Tips for Mess-Free Pouch Draining?

I really find draining my pouch to be messy. I always have flushable and antibacterial wipes plus toilet paper at hand. There's always some splashes to clean up. Anyone have a way to empty that avoids splashing?

Have you put toilet paper in the toilet first before emptying.. Are you sitting or standing when emptying?

Standing up. I put toilet paper down in the bowl but sometimes it gets wet by the time I get my pouch undone. I have tried kneeling but find it super uncomfortable and I have low blood pressure so standing back up after kneeling can be unpleasant.

1) Get your pouch ready to empty. 2) Flush the toilet. 3) As the water in the toilet is going down, empty your pouch.

The odd times I have emptied my bag, I have done it in a thick bag rather than down the toilet. I found it was much cleaner than down the toilet. XX

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Will give that a try!

You could also empty into a container and then dump that into the toilet. I did that for a while after surgery because I was told to not sit on the toilet seat and not being able to kneel at that point, using the container was about the only option.

Alex, I started doing this after seeing your suggestion on here a little while ago. On my first try, I was all set, holding my bag open in my left hand and reaching back to flush with my right. Since I'm not a drummer, I had a little trouble coordinating my left and right sides and it got on my leg a little. I worked on it and now I really like to do this - it helps drain away some of the odor right away, too. Great tip!

I sit when I empty, butt towards the back of the seat, legs on each side, open pouch and lean forward and empty, flush and clean pouch. For me, I found the higher up I am when empty, the more splash, and I kinda empty it at an angle vs straight down in the toilet.

I can't take credit for it. CPlumber posted it a while ago. I tried it and haven't used the toilet paper in the bowl first since. I just have posted it a couple times since he did. And yes, it helps with taking the odor away faster too in my opinion.

Standing while emptying is too messy for me too - and at 5 feet tall I am even built close to the toilet. Sitting works the best for me and the toilet paper and early flush helps a lot! How did I ever live without this website - especially when "shit happens"?

Yeah, I have no idea how people stand to empty into a regular toilet. I can see why there's such a mess. The only time I stand is when using a porta potty or on a train engine (basically the same as a porta potty). Otherwise, I kneel 99% of the time. I can count on one hand how many times I've actually sat on the toilet to empty.

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate your input regarding my output (hahaha).

I sit at the very back of the toilet seat, plus it's an oval seat making it roomier than the round ones, then lay some toilet paper down on top of the water. I try to leave as little distance as possible between the tail of my pouch and the water, the more distance, the likelier it is to splash. I use a little toilet paper to clean the inside and outside of the tail, then finish by cleaning the end with a wet wipe, so it's pretty clean when I'm finished. I can't even imagine emptying while standing!

Terry

Well, at home, I kneel down and empty the bag. In a public bathroom, I have no choice but to sit and carefully empty.

Xerxes

I cannot kneel to empty (or I should say it's very uncomfortable to do so). Being a large person with a small throne seat, I cannot sit on it and empty between the legs either. My solution is one of the plastic and aluminum shower chairs. I can pull it up to the front of the john with knees on either side, which places the bag over the bowl. I've also started using a half sheet of paper towel to float on the water, which seems to do a better job with splashing. Messy days are inevitable, so I can put the chair in the shower for clean up.

Best idea yet, works great!!

I never could get the hang of it, and after getting poo water splashed on me and my clothes too many times, I switched to closed pouches. So much better for me.

I shut the water supply, then I flush the toilet. It reduces the amount of water in the toilet and prevents splashing. You can lay some TP in the bowl to prevent sticking. Works great!

I am only 5 foot two. I have found that if I basically squat to get very close to the toilet, I have less splash. I have tried sitting and I find that very awkward. Mine is an ileostomy. I know that has more liquid. One trick that works great for me is to fold the end of the bag backwards before emptying. That really helps with cleaning up the bag. I keep toilet paper and hand sanitizer right there where I can reach it easily. I like the water flushing first, as I have had success with that too.