How Often Should You Change a 2-Piece Flange?

Hi ,i am just wondering how long do u keep flanges on for ? im changing mine every day , they seen to melt away underneath the flange if i dont change then burn my skin , am i changing too often ? i do also use the cohesive slims ,but it still seems to melt , wonder if i make too much acid ?

I use sensura click 2 piece

Crocus

Hi Crocus - here in the US it would be pretty difficult to change everyday as most insurances allow only 20 flanges a month!  I usually change twice a week, but some people go a whole week or ten days (and we've even heard up to 3 weeks from a certain poster on this site - you know who you are - BBG!)  

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So it really varies, but for most people changing too frequently is what causes the skin troubles.  Good luck on finding your happy medium.     

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Hi, I am having quite a few leaks at the moment and I find the more I have to change, the worse my skin gets sore too ...  Often leaks either at the ring of my convex pouch if I don't use one of the Eakin Seals or Adapt Ringhs, or if I do use one then it can leak anywhere, including through the extra Hydroframe....

Rach xx

I have solved the leaking problem by putting a ring of adapt paste around the stoma before putting the flange on.    I hold it in place for 1 minute and then put the bag on.   This way  am able to keep the flange on for 3-4 days.

The reason for the melt away of the flange and seal are your intestinal enzymes. Some people refer to them as acids, which to an extent they are.
Other than the intestinal wall, whatever the intestinal enzymes come in contact with, they try to break it down for digestion. That is why you have skin irritation and burning. "Your enzymes are thinking they are having a steak dinner when they reach your skin." Kind of kidding on that, but not much.

Okay, if the flanges are breaking down, you are using the wrong material. Change manufacturers.
I am not saying for everybody, however, for most people the Convatec Eakin seal works the best in tough situations, because the compound used in the manufacture is proprietary to Eakin. The compound Eakin uses is very resistant to most people's intestinal enzymes.
Please note I say "most people," not all.
There are many people where the melting of the seal or flange simply is not a problem.

If you can get a Hollister engineer in the back room, so to speak, and simply tell the truth. They will admit the Eakin seal is the best one going. Hollister knows this, however, due to patent protection on the ingredients that Eakin uses, others cannot use those ingredients. This came from two different Hollister factory people to me about 2-1/2 years ago.

I fought the "meltdown" issue around the stoma for about 8 months. I contacted all of the major manufacturers. I explained I did not want a sales pitch. I wanted to know who makes the best what. There are some great manufacturers out there. However, they will try and sell if they can.
For example, most manufacturers say you can go swimming using their product. I never did find one that did not want to fall off within being out of the water 2 hours later, or sooner.
I am sure for some perhaps they can get the appliance wet and it stays on.

I also found to my dismay, the Ostomy nurses were of no help on any particular problem that did not involve "common sense".

For me, it was all learn as you go, trial and error for me.

Good luck
Rick.....

How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

pinky where you talking about me again,you know its true.

But for crocus I like the hollister floating flange (wafer) and use the 57mm size as it gives more area of wax to wear away.and I use the adapt paste.Along with the hollister new image bag,#18203 also 57mm.I get 2-3 weeks religiously with this set up.Ive traveled to guam japan and out on the sea and have had no leaks.

Best of luck to you.In guam I swam everyday in the ocean and the wafer still lasted over a week.

bikerboy greg

Biker,

Wow, I have to think the wear time you are getting is about the most I have ever heard of.

I usually could go perhaps 5 days however I changed out every 3rd day.  No surprises, no accidents that way.



There was a time I was getting under 2 hours wear time.  My intestinal enzyimes were eating right through the wafers fast.

For me most Hollister products simply did not work.  I know for many others they work just fine.



On all of my hospital visits, the hospitals used Hollister products.  After I started getting things figured out. I would bring my own osto stuff to the hospital.



Rick.....

I change twice per week on average.  Bad days, twice per day.  Back in the day I was going 6-8 days between changes.  Wear, enzymes, my perspiration (when out in the heat, love the colder temps for this reason) and MY CONFIDENCE all affect wear time.  



And the two piece wafer doesn't always come with good manufactor seals.  I've had to call Convatec  a few times to report a bad Lot number and they replace the bad units with two new ones but...?



Loren

Yes, Biker Boy Greg I was talking about you.  See how you have amazed junopete with your claims of miraculous wear-time, while the rest of us can only claim at best a week.  

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4 days if I am lucky; BB wow!!  I use Convatec pouches and adapt paste...some days are just bugger days tho, I have used 3-4 in a day. That is a burning/bleeding/waaa/cry day for me, not often tho!!  keep it clean as possible, you will have to find what works for you best.

Thankyou for all your replies , i guess everyone of us is different .

I am worried about leaks if i dare leave on more than 2 days , hope i will gain more confidence eventually .

Thanks  all Take care crocus x

I got my ileostomy in 03 and have been down that road where at times I have had to change the flange up to 8 times a day as I was having kidney problems which led to potassium problems and the flange would just fall off, then as things got better I could go up to two days before I would get a leak, always at the 9 o'clock position, thats with me looking down at the flange, I tried paste and strips of the material that looked like the material of the flange, (forgot what it was called) then came the breakthrough with advice from a couple of lovely ladies on the forums. First I started using Hollister Adapt rings and quit using the skin prep, using only the glue remover and washing up with a soap that had no lotions or perfumes, we still had a way to go so another dear lady told me about using a hair dryer on low for about 20 seconds and then applying while still warm and NOW I have the world by the tail, up to seven days and just change the pouch about every third day. Still, I knew I needed to do something about the adapt rings as I found my fingers were not adapt friendly!, so out to my shed in the middle of winter and in the below freezing temps I found a piece of wooden dowel about 18' long, and using my bench grinder I managed to taper the 1 inch down to 1/2 inch, cut it off around 3 inches and got my ass back inside the house to get thawed out, keerist, it was cold but anyway, using the card for measuring the stoma size, stuck the tapered dowel in the 7/8 hole and marked it around with a pen marker, so now I have a jig which gives me just a slight squeeze all around the stoma and nothing can get by that and with the flange on gave me more room for the liquid to fall into the pouch and now when I change the flange I always check the back, and its always the same as the day I put it on.

YET, I kept thinking there was something better than the wooden dowel and a few weeks ago at the Dollar Store I seen this object that looked like I big fat pen, (actually I went back a few days later and found out that was exactly what it was), in any event this thing was tapered on both ends so did the same as the dowel and used the card and marked it at 7/8, and being plastic was easy to remove any of the Adapt material that was making it sticky, now the funny thing was as I was cleaning it up with baby wipes one end came off and there was the end of a pen and when pushed on to write, it would light up and the stuff inside, like a paper weight with the snowflakes would light up so now I have 2 jigs from one pen and all for one dollar and being able to keep a good flange for a week was worth its weight in gold.

Now, to end this little screed, one night about a week or so ago I was sitting at my computer desk and there was my caliper sitting there and for some reason I decided to measure the knuckle of my thumb and guess what, it measured 7/8 inch, which goes to show this learning curve can take you down some strange side roads, finally, I hope this story will be of some help to some one, wishing all the best, Ed.

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Forgot to mention, I was having sore spots around the stoma from changing so frequently and after the first time I was able to keep the flange on for a week my skin cleared up completely, also my flange has a 1 inch opening so it doesn't take much to get behind and ruin your day.

I love the 2 piece sur/flex from Convetec I remember when they only came in white a box of 5 and I don't think they had the paste then, this was in 1985 but anyway love the 2 piece Why? The emptying of the shite bag,  I pop it off like Tupperware and pour it out from the top instead of using that tail end clip area at the bottom to drain and I'm so good at it my paper use is down almost nil,my penis don't get residue on it,I'm in and out in a matter of seconds if I don't wash my hands. And the Sur flex flanges have been my savior since I was 15 due to me being an active little shite I tried one that was all wafer and for me to move around it kinda sucked but it too worked. Now I can get the 2 piece system to last 3-10 days and I know what your thinking 10 days yep,not always. And yes the longest i've made it last was 2 and a half weeks but I was out of supplies, money, and desperate and I used duct tape and spray on adhesive and made it worked. Another positive of the 2 piece system is if you ever get in a fight pull it off and throw it at the one your fighting, like a water balloon, that person will freak out and run or sue you for bio-hazard laws.

Just the thought of someone getting blasted with a full pouch full in the face is a pretty good bet you'll never see your opponent again, good one though, Ed

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The Ostomy Nurse that taught me all the basics after my initial surgery, started me out with a 2-piece cut-fit until i had fully recovered from the op and my stoma would shrink down to its permanent size. As pretty much all of us -I had leaks daily forcing me to change and change and.....

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then finally after several months my nurse said well try this "Convex" wafer that should increase you wear-time. well thsat was the answer I had been needed! went from getting 24 hrs weat time (on a good day

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) to a couple days, then once i was fully recovered and my Stoma stopped changing size -I been getting a full 7 days except for those occasional late-night accidents when I eat too much too late or just so tired I sleep thought the bodies internal alarm to get up and empty in the middle of the night

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.



Skip forward 8 yrs -I was hanging out a my Best Friends house, and dozed off in the recliner after dinner

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yep Trouble on the way! I wake up to find my bag at the "Good Year Blimp" stage

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(over-filled) soooo I TRY as best I could to stand without bending...but didnt make it. The bag popped off thew flang complete soaking every part of me below the belly Button

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Moral of the story - that was the LAST time I wore a two-piece system. I wouldn't wear a 2-piece again if I got a life-time supply (no insurance here) ONE -cause of that accident, and TWO I love the lower profile on the one piece -hated how the thick plastic rings that snap together would dig in to my gut when i had to bent over more than 30 deg.



James