Simple DIY Tracker for Colostomy Change Days

I have had a colostomy for 6 years with no chance of undoing it. After a while i figured i was on a 6 day patch and pouch change cycle. Now we are all used to a 7 day week that ends up on the same day every week but when you go to a 6 day change cycle the day to change will become blurred because it will fall on different days. I used to wonder is this the day or not. Here is my crazy answer to all of that and it has served me very well for years now and does not cost much in fact you probably have the stuff around the house.

You will need a small board,small nails,magic marker,hammer,paint {if you want to get fancy},and some sort of small ring.

You put seven small nails in the board ,put the week days on top of the nails and put the ring on the day you changed your patch and pouch. That way you know when you need to change,Example: If i change on a Sunday i look at my board and see i need to change it the next Saturday etc ,etc,etc, This way i also know not to eat for 12 hrs before i change.  Any way here is a pic of my board and excuse my Tuesday abbreviation, i was in a hurry that day. It hangs in my bathroom.Of course you can also use it if your change cycle is different also.



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hey great idea, i always mark the calender, but since the calender is not in the bath..... anyhow great idea...going to make myself one.

I've had an ostomy for about 6 years now, and had no idea we had to schedule our changes!  At first I used coloplast products, which didn't stick to my skin very well so I ended up having to change every 3 to 4 days, if not sooner. It was pretty much whenever it would start to come off my skin I would change it.

Now I use Hollister, with a different type of flange, and they stick to my skin much longer. I try to change it every 4 to 5 days and never more than a week in-between. That is, unless it starts to come off my skin in-between.

I guess I just take a look and see how it's doing. If it looks like it needs a change, I change it. I've never been on a "schedule".

I found that 6 days was the limit for me .I stopped taking chances after a couple accidents while sleeping.I do tend to roll around while sleeping.Which brings me to another thing i had made up. I went to the local upholsterers and had them make me a water proof mattress cover out of waterproof boat cover material.It cost a fortune because my bed is an extra large king size but a lot cheaper than a new mattress.

wallmart had the bed cover for me and yes it works get for thos nights that you wake up in a blow out just wash and go

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

have to agree with twg on this what with the price of ostomy supplies I go as reasonably long as I can before changeing.Im a very lite sleeper and can tell when my bags full and I get up every 2-3 hours anyway.I always get a kick when Im breaking in a new doctor when he wants me to get 8 hours of straight sleep.I tell him okay if you want to drain my bag for me while I sleep.They never read my chart first they dont even know about my ileo.On top of it all whats a little leak between friends.

while Im here I have a funny story about today.I was getting ready to weld in a tank on this ship that hold cht (crap) and while this other company was draining it I asked the foreman If he thought the tank smelled bad, he said no.So I moved about 5 feet away and cracked my bag.You would have thought a bomb went off as everybody in that space ran out of the room.I was sitting there laughing my a%s off.They didnt know what happened.When the foreman came back he wasnt amused.But after a while his gang started laughing.The foreman told me he was having gastro problems the past few weeks and after telling him my story he's going to get it looked at instead of blowing it off.

well see yall soon

greg

Easier solution is to have a calendar in the toilet and mark on it the next date for change, generally on the 7th day in my case. I feel that the Hollister wafer- pouch combination is better option. No major problems for me since last 4 years.

Write the date that you changed your pouch ON THE FRONT OF POUCH with a black magic marker. This works for me.

Mark change ed date on calender. a no brainer.....   : )     ......

Another trick when draining or changing the appliance: use a clothes pin to hold your shirt/blouse up and away from the stoma area. It keeps the clothing from getting wrinkled and it doesn't get poop on it! Wood clothespins are better than plastic. The plastic teeth sometimes are too sharp and damage the clothing.

due to my ocd i change my pouch at least 6/10 times a day, 

thank god i live in the uk, as i get all my suplies free and deliverd  every week,