the battle, so thanks for letting me know. I don't know why my brain thinks of half of the stuff that it does. I'm really curious and want to know all the things.

I could probably Google this, but then you wouldn't get to answer. What is a radar key?

That would depend on where you're from ;). In the UK, "pants" refers to underwear. "Trousers" is less ambiguous.

A radar key gets you into otherwise-locked disabled bathrooms. Very useful as they are usually a lot cleaner than the other public ones, usually bigger too. More room to sort your sh*t out. Literally.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Name comes from Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) key.

Extensive scheme in UK of disabled toilets in shopping centres, etc. Nice things about it are that the toilets are more likely to be clean, and also you don't have to ask somebody to come unlock it for you!

"A RADAR key, also known as an NKS key, is a blue and silver-coloured key that opens more than 10,000 disabled toilets across the UK. RADAR keys are used by some 400 local authorities to allow disabled people access to locked, accessible toilets.

The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation, which is now Disability Rights UK, worked in partnership with Nicholls Clarke, the inventors of the RADAR lock and together they created the National Key Scheme (NKS). The first RADAR locks were fitted in 1981 to help keep accessible toilets free and clean for disabled people.

Before RADAR locks were introduced, many establishments locked the accessible toilet themselves which meant that disabled people could only use the toilet on request. There were also cases where the key couldn't be located by the staff member, or the person who had it wasn't on duty that day. Fortunately, the introduction of the NKS meant disabled people could now use the toilet without having to ask someone if they could be let in."

There is something similar on mainland EU, a Euro key in the central states Germany to Slovakia - ish.

They missed an opportunity to call it a Eurinal key, I guess!

Alas the system in Ireland is much less extensive, and a different key again.

I have two ostomy kit bags that were gifts from vendors. They seem to be modeled off of men's travel toiletry kits. I like to keep them in the car as they are big enough for some extra supplies.

Over the years as an ostomy care nurse, I have seen two schools of thought on this. One is to bring only what you need to clean yourself up enough to get home and then do any major changes.

The other school of thought assumes that you are going to continue on with life and not allow this to jerk you back home every time it occurs. Those people need to bring just a little bit more.

First, of course, the means to clean yourself up. I will do a separate post on possibilities for cleanup. I do not recommend baby wipes or diaper wipes as most of them have some type of barrier product such as silicone or lanolin or other emollient that once it is on your skin it will inhibit your next appliance from sticking. Certainly a change of clothes because it isn't just the lower half that can get baptized in shit if you have a longer tunic or shirt in the interest of covering up your stoma and your appliance secondarily to that a complete change just as if you would have had to do at home. If your appliances are cut to fit, you will need some small scissors of some sort. I recommend curved; they come in those aforementioned kits from some vendors.

NOTE: Depending on the price, if your scissors are not sharp, either a) sharpen them or b) replace them.

For me, a quart-size Ziploc bag will hold the scissors and one wafer (aka base-plate) and two half-moon-shaped barrier extenders and one Convatec "ring" called stoma wrap and one pouch (aka bag). A separate bag holds my clothing and clean-up supplies.

This is everything I need. It is identical to what I would be putting on at home. However, it means I will be spending some time either in the handicap stall or even in my car.

If friends or family are waiting for me, say in a restaurant or at an event or a movie or park, it is important that they understand the approximate time frame it will take you to clean yourself up and get changed and get back to them, whether you follow plan a) run home or plan b) accept this and move on. You will still be returning to the group you left behind to change your appliance, and it is important for them to understand approximately how long you will be gone. They tend to get upset and even a little panicky when you are gone for that length of time, particularly in a bathroom, as if they thought it was the rudest place on the planet.

Hi T and welcome to our community. You will always get great advice from fellow ostomates. I wish you the best. You know you've been an ostomate for too long when you leave the house without supplies. It is scary when you realize what you've done so the rule is "never leave home without supplies". I am a long-time ostomate and I have changed my wafer and pouch in some very small stalls when I had to. When I leave the house, I always have a "kit" with me that contains a pouch, wafer, skin barrier wipes, and a paper towel tucked into a quart-size zip lock bag. I also keep one in my car just in case I forget to bring one along. However, due to the effects of temperature, I change out the one in the car from time to time. When I travel, I pack several (more than I know I will need) of my homemade kits in my carry-on just in case travel plans change. Best wishes and stay well. MarVee

P.S. to my reply, I also include a disposal bag in all of my "ostomy kits".

Hollister sent me a little red bag that the ostomy nurse packed up with all the extras she said I'd need. Scissors, adhesive, bag, barrier, saline, and wipes. I added a full water bottle, the cardboard template, and the disposal bag. I bring it in the car or if I am at work, I put it in the same knapsack I use for my lunch and book(s).

I have used it zero times since my ostomy in Dec but still keep it around to soothe my own worries and issues.

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I have a thin tote with a zipper that I keep in my purse. In it, I have two spare bags and rings, folded up toilet paper and paper towel, and a disposable bag to put it all in. I go to a lot of concerts. I've had my purse checked a zillion times but, so far, they've never unzipped my supply bag when I automatically explain that I have medical supplies in there. Sometimes I even say I have an ostomy bag. It's fun to see their reactions to that statement. They avoid my supply bag like it was poop itself!

Hi,

I've had my bag since I was 11 years old (I'm 53) and I've never had to change it when I'm out for the day. I wear a 2-piece appliance, so just empty the bag as needed, throughout the day.

Once, when I was a teenager, my bag leaked when I was out for dinner. I put Kleenex in my underwear and went home. Not ideal, but I don't think I could have changed it easily in the small stall of a public restroom. Maybe with a one-piece it would be easier if you had wipes with you...(?)

When I go on an airplane, I take a precut flange and bag, but luckily I've never had a leakage and needed it (I travel a lot). I always change my flange/bag the night before or morning of travel so things are newly stuck/fresh. I usually change my bag and flange every 3-4 days.

Maybe I am just lucky, but I don't take anything when I am not traveling. I have been using the Eakin Cohesive seals for years to get a good fit around the stoma, under the flange.

I think I may have used the one-piece bag for a few years when I was young, but stopped due to leakages. My advice is to try a few different options until you find an appliance that doesn't often leak. Having that constant worry would be stressful.

Wishing you all the best.

I take everything you listed as well as some paper towels and wet wipes. I also keep disposable underpads (chux) in the car in case of a big leak. I also have an ileostomy but only change my wafer and bag every 4 days or so. Enjoy your day out!

Huh. Pants = underwear. Good to remember for an American if when visiting the UK.

Sounds like the UKers beg to differ.

So, don't leave the house in just your pants, please put on trousers first?

Thank you for taking the time to explain all that. So, do you register to get one of those keys? I'm confused because you said 400 local authorities use them, but those with disabilities don't have to wait for someone to unlock the door. Or is the 400 local authorities overseeing the program in their regions?

I have no idea why the EU wouldn't choose to use your Eurinal idea.

Which question of mine are you answering? Sorry, I've asked a few in this thread.

I always take one set of supplies in a zip lock baggy when I leave the house, just in case the pouch leaks. It rarely rarely leaks but spare supplies give me confidence to go out. I only change my ileostomy appliance (pouch flange) once every 6 days. I use 3M Cavilon no-sting barrier film, then Coloplast Brava Strip Paste around the stoma, Coloplast Easiflex Ostomy baseplate 14304 Extended Wear 2 piece, and a Coloplast SenSura Flex Pouch. Changing the baseplate daily is very hard on the skin, not to mention expensive and inconvenient. I hope this helps.

This is such a good question, and as always, responses vary, as everyone has a different comfort level. My name is Marsha, and I've had my ileostomy for nearly 60 years, since I was a teen of 15. In those days/dark ages really, we only had "permanent pouches", made of rubber, and had to be washed and reused. The faceplate was plastic, and we used a flammable "glue" spread on skin and wafer. Had to wait to apply to skin, or it would really burn. That was then... I was 16, and took nothing out with me for the day... just a roll of tape. That has been my go-to "survival kit", for the nearly 60 years. I've had some leaks while I'm out, but just wipe it off, and use some tape. But reading posts finally got to me, and I put a bag, wafer, wipes, skin prep and tape in my car... just in case. That's the most prep, although I still carry a roll of tape in my purse. When I go away for an overnight, I always have a "to go" bag packed and ready to go... with two or three changes available. (Sometimes, changing can get messy... and I ruin a faceplate). I've gotten a lot of good advice from suggestions of other ostomates, but in the end, it's what you the individual is comfortable with. Best of luck. Marsha...

Same here with the doggy bags from the dollar store.
I have a small pack sack just for this. I have one pre-cut wafer, two pouches, a barrier ring, one adhesive remover wipe and two peri-stoma wipes.

Have not needed it yet.

I tried to keep things as simple as possible without leaving myself unprepared. I keep a folded-over pre-cut pouch (1-piece) and a spare skin barrier in a large zip-lock bag that folds flat and stays in the zip compartment of my handbag. I have a small cosmetics pouch as well that holds travel-size wipes, some skin prep wipes, and a to-go size can of Lysol that takes up very little room in the main compartment.

I also keep a basic 'just in case' change of clothes in my car (black leggings, black tunic top, and underwear along with a couple of washcloths) - right next to the first aid kit and roadside safety kit, lol.

Hi, I have an ileostomy for a year and a half. Every purse/bag I use has a kit in it. Everything I need to do a complete ostomy change fits in a sandwich Ziploc.

Bag, Eakin ring, adhesive remover and skin barrier sachets, mini stoma powder, 2 Brava barrier strips, cardboard stoma measuring guide, gauze, mini scissors, small bag for disposal. I carry a small bottle of sterile saline in each purse/bag too.

Having a kit prepared in any bag I use ensures I have everything I need in case the Big Awful happens away from home. I learned to do this the hard way when my bag exploded in the dollar store and I had no supplies.

Thankfully there was a stunned teenage employee who took my barked instructions in stride and ran around grabbing everything I needed. Garbage bags, duct tape, bottled water, PJ pants, underwear. Trust me, make a kit and keep it with you at all times. This was humiliating for me and I scarred a poor 17-year-old boy for life.

Hi, I have an ileostomy for a year and a half. Every purse/bag I use has a kit in it. Everything I need to do a complete ostomy change fits in a sandwich Ziploc.

Bag, Eakin ring, adhesive remover and skin barrier sachets, mini stoma powder, 2 Brava barrier strips, cardboard stoma measuring guide, gauze, mini scissors, small bag for disposal. I carry a small bottle of sterile saline in each purse/bag too.

Having a kit prepared in any bag I use ensures I have everything I need in case the Big Awful happens away from home. I learned to do this the hard way when my bag exploded in the dollar store and I had no supplies.

Thankfully there was a stunned teenage employee who took my barked instructions in stride and ran around grabbing everything I needed. Garbage bags, duct tape, bottled water, PJ pants, underwear. Trust me, make a kit and keep it with you at all times. This was humiliating for me and I scarred a poor 17-year-old boy for life.

Fanny packs are not very stylish, but IDGAF. I wear one everywhere.

Simple - I don't go out.