My First Experience with an Ostomy Bag Leak

I was lying in bed when my alarm went off. I rolled over to shut it off and realized I had a football in bed with me. Then I remembered I don't own a football. So I hopped up and went to the little boys' room to burp my bag. I burped it, turned the coffee on, and sat down to check my email for a sweet note from my favorite ostomate. Well, I took a shower, got dressed, and went outside to get a sample. I came in and started running my tests on my sample. I sat back down at my desk again to check to see if I received a note from my favorite ostomate. While I was sitting there, I smelled this aroma which usually is associated with dumping my bag. I thought, what the hell, my vent has been plugged for two days and this smells bad. So I went in and dropped my pants and found a mess as my clip came undone. It must have just happened as it wasn't a huge mess, but a mess just the same. So I shucked my pants and long johns, ended up with it on my shirt so I had to shuck that also. I got redressed and hand washed them out so I wouldn't be sending "soiled" clothes to the laundry. I don't know if I pulled the clip off, unsnapped it while working, or just didn't get it on right after my football episode, as I was half awake with no coffee in me. It sort of brought me down and got me feeling sorry for myself until I got to thinking it's been 7 months and this is my first "brown out" so I figure that isn't too bad and it could have been worse as a half hour later my bag was full of runny output.
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Gosh, doesn't output sound so much better than: shit, poop, crap. Why can't we be like a bird and have droppings? It sounds so much better...I got some droppings all over my hand. That sounds a lot more refined. Well, that is my first brown out episode and I survived it. I just hope the next one goes as well as this one did because I'm pretty sure there will be a next one.
Thanks for listening to my rant. Mike

Seven months and only one bloody leak - that's just not fair! Are you saying it has never come off in bed and gotten all over the duvet, or been running down your leg in the local supermarket???

I can't believe it... I declare, only now can you claim to be a true ostomate!


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Ummm - so who is the mysterious favorite ostomate mate then?

Rach xxxx

First brownout in 7 months!!!!!! ........ lol. Man, you have got to live more dangerously.... take it up a notch... it's only 'droppings'.... you can't get your turd mechanics license until you have had at least 6 good brownouts.... with two between the sheets under shared circumstances..... forgive me.... I just couldn't resist.... Cheers, Scotiaman.

You all are making me extremely proud of my closed-end pouches. Those clips were high risk when I had them and must still be high risk.

My greatest success story is still that little one-inch ostomy belt that holds my pouch and wafer more securely. I find myself in some tight places at work, and all that adhesive kind of wears thin after a while. I'd pay big bucks for that one-inch ostomy belt because it has saved me from lots of 'blowouts/brownouts!'

But life is still very good!
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Loren

I did have a little leak from a nut or something poking through when I was test driving a Coloplast bag but a piece of tape fixed that. I'm kind of anal......I guess technically I can't use that term any more so. I'm really picky when it comes to putting my bags and flanges on. I use a hernia belt for prevention and a work belt like Loren when I sleep. The hernia belt really holds the bag on while I'm out working.
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Quote:

ummmm - so who is the mysterious favourite ostymate mate then?

I've never been the type to TXT and tell.

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As for living dangerously I can't believe this hasn't happened sooner as I've crawled all over my old cars wrenching on them. Basic doing everything I did before my operation and I'm a pretty active guy. This days off I'm going to attempt to freeze my bag off snowmobiling.
I guess it's a good thing when you can laugh about sh!tting on yourself.
Mike

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

Wonderfully descriptive, Bagr, an early morning laugh has done me the world of good!

I agree, clips break or come unclipped. Original poster, is the remaining colon in good health? Ask your doctor or ostomy nurse if you qualify for irrigation; it will change your life.

                                 

Quote:

Ummm - so who is the mysterious favorite ostymate mate then?

I've never been the type to text and tell.

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Eh, was only joking - glad you have one! xxx

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Nice.

I like that bag - "droppings" -

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I hate clips, so like Loren, I either wear a closed-end pouch, or since I use Hollister, I also use the New Image with "lock and roll" - really works for me, but apparently wasn't working so well for others - I got a long letter from Hollister about how they have "re-designed" the lock and roll to be a lot stronger and easier to manipulate.



Loved the football story - reminded me a little bit of Rolf Bernirschke of the mighty '70s SD Chargers! (Except he kicked the football). Now we can't even give the team away! ;D

I have had an ileostomy for 32 years and have always used the open ended pouch with the clip. The best way to avoid an accidental opening of the clip is to use a rubberband and wrap it around the clip to secure it. I never leave my house without carrying at least one extra rubberband.

Speaking of rubber bands, one guy in our local support group uses 'O-rings' from the hardware store that just perfectly roll onto those clips. Going without some assurance that the clip stays tight is far more 'naked' than I've ever been.

Rubber bands, O-rings, what else is out there to make those clips more fail-safe?

Loren

Convatec's clip technology seems to be the best so far.

That's a great idea,

I've been using the Coloplast Assura locking system since 2003 and have rarely had a problem. The wafer will come unglued before the latch would ever let go. Good product.

Tyler has had his ileostomy for nearly two years now... and hasn't had a single brown out yet. O_O

Unless you count the time he was very sick with norovirus and his stoma acted like a geyser for a day! That was impressive.

Grrr! How do you manage that then? You can't be a full member until you've had a bed full... that's not fair (you lucky pair!) xxxxxx
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Yes, I believe that counts...

Blimey, a brown out! That made me laugh so much. My son has an ileostomy (he is 13) and has had several of these episodes at school, the poor thing, and it's been very distressing for him. Fortunately, his classmates know all about his condition and are very understanding, and make no comment except to ask if he is okay when he returns to school. Can't wait to tell him we need to call them 'brown outs' - it will make him giggle. xx

My term for it has always been either a 'bagtastrophe' or a 'bagsplosion'! Anyone got any others we can have a laugh about?



Rach xxx

Code brown, particularly if you need to alert someone you'll be busy. Another pearl that is not mine...

'Code Brown'! Yep, that's a brilliant one! xx

Been there, done that, and it's not pretty. I was in Australia visiting my son last year, and in the middle of the night, I felt "messy." Yep...all over me, the bedding, the blanket... What a mess. I didn't want to wake up the kids and baby, so I did the best I could until morning.
In the 45 years...I've had many "brown outs." One horrible one was while sitting in a theater...and I felt the "pop" of the seal breaking...and then the smell. I was on a date...and was I ever mortified. I managed to finish the play, then get cleaned up enough for the drive home (I always carry tape with me). It's just been part of my life, so as upsetting as it might be at the time, it just becomes another "story" to tell.

hi bagr



i think we all have had the shocking experience of the clip coming off and the contents running down our leg and onto the floor.  this happened to me a couple of times, at home, luckily each time.  this worried me greatly and i lived in fear of it happening in public or at work.  i thought long and hard about how to resolve this problem.  i came up with the idea to put 2 clips on, because if one comes undone then it is almost unlikely that the second clip will come undone also.  this has solved the problem for me and i feel almost 100% confident that i will never face this problem again.  



cheers



jennie

Now Tomi the colostomy has discovered the joys of smelly poop; he's making lots of offerings.



Thank goodness! He's broken the constipation I had for 4 days (oh boy, was that painful!!!!!), and now he is dropping lots of good, solid, smelly poop into the bag.

He is so keen to keep up the good work; he managed to poop between me taking his hat off, cleaning him, and popping on a new one... all over my leg, while seated on the throne. Yep, Tomi sure knows he's on a winner with the smelly poop game. I didn't even lose it!

I was too glad to have stopped having constipation to care.

And I was planning on having a bath today anyway!
LOL

Getting much better at changing the bag while on the throne. That's something I never thought I would be able to do, so another small accomplishment to celebrate.