Does Your Stoma Misbehave During Changes or Showers?

It wasn't the next morning when I had changed it; it was in the late afternoon. And it wasn't just my bike—I've had that plenty of times—it was full-blown, rolling like a river, as if I had drunk a ton of water. And with me, as I said before, I have tried everything and every time of day. Nothing works. Plus, my stoma likes the air. On more than one occasion, it has been silent, and as soon as it hit the air—boom, lol. So, I just get out my red solo cup, hold it under her, and wait until I can get an opening.

Every time I change my bag, I joke about going into battle because it is. The damn thing is a loaded shotgun/squirt-gun/grenade launcher. I pull my bag off, and it's go time. Never come out slow.

I use a two-piece. Coloplast 2 piece Sensura Mio. I have the high output bags, like 1200ml, and I empty 10-15 a day.

I change my bag either with a leak or by day 3. Luckily, the leaks have been minimal. However, due to the nature of the beast (I think I've dubbed my stoma its new name, The Beast. My temp ileostomy back in '13 was named Ripley after "Aliens" Ripley. 🤣 Humor helps, y'all), anyway, nature of the beast. I change my bag in the worst possible way. And hell, I only have maybe 5 or 6 years left before I can't change it that way anymore.

So my dumbass does it in the shower. Take the bag off. Shower. Wash up. Then bend 90 at the waist so the stoma is pointing in the tub (shower tub). Put my right knee up on the tub. Stand on my left leg and go to town. My back and knees only have a few more years left. So I'll hopefully figure something out differently. Take into account, it's a fire-hose once the bag comes off. Hence the pointing it at the tub. Have tried lying down and sitting and standing against the sink. "The Beast" lives up to its name.

Ahh, the alien spud... spews indeed.

🤣😂🤣

Sorry, Luke. It sounds like a strong minded life form, maybe a bit like its host! You write well.

My Ostomy Journey: Keyla | Hollister

Someone once said... humor is good medicine. Ditto that.

I was reading your in-shower bag change routine. Your comment about knees with a limited time of use surprises me. You're 36 years old, and are you saying arthritis is the culprit for having "a few years left" in them?

I have a solution to your issue. Saving knees and back...

Remove the bag after you get all cleaned up. That's part 1.

Do you have an old belt lying around?

Have you seen these painters' cups? It's got a neat handle, and I guess it holds about a quart of paint when you do touch-up painting.

They are at Home Depot or Lowe's.

So wrap the belt below the alien spud, and place the cup handle snug between the belt and skin below the stoma. Standing straight, you can lift the cup directly in line with your stoma output if it spews.

The thought of bagless showers made me freak out. Just a gross idea until I thought, "Catch it. Drain later."

Ha ha, like when you change your engine oil. A drain pan... in this case, a drain cup.

For me, this is a game changer.

Of course, my alien spud behaves. But allowing the cup "right there" allows me to dry off properly and walk around, giving the skin around the stoma ahhh time. Also known as air time to dry.

Flinging your bag at those people pissing you off is kinda ape-ish.

I like it. 🦧

Thanks so so much, Shamrock! I'm still finding my way around this site and have only just found this, it's a treasure chest of info. I've discovered by trial and error that cherry tomatoes, green grapes and baby lettuce move mountains for me.

I haven't yet worked out what bungs me up. I grew up in Zimbabwe, and corn porridge (and for the more posh of us, polenta) was a local staple food. But it converts me into a weapon of mass destruction! I could wipe out a small country! My body has installed other annoying problems too, caffeine and alcohol ensure an exciting ambulance trip and cardiac defib, which is not as enchanting as it may sound. But it's very annoying as some of my best friends are in the wine industry in South Africa, and I have to sit with a prune face like a judgy old maid at get-togethers!! I'm like a beggar, sniffing all their wines.

Thanks so much once again, this is really great. I'm a retired clinical pharmacist, so if I can ever repay the favour and give you info on any medications, please let me know. I'm really into drugs, but in the most boring way possible. For instance, did you know that moving the fluoride atom to a different carbon atom in cortisone made the resulting molecule much less absorbable by the skin? I know, hey, riveting!!

Thanks, Queenie. They absolutely do have a mind of their own! I mean, don't get me wrong. I'd be pissed off too if I was stripped down and sprayed with water, then rubbed with chemicals and left out to dry, then just to be manhandled back into a bag... 🤔 (levels with stoma) "Listen, beast, buddy. I'm sorry. I had to deal with all of that as a baby too. Well, minus the chemicals and I hope a bag... I think... but I got over it, homie. You should too!"

I'll report back when I do my bag. See if he listened. 😄

Warrior, you mean like paint mixing cups? If so, I have a few. I can give it shot! And by belt, you're referring to my bag belt?

Also to touch base on my knees and backs. Yep only 36 years young but played baseball for 15 years as catcher. Little league and high-school. Before knee-savers were cheap-ish. So that didn't help. Then I was a master tech on various vehicle brands for quite a bit. Then transitioned to working in the nuclear and hydroelectric generation field. Millwright. My back and neck finally got messed up on my way back from a jobsite. Work truck went off the road with me in back and hit a farmhouse corner. Bunch of tools, boxes and jobboxes decided to visit me in the back seat from the truck bed. 😂😅😂    But yep! Only 36 😂🤣😂

Paint mixing cups? Nope. This is a painter's cup. It looks like a pitcher. You know those water pitchers you get in hospitals? That's what I am using now, but I saw these painters' pitchers. They also have a magnet to hold your brush. I do believe they are for painting small areas for touch-up instead of using a roller or a brush from a gallon of paint.

Re: belt. Nope. Do you have an old pants belt laying around that you haven't used in years? Just a regular pants belt will do. It will get wet but will dry off. Standard belt. Nothing fancy.

You got beat up by a toolbox. 😲 Introducing your work truck to farmhouse corner. Ouch.

Now why did you do that? 😉 Blame it on a squirrel.

You have been around the block in some careers. No regrets, I guess? Pain sucks.

Just got a refill of gummies.

New dose. Ugh. 5mg THC, 5mg CBD. They told me to cut them in half, but I want to see how this dose affects me and Alien Spud. Maybe I can catch up on some needed sleep.

TTYL

Just "celebrated" my one year StomaVersary. If there are calm days ahead for Vesuvius, I'll be ready and willing. Meanwhile, on scheduled change days, I have a very early coffee, no breakfast. I used to get very stressed just thinking about what might happen being stripped of all coverings, though I actually had only one occurrence. Recently, a half hour before shower time, I started taking my morning meds PLUS one Imodium tab and five marshmallows. I've avoided all spewing events and have the extra benefit of slowing bowel activity so that my late breakfast sits around a while and more nutrients can be absorbed. A little chemistry makes the world go 'round! 

B@tLady, I'm absolutely in love with your stoma's name! Vesuvius! That had me rolling!

But it seems like the coffee breakfast is a common thing! Do that as well! I like everyone mentioning marshmallows to help staunch output! Going to have to try that!

Imodium gives me the opposite effect. It makes the beast go super Saiyan and Kamehameha output. 🤣 I'm going to have to experiment with the marshmallows and Imodium though 😈. Perhaps that's the ticket!

Thanks, Warrior! I'm going to check out Lowe's and see what I can find! Heck, I'm even going to check the acquired supplies from hospital stays! Might have one of those pink water pitchers 🤔🤔 Heck, what about a urinal bottle? Obviously, watch the sharp plastic on it.

I hope the gummies do you well, Warrior! Sleep is wonderful when it's allowed! And I hope it gets you a good shut-eye!

I wish I was driving that day... I would have taken a safer route and vehicle. But I was a lowly laborer riding passenger in a company truck. Lots of what-ifs for that day. But I made a decision in the interest of others. And it was a mistake. Lesson learned and moved on. Can't dwell.

An atomic blast!

Wait until just before a meal time (or first thing in the morning) and try eating a few marshmallows about 30 minutes before a change. But don't bend over to get something out of a drawer (ask my shoes how I know).

Quiet 80% of the time. My "little buddy" hates when I swallow air. It makes him bark (squirt). Too much liquid in my pouch is a warning of an upcoming mess. The night before a change, I eat potatoes, rice, pasta, or pretzels. When I wake up one hour before the change, I eat 3 marshmallows (learned this at MaO). A wet change uses 8-10 wipes. A post-marshmallow change uses 1+ wipe.

Ditto. I eat 3 marshmallows 45-1 hr before change. Last meal before change, I eat potatoes (best), rice, pasta, or pretzels. Any output is thick & small.

Bronco buster in NYC? Did you ever meet McCloud? The best time to change is a long time after eating. I do it before breakfast. What goes in must come out. Broccoli (my fav) causes gas. I cook it to mush, fewer issues. Tea with caffeine? Stimulates output - Kaboom!

If it does, it's my fault. I usually time my changes for before I eat so there's little to no activity. But sometimes... every once in a while, lol.

Indeed, I heard he's painting houses these days. Discounts are given for green, brown, and black colors. 😲👍

Ouch.

My (Cousin) Eddie has a mind of his own and is very vocal! Lol 

That is absolutely outrageous, and I’m so sorry you had to deal with that mistreatment. 

I have had some pretty dire dehydration situations myself, and I want to offer a bit of unsolicited advice: ask your doctor about bloodwork to evaluate your kidney function. My last dehydration/hospitalization episode really traumatized my kidneys, but time and diet have helped.

I didn’t even question the authenticity of the wall squirt as I have had that experience MANY times. It’s not pleasant.

Hey Queenie - saw your comment about being a retired pharmacist, so I'd love to pick your brain. I've had an ileostomy for 9 months, and the biggest ongoing problem I have is with my skin. It is typically quite irritated when I remove my appliance, but I don't have a problem with leakage, so it's not that. I've tried stoma powder, Nystatin powder, Dove soap and warm water, and nothing, but none of those solutions really seems to do much to heal the skin and keep it in good shape.

Any pharma suggestions would be very appreciated! Thanks.

Hello.  Thought I'd add my 2 cents.

How do you remove your wafer?  It's very easy to damage peristomal skin without realizing it.  Removing a wafer incorrectly can cause ongoing skin irritation issues.

Write down your process.  How do you loosen and pull up the fabric outer tape.  Then loosen and remove the wafer main seal/moldable barrier ring.  

Post it.  And experienced Ostemates will evaluate your process.

Leave no stone unturned.

I’m not Queenie but I’d say you’re having a reaction to the sticky stuff on your bag/wafer or something that you’re using. 

The best time to shower with no pouch is first thing in the morning after you get out of bed and before you have anything to eat that will start a new cycle. Your stoma should be sleeping still. The general rule is stop eating by 9 pm the prior evening if you want to be sure there will be no shower accidents.

I agree with Alex T. I have found out, just a few days ago, that using bags from Convatec instead of Coloplast are much easier on my skin, and I'm sure other people will find the reverse. I think you could probably try a little bit of 1% hydrocortisone cream, you can buy it over the counter here, and actually I know you can buy it in pharmacies in the US without a prescription. But that is addressing the problem, not the cause. Would it be possible to try bags from a different manufacturer? They would send you some free bags to try? I have a colostomy, so I'm not familiar with ileostomies. 

Have a great day.