Hi Guys,
First up, I had to change my picture from the hot blonde back to me... because you horny male ostomates kept hitting on me. I'm not a girl... I'm a guy... so knock it off!!!
Second... what's with the new format? Are you guys liking it? I seem to remember it being a lot easier to find posts before I left... now I'm totally confused. Sucks getting old, I guess. Change is good... change is good.
Ok, now onto my favorite topic... red weepy skin. It sucks, doesn't it? All red and wet and nothing sticks to it. Just sucks. I've been battling with it for what... 2 years now. For those that don't know... I got my ostomy in 2014 and was discharged with Hollister products. I used Hollister up until 2021 when in that last year my skin under my wafer/barrier/whatever you want to call it just got too red, irritated, and weepy to do much with. I'd been to see the Dermatology team in Washington DC that was a combined group from Georgetown and Washington Hospital Center. They had no clue what to do or what was causing it. I saw 3 local Dermatologists, as well as Ostomy Nurses from Georgetown and Johns Hopkins. Did patch tests on everything for a week at a time and had no allergic reactions. Ended up stumping a lot of good folks, but the problem remained. So I made a list of all the dermatological problems it could be... and started addressing each one. After nothing worked, I was down to an allergic reaction to the material Hollister used for the bandage portion of their barriers. So I switched to the Sensura Mio Convex Flip barriers and associated products. And it made no difference or improvement (I'll write a post on that later). So now I was out of things to try. So I called Nu-Hope Ostomy Products and got connected to a really great Ostomy Nurse there. I explained the history and sent her tons of pics of what I was dealing with. That same day she emailed me back with instructions on how to get the red weepy skin under control. I just rolled my eyes and said sure, why not. But what she told me to do WORKED... and now I'm going to tell you. So print this out and hang it on your refrigerator... or put it in your ostomy notebook... but keep it. Because one day red weepy skin could appear out of nowhere... just like it did for me. And it's very frustrating and maddening to deal with. Until now.
Here's what you do:
Go to the pharmacy and get yourself a box of Domeboro Medicated Soak Rash Relief - it's Aluminum Acetate powder.
Beg, borrow, or steal some Apple Cider Vinegar.
Mix one packet of Domeboro with 4 oz of warm water (not the vinegar)... stir it well until all the powder disappears.
Take some paper towel, soak it in the Domeboro/water mixture, squeeze out the excess liquid, and place it over your weepy skin.
Let it sit there for at least 10 minutes (it won't sting or hurt in any way).
Remove the paper towel and blot with a water-soaked paper towel to remove the Domeboro residue.
Mix 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar with 1/4 cup warm water and soak a couple of paper towels in it.
Place the vinegar-soaked towels over the weepy skin and hold in place for at least 10 minutes (it doesn't sting, but itches like crazy for the first minute or so).
After 10 minutes, remove the vinegar-soaked paper towels and do NOT wipe off the vinegar.
Let the skin dry (I use a hair dryer).
Once dry, lightly sprinkle Ostomy Powder over the irritated skin and blow off the excess with the hair dryer (just a dusting, don't cake it on).
Heat your new ring and barrier with the hair dryer, stick it in place, and have a wonderful day!
Now it won't work in one application. It took 4 or 5 before my skin was nice and dry. I change my barrier every other day, due to my high liquidy output... so if you normally leave your barrier on longer, I'd still suggest you change it every second or third day until you get the weepy skin under control. Now this process stops the skin from weeping, but doesn't cure what's causing the weeping... so you need to still address that. But this method buys you time to figure things out. It's made a world of difference for me, so hopefully, it will help you too. Also, before you rush out and buy the Domeboro, go to their website and download their coupon. It varies between $4 - $6 off. If you are a member of CVS's Extra Care club, they email you 40% off coupons every month. So it ends up being pretty cheap with both those discounts. Amazon sells Domeboro for $14, I think. Ends up costing $10 at CVS with the discounts. One box has 12 packets in it.
So there you go... how to control red, weepy skin. Tell all your friends! Ok, just your ostomate friends!!
;O)
bob
