Help! Need Solutions for Red Weepy Skin!

Hi gang,

Ok, so my battle with red weepy skin continues. Ugh! Make that double ugh! Despite trying many things.....that each seemed to work for a bit......I'm back to square one with this crap. I'm going to call my local, pretty useless, dermatologist.......cuz I'm running out of options and I like to see that "I don't have a friggin' clue" look on her face.....makes me feel 'special'. I've also talked to 3 ostomy nurses who all ended up throwing their hands up in the air.......bless their hearts. Lucky for me my barrier ring by itself does a good job of keeping my stoma sealed to my bag, because the bandage portion of the barrier isn't doing a thing. It's too busy trying not to drown in weepy skin. Now before you start throwing suggestions at me.......let me give you a little more info.........and the reason for this is I'm hoping someone reading this says "yup, that's the same crap I had to deal with and I know how to fix it".

Things seem to work for a few weeks or a month or two, and then they go to shit. For no obvious reason.....nothing changes on my end. The anti-fungal seemed to be my hero for a spell...and then the red and weepy came back. The Marathon skin protectant seemed to work, but the skin under it wasn't really healing......just sort of being covered by it. The Betamethasone certainly works. But it's destroying the outer layers of my skin permanently......and I don't want to get to the point where nothing sticks to me because I've turned my skin into a non-porous film instead of skin. I see my skin is already showing the tell-tale sheen that's a sign of that happening already......so I put the Beta at the back of the pile unless I absolutely need it and have no other choice. The great 3M Micropore tape I've been using lately still works, but I'm seeing redness under it when I take it off. That might be left over from what the Calamine did to my skin, so I'm not sure if the 3M tape needs to go yet or not. I'm thinking not......but we'll see. What I haven't tried yet is a full colloidal sheet protectant......which I'll be on the phone ordering by the time you read this. I did find a pretty basic guide to treating stomal skin that I'll attach below for those of you who aren't as far gone as me. Maybe it will help someone.

Ok, back to my sorry ass.......errrrr......skin. Below is a short list of what I've tried (and I'm probably leaving out a few). These all worked for a bit, and then stopped working. So bear that in mind. I'd post pics, but they're so ugly I can't bear to look at them myself........so I'll spare you from losing your breakfast all over yourself. Your welcome. The obvious thing I haven't tried (and hold your "duh!" comment until the end) are other brands of ostomy barriers........I just use Hollister. I know....if it's an allergic reaction, you idiot, just change brands........well.........maybe. I'd agree with you except for the fact that I don't get the red weepy skin everywhere the barrier bandage portion is located. Right now the whole f^ king area under the barrier is red, but that's from the calamine I've been using the past couple days......usually only isolated portions of that skin get red and weepy. So if I'm allergic to the bandage material, how do you explain only some sections of skin under it getting red and weepy. But I hear ya.......what do I have to lose by trying other brands....and I'm on it!

Ok, here's all the crap I have piled on the counter that is about to head to the round file.........

Stoma powder and wipes

Chlorine spray

Cold and pure aloe compress

Honey (don't laugh...it's great for cuts)

Topical steroids (Betamethasone particularly)

Anti-fungals

Moisturizers

Skin protectant (Marathon)

Calamine lotion (my most recent solution....but it made it worse)

Ivarest (basically expensive Calamine)

Triple antibiotic ointment

Tacrolimus (another steroid)

Before I forget.......here's the link I talked about

https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/how-manage-skin-irritation-around-your-urostomy-stoma

All right..........let me know if anything I just said jumps out at ya......or rings a bell. Or just say 'hi'.......this is supposed to be a really friendly site!!

Thanks guys!!

Bob

Hi!

I would be getting frustrated too

Best wishes

Bill

Hi, Bob! I can see why you are so frustrated! I wish I had some helpful suggestions for you, but you are so thorough that I can't think of anything you haven't already thought of. I hope someone on here has some ideas. Keep us informed of your journey! So, so sorry you are going through this! ;Lucy

Hi Bob, sorry to hear about your skin issues. I think the culprit is that you have become allergic to your Hollister wafer. I use a two-piece Coloplast and have very sensitive skin with no issues, and I would be happy to send you a couple to try out. If interested, please private message me with your address, and supplies will be on the way! Stay well. Penguins7.

Bill and Lulu........thanks!!

Penguins7,

I think you may be right. I just ordered some barrier sheets (protective films) from both Hollister and Coloplast that will be here tomorrow (despite me not being Amazon's biggest fan for political reasons.......I do love the fact that they can get me stuff in one day). I'm assuming my Hollister barriers will stick to a Coloplast skin barrier, but need to call Coloplast (and look in my sample box) for some of their barriers. I know they sent me some samples a few months ago, so there might be a barrier in there that I can use.

What I didn't mention (cuz I forgot) was one very odd aspect of my red weepy skin.......that I think supports your suggestion of an allergy. If you look at my barrier on a good day, meaning my skin isn't crazy red and weepy, you'll see the redness sneaking out from under the barrier. Meaning it's not a clearly defined line of red skin exactly under the barrier bandage. I take that to mean the barrier material is irritating the skin directly underneath it....and that which is in close proximity as well. Don't think it's pressure related............so allergy is the only thing left. Like I said above......the reason I'm in denial is because portions of my skin under the barrier have been fine.......and I've also worn my Hollister barrier over on the other side of my body for up to a week just to see if it made that skin red........and it never did. That's why I never considered an allergy as the answer. But as they say....when you rule out everything else......what's left HAS to be the answer......whether you like it or not.

Appreciate the offer for the stuff Penguins, but I'm calling Colo now and will get samples sent ASAP. You rock Brother!!

Thanks,

Bob

How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Hey Bob, I have read others on this site over time have become allergic to the products they have worn for years. I change my wafer out every day as I'm active, so that definitely helps with my good skin under the wafer.

Get some of the Mio Sensura products from Coloplast (this is their new stuff). I wear 10011 wafer and 11124 pouch (old stuff). Get better soon! Penguins7

Try the Boudreaux Butt Paste and Hollister Karaya 5 power to decrease the moisture. This is a cheap simple solution. I had a red weeping rash around my stoma for nearly 2 years, and this cleared it up in about a week.

In looking at your list, Bob, I tried all those things too: antifungal powder, 3M spray, Domeboro. But never steroids because they do thin the skin when used long term. All sit in my cabinet just in case. My weepy rash was caused by moisture. I would change my bag in the evening and take my shower in the morning, and did not use my Convatec waterproof tape at the time. Extra moisture under enclosed area causes rash.

Thanks my Antarctic flightless seabird friend! The Coloplast dude is going to try to get something out in the mail today.....and I've been dousing my weepy red skin with liquid Benadryl.....so we'll see if that calms things down a bit. I'll check your numbers against what they send and see what's what. He asked all the right questions, so I'm hoping he sends the right stuff. But I'll let ya know. I gotta get this crappy skin thing behind me, come hell or high water. Thanks for the help!!!

;0)

Bob

C... that's interesting!  Will check that out.  

Interestingly... someone just messaged me who had the same skin issues I'm having.  Am getting what he recommends and will try starting on Sunday.  Will let everyone know how it goes.  Gotta love this forum!!

Regards,

Bob

Bob, one way to test your skin's reaction to the barrier would be to take a small piece (I'm thinking the whole portion) and stick it on your abdomen on the other side... you could even put it about the same location to mimic how your clothes rub, sweat, etc. That would either eliminate or prove that the barrier material is at fault.

Hi Bob, I use 3M Cavilon No Sting Barrier Spray, 28 ml spray bottle. It works for me.
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Hi mmsh,

Yup, hear ya.   Up in my reply to Bill and Lulu I described how I put a barrier on my other side for a week.   No irritation noted.   But I'm almost 100% sure what I'm seeing is an allergic reaction.   During the day I've been putting Flonase on my skin and my skin has dried up and changing from deep red to light red.   So I think that screams allergy.   But I never say never............except to cooked vegetables.......YUK!

;0)

Bob

Hi Axl...........Roger that! Ordered it from Amazon a couple hours ago.......should be here tomorrow............which is now today!!!

Thanks,

Bob

Ooooops! My bad. Amazon couldn't get the spray to me quickly..........so I ordered the Cavilon protective sheets. THEY will be here tomorrow!

Don't know what a sheet is but I know they make a "wipe" as well, if you get spray, less is more, one spray, two sprays tops, dries in seconds, and put the cap back on.

Update time.......Axl, the sheet is just that.......a 4x4 thin membrane that you cut a hole in for your stoma and place on your skin. I'm guessing it's really for folks that need protection for a longer time than the spray provides. That's not a problem for me, as I change barriers every other day.........but was what I could get quick.

Looking at my skin this morning it looks 100% better. I put another dose of Flonase on last night and it's doing the trick. My skin now is just a very slight pink and no leaking.......it's dry. So I think allergy was the right answer. Hopefully all my supplies arrive today and I change my barrier tomorrow morning. And maybe I can put this crap in the rearview mirror!

Thanks,

Bob

Hi Bob, sorry to hear you're still having skin problems. Could it be a mechanical problem, such as the removal of the old barrier? Are you just pulling it off like a bandaid, or do you get one corner started and then slowly work the skin away from the barrier? Also, when shaving, do you say "the hell with it" and not shave as often as you should? And as for trying a wafer on another part of your body, did you take it off and on as often as changing your regular wafer?

Hi Bob

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with raw skin most of the time. As you know, I haven't had the ostomy surgery yet.
This may seem silly, but back in the day.... 1960's, when I wore an outside appliance, I'd leak often. I was told to put Saran Wrap over my stoma, and apply the bag, etc. I used nothing else. I could see whether or not I was healing. In those days, I wore the bag as long as possible....Sometimes up to a week. So, I wasn't changing as often as you ostomates do today.
The Saran Wrap worked. The raw skin was gone. Of course, I had many episodes of raw skin and leaking. Leaking would be why I changed the appliance.
Have you tried diaper rash cream? I use it now around my Koch pouch stoma when I have a rash. It works. Maybe use it with Saran Wrap.
Not very scientific, but you may try it.
It's like keeping a baby's butt healthy.

Sharon

Hi Sharon,

The more suggestions the better!   I've put the Flonase on yesterday and then again this morning and my skin looks 95% better already.   I'll change my barrier tomorrow morning and will hit it with Flonase again, and then the Cavilon.   I suspect things will be right back to normal by my next change on Tuesday, when I hope my Coloplast samples will be here.   If not, then on Thursday.   Once I get back to normal, I can start trying different things if I have a problem... and I'll add your suggestions to the list. Seems it's always something with these ostomies!!!    

Thanks,

Bob

Hi again.

Was thinking..... besides the Saran Wrap and diaper rash cream (zinc oxide), maybe a ring of Marathon whatever around the base of your stoma on top of the Wrap. Also, just use the Wrap without the diaper rash.
My red, painful ostomy skin healed fine alone.
Unlike what ostomates do now, try not to change the appliance in just 2-3 days. (Are y'all changing because of leaks?) I kept my appliance on for 5-7 days when it leaked. Wasn't taking it off and on so much. I had more time for the raw skin to heal.
Bob....Am I missing something? When I was a kid and on, none of the products y'all have. Maybe a newly designed ring that is a bit more 3-dimensional. The bag used in those days was attached to the ring with an O-ring. A hardy rubber band. Later on, didn't use the bag at all. Began using solid white plastic bags that I'd cut to the size I needed. Usually, I cut it to only 5". It flushed down the toilet; never any plumbing issues.
I swam, water/snow skied, and spring dove competitively. I did wear a belt to keep the ring steady.
Good night, Bob.

Hello,

I have the same problem with my skin around my stoma from time to time. I have a urostomy and it seems to happen when I have an infection in my UTI, my output will sit on the skin. Do you think it's some kind of bacterial infection of the skin?

One thing that also helps me is after a shower when I change my bag/pouch and my skin around the stoma is not happy, I blot with hydrogen peroxide using a 4x4 and also use a blow dryer on cool on the area. It's a 3M wipe and stoma powder before you attach your devices.

Wishing you success. Take care.

Hey Bob, any improvement in your skin condition? Penguins7

Hey guys... again, thanks for all the replies!! Yes... my skin looks a lot better in just a couple of days!! Used the Flonase first, dried that, then applied the Cavilon... and stuck my barrier ring combo to that. That was 2 days ago. Changed it this morning... nothing weeping anymore and the ugly dark red has almost disappeared and looks a very light pink now.

The only caveat is a good portion of my barrier bandage section lost adhesion to the Cavilon... but no leaks and everything stayed put. Had I worn it another day, I would probably not be able to say that. So repeated again this morning and will see what I have on Thursday. I did use a piece of micropore tape on the one section of the barrier bandage that came loose the most. But so far... it's all good!! A round for Flonase for everyone!! On me!

Thanks,

Bob

Remember... Flonase is a synthetic steroid.

Bob,   Glad you found some relief.   Did you get the Coloplast products yet?   Penguins7

Hi Pengy,

No, not yet.   He said on the phone it would be 5-7 days, but would try to get them out on that Friday.   If he didn't then they went out Monday.....so maybe this week....if not, then next week.   But my skin is doing good, so it should be in great shape by the time the Colo stuff gets here.    

Thanks again,

Bob

Sounds like you're doing better. Really, really hope these new products do their thing!

Read one gal's idea.... about putting the TP roll over your stoma and packing it with absorbable product.
If you did this, to help with healing and relieving pain, try soothing your skin with ice. Would put ice in a plastic bag so no water will leak onto your skin.
This isn't a fix-all, but will relieve the symptoms of raw skin.
Sharon

Hi Sharon!

Yes, ice is listed as the best to put on irritated skin. I used to use an ice pack I had that was a donut shape (think it was made for the elbow).   Fit over my stoma perfectly. I'd leave it on for 10 minutes or so and it felt great.   But to see my skin now.......you'd never know it was so red and weepy.....it looks great.   DEFINITELY an allergic reaction to the Hollister bandage material. My Coloplast samples should be here any day now.   My stoma may be a tad too big for their biggest barrier, but I'll think of some way to make it fit.   I'm looking forward to tomorrow's barrier change to see how good things look.   Now who ever thought I'd ever say something like that on this wacky ostomate journey.   UGH!

Thanks again Team!!

Bob

Hi guys,

UGH. Before I forget........here's a good link I found for those of us dealing with peristomal skin issues.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2780183/

So I changed my barrier this morning expecting to see beautiful normal skin under it.........but that wasn't the case. It's still a mess. For this round, I continued to use the Flonase, and I tried some of the Butt Paste. Wow.....that stuff is like axle grease! Don't think it will do much, but left it on a good long time, then wiped it off....which was NOT easy. Took pics like I normally do during the process, and then applied the Cavilon. I could feel areas of the skin still weepy even through the Cavilon, but I was out of ideas at that point and needed to finish up so I could start the day. So I slapped on a cut-down barrier, held it in place the requisite minute and found the bandage portion was adhering about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way around. So Micropore tape to the rescue. This is getting old......I'm sure you're getting tired of reading it too. I'm going to print out the article in the link above, consult my ostomy skin problem books.....and then go see my no clue local dermatologist. Not for her to fix it, but to get access to some meds I can't get without a prescription. I'm still waiting for my Coloplast samples.......got an email last night saying they shipped........so any day now. I'm not going to do anything significantly different until I try the Coloplast stuff. No sense trying to chase more than one variable in all this. And it's the long 4th of July weekend, so if it all goes to shit I can stay home and not go out and leak on people.

So the journey continues...........Woooo-Hooooo!

Regards,

Bob

Hi C!

Yeah, maybe. But that would mean the Cavilon somehow allowed the bandage to come in contact with my skin. Remember, I used the Marathon too, which is a thicker film.......and had the same result. Next I'm going to try the actual thin skin-like film from Coloplast called a Brava Protective Sheet.

I did some looking in my stoma issues picture books. What I have seems to be well described as an overgrowth of Candida. Candida is a good friend of Crohn's, which I had in the past. It's also what causes one of the common forms of toenail fungus. So I'm going to look into some natural enemies of Candida. Not saying that's the answer, but it seems that maybe I'm dealing with more than one monster here.

I did schedule an appointment with a local derm in two weeks (earliest I could get), but I know already that will be fruitless. But I'll email them some pics a few days before to get them all jumping up and down. Seems they all have that reaction to my stoma pics!! Go figure! But the good news is if they see my pics BEFORE I get there.........I'll end up seeing an actual Doc, not the PA. Nothing against any of you PA's out there......but sometimes experience trumps enthusiasm. At least for the really weird stuff they see.

Ok, will keep this one going with updates.........cuz I know you're all waiting with bated breath!

Later Gators!

Bob

Baited breath indeed!