Showering with Ostomy Bag - Worries and Tips?

I am fairly new .. I have asked my wound nurse... I do fine with everything but showering. When I change my bag, I take a good long shower without the bag. I have showered with the bag on, but I am so worried that I don't get the bag dry enough afterwards that I stick around home just to make sure it doesn't leak. My wound nurse says no worries .. the bag is waterproof. I know in my head that what she says is true, but I can't get my arms around showering with the bag ... Thoughts please.

Hi and welcome! Much easier to shower with it on than try and put a fresh one on after a shower in my experience ... also find the warm water often sort of helps the seal to stick a bit better - however I always leave showering at least several hours if I have just changed it. It is waterproof, just try drying the fabric bit off with a hairdryer and the warmth of that will help also .... if you put showering into the forum search - you will find loads of previous threads about it too.

Good luck

Rach xx

I shower with mine on. I empty and clean it before showering, but I have never had any problems with leaks. I wear the Hollister 14202 flange and 18182 pouch. Even after a week, showering every day, the flange has held good. I will remove the pouch and give it a more thorough cleaning in the shower, using soap to clean the inside and rinsing it real good, to help rid it of any odors. I dry the pouch, it dries fast, and I put it back on. I dry myself off first, to allow the stoma to get some air.

I don't always change pouch/flange at the same time... When the flange needs changing, that's when I strip and enjoy a full shower... When only the pouch needs changing, I roll it up and tape it across, just to protect the flange, then change the pouch upon drying off. So, I can usually have 2 good showers weekly.

I don't find that taking a shower loosens my appliance. The issue I have is trying to get the paper tape I use dry before I get dressed. I find using a hair dryer does the trick, even on the most humid days.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hi YaYa - I like to take baths, so it is rarely an issue for me. But when I do shower, it's either with the whole pouching system off, or usually with the bag off - after I have irrigated and I know nothing will be shooting out.

Times I have showered with the bag on, drying it has not been a problem, and there were no issues with the wafer not sticking. They are pretty darn tough! Like us!

And no one has yet mentioned in this thread the concept of picture framing the wafer with waterproof tape to help the wafer adhere while in the shower. It is quite helpful but not a 100% solution. My surgeons have created a double navel after multiple surgeries so even the taping fails to hold/help all the time.

I use a closed-end pouch, so I change mine right after the shower and put on a dry one. Problem solved. Loren

I have to change the wafer every 2 days and I can change the bag more often. I take a super long hot shower with the whole thing off and then the next day take a super fast shower with it on and then change the bag. If I am hanging out at home I will limp along an extra day. I use waterproof tape while swimming and this really was not an issue for me. I have more of an issue from water loosening the wafer in the shower. I think since I have an ileostomy the liquid breaks down the adhesive faster. I like the Coloplast locking 2-piece system. I have had more problems with the Tupperware type seal. I knock them open while exercising or getting dressed. I am not graceful.

Does anyone else just dream of leaving it all off for a night? Well, I do but that would be a nightmare. So I love the time I leave it off for a shower. I eat a couple of marshmallows and then wait like 30 minutes and it really slows the flow. Good luck~
Lisa

I can't seem to use the shower, so I have been limited to baths. That said, I had my first bath where I was able to take everything off the stoma and let it air. BLISS.

However, when I bathe with the bag on, the bag gets totally soaked. So when I get out of the bath, I grab a wrap-around bath towel with Velcro. I slip it underneath the bottom of the flange with the bag hanging down over it, pop a face washer/flannel/washcloth (name used depends on your country of origin) over the bag, and rub like crazy. Then I go sit down for a little while to let it all dry out. The bag is dry within about 15 minutes.

I'm in Australia, so it may dry quicker here. But that said, it's been raining and cold pretty much every day since I had the colostomy done in November. So maybe it is more like colder countries than normal.

The best thing about my technique is I don't have soggy bags slapping against my skin, which feels pretty disgusting.

I've never had any problems with the flange lifting or peeling off. I am currently using Hollister New Image 2 piece, but am about to change to Coloplast's Sensura Click. The bath was the new bag's final test before I decided to change over. The bath water did make the edge of the flange go a little soft, but as soon as I was out of the bath, the flange started to dry. And by the time I'd finished drying the bag, the flange was great again. And I got another 2 days out of it. Given I was getting 3 days out of Hollister, and I got 7 days out of the Coloplast, that was a major plus for me.

Hope that helps.

Hi... I'll throw in my 2 cents worth... Showering is a cinch.... I use the 2-piece Coloplast system (I have an ilio). I use waterproof tape on the sides and across the top of the wafer... Hop in the shower and get to it... I usually dump it before I shower, that way I can use an old toothbrush to give the Velcro-sealed end a bit of a cleaning... Otherwise, when I get out, I take off the tape... Dry the area around the wafer.... If the edges of the wafer are lifting a bit, I will tape them (once the skin is good and dry). Dry the bag off.... And head out... That's it!!!!! Cheers, Scotiaman

Shower as usual. I open up the bottoms of both bags and just let them drain while I'm showering. It goes down the drain anyway, then I just clean the shower afterwards.
I towel dry them, then give them a shot with the hairdryer on a cool setting. I use Coloplast Sensura/Assura 2 piece convex system. I have had only 2 leaks in 7 months. Change appliances every 5th day.

I love showers! It's like pressing a reset switch on my body. I shower usually with the bag and adhesive off... give everything a good cleaning and an opportunity to scratch those itches you can't get at normally. Then, take the time to dry really well and put on fresh stuff.

I also shower with the bag on... usually quickies on the other days when I don't want to change. I've not had any real troubles with adhesion (Coloplast product) due to the water.

I'm usually changing every 3 days or so because of itching, so water loosening is not a big deal with me.

There was another thread asking about peeing in the shower. Is that really an issue for ostomates when a shower usually means worse happening? LOL

Cheers,
Katman

Hi

Hope everyone is well. I am reading all the posts about showering and do not understand the concern. I have had an ileostomy for 34 years and have always showered twice a day with my bag on with no problems ever. I also live in Queensland, Australia and during summer swim off and on all day long with no problems whatsoever. I use a Convatec 2-piece system and there is no way the water can get under the wafer. I also work full-time as an anaesthetic nurse in a hospital and do shift work and emergency on-call shifts where I have to be there within 10 minutes for emergency operations, so I always make sure my bag and wafer are secure well before the shift begins. I use an adhesive wipe under the wafer which makes it stick securely. I also have a huge hernia around my stoma which will eventually need operating on. But in summary, I cannot understand the showering with the bag on thing. Wish you all luck in this respect.

We're all so different, aren't we?

I've (ileo) never had any issue with showering as long as I shower with my appliance on. Some days after the shower, I'll change everything. But if I don't need to change the flange, I might only replace the bag. But not always. Just towel everything off. Maybe cool hairdryer on the flange. Usually not even that. Easy enough to towel dry the pouch and the flange may be moist for a bit, but it dries too -- have never had a leak post showering.

Re showering with everything off ... I'd need an extra hand. My stoma is just too active. I don't like the poo running down my leg as I try to towel off. That third hand would come in so handy!

For me, prolonged submersion in water does make the adhesive melt (hot tub, bath). After a bath, I have to change the whole thing. But even then, it's more for my comfort (I don't like the squishy feeling of the adhesive not being "solid"). I have never had a leak after a bath when I've kept that appliance on.

HTH,
Beatrice

I always shower with the (one piece) pouch on. Then on exiting the shower, I pat the pouch dry with a few sheets of toilet paper. No problem.

When I shower, I fold the pouch up and put Glad Press 'n Seal over and around it. It keeps the water out!

Hi - I always shower and remove the wafer and bag before the shower on the days I am planning on changing the wafer and bag. On the days I am not, I just shower with it on. This seems to work just fine. Take care.

This was such a big deal a few months ago. I had no idea about what I could or couldn't do. Taking a shower or bath was a huge concern. As I have said before, everything I did was trial and error. I am still amazed that no one told me the things I have learned on this site. Carol