What Gets You Through the Day & Night?

A day leak-free?

Favorite internet radio station?

"Mi Soul" app, 3 stations in one: Mi Soul,

Mi Groove & Mi House. You will be hooked,

I promise!

Night - large brandy & port with a slice of lemon & a block of ice!

Medicinal.

Sleep - an hour before midnight is worth 2 after!

Hair dryer! Warm up your skin & bag before & after fitting to the skin & you will have much fewer leaks! Big game changer!

Another idea I tried which works is to buy a wheat bag you heat up in the microwave & put it over the bag to heat the seal up. I use it in my Moho.

I got a long bolster pillow about 4 feet long for my bed & when I do go to bed, I put it parallel to my body & "tree hug" it with one arm & leg over it on my side. Great if you sleep alone & only have one bag, but trickier with 2. So I sleep on my colostomy side as I rarely have output at night & get a much deeper sleep than on your back!

Hi Panko,

It's great to see you sharing your tips and tricks here! I'm sure you'll find plenty of support from our large community. Everyone here is always ready to share their experiences and advice.

Your suggestions are really helpful, especially the idea of using a hair dryer and a wheat bag to prevent leaks. I've found that keeping the skin warm before applying the bag makes a big difference too. And your sleep tips are spot on—finding the right position can really improve the quality of rest. The bolster pillow sounds like a cozy solution for side sleepers!

Congrats on being part of this community! You'll find lots of support, information, and some really cool people who understand what you're going through. Looking forward to hearing more from you!

Hi panko
What gets me through the day and night? I have to say it's got to be my dog. Crazy as hell when he comes back from his walks. Runs from sofa to sofa for a few minutes then stops and when he looks at you his eyes have the home and away look lol. Never a dull moment. Cuppa and midget gems got to be lions though. XX

Yes, you can't beat unconditional love from an animal, especially a dog. I babysit my sister's dog more often than not and miss him when he goes. It gets me thinking to get a smallish dog, a friend for life. My niece and her partner run a boarding kennels and take in Alsatians from a rescue home nearby. They have had a beautiful one called Cody for over a year. I would love him, but he's a big dog. However, he is well trained. My niece had a black and tan one from a pup called Ava. They play lovely together.

I almost forgot the last time I was in the hospital, having a tumor removed from my left lung in February. A guy next to me, in his 70s, was a double bagger. He would not stick his bags on without using a hair dryer first to warm up his skin and the bag simultaneously so they stick better! Well, he made such a fuss of it that it gave me the idea to try it when I got home.
Well, I must say it is a big game changer. It really works. I have had a lot fewer leaks since using a hair dryer. Run it around the seal afterward to push down spots that pucker up! Tip for the day!

Hi panko
I've been doing this for the last few months and it's definitely leading to a better seal which is a win-win. Thanks for the tip. I used to have an Alsatian, got her from PDSA. She was a beauty and a very big softie, lol ????. I have a Shih Tzu now, pure black, but I always have him cut short. Xx

How to Manage Emotions with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Hey Panko and Caz, The hairdryer tip was a game changer for me too. I make sure my peri-stomal skin is really dry and then run the hairdryer around the flange for around 30 seconds. Haven't had a leak since (fingers crossed) and my wear time has increased big time. I only change every six days, which is really good for an ileo.

Nothing better than having a dog. Wish we still did. Losing our last pup was very painful, and not sure when or if we will be ready for another. We walk our neighborhood every day and know all the names of the dogs who live along the way. We always have treats. No idea what any of their humans' names are!!

Terry

Hi Terry,
Funny how I am the same, know other people's dogs' names but not got any idea of the owners' lol. Sorry about you losing your dog. At the end of the day, they are our babies, always happy to see you and never shout or abuse you. Unconditional love XX.

When you say you can wear a bag for 5/6 days without a change, does that mean you are wearing a two-piece bag with a base plate? As I heard, you can wear them longer. I can't imagine wearing a bag for more than two days at most. Maybe I'm missing something? I did try one once with a base plate but found it not as clean as changing daily or every other day, as cleaning the seal was a bummer!

I wear a Hollister one-piece, the product number is #8958, and it's the best appliance I've ever used. As long as I get a good seal, super dry skin, cut the hole well, and prepare the flange with the hairdryer, it stays put. I change, for instance, I'm changing it today, then won't change again until next Thursday. I shower daily and clean the outside of the pouch with soap and water so I always feel clean. I used to use a two-piece but didn't get as good a seal, even though it was also a Hollister, the flange was different. I also had leaks occasionally around the seal and even had the top piece come off a couple of times during the night, ugh, not fun. The Coloplast pouches just don't work for me, can't get them to stay on for more than a couple of days. Everyone is different and what works for one person will be a big fail for others. It's good to try lots of different products.

Terry

Hi Terry, I have recently changed to Hollister bags from Coloplast, they seal much better even though the flange is smaller on my urostomy stoma.
I also use another bag for my colostomy made by Dansac, a Swedish company owned by Hollister, which I've just changed to from Salts bags which were great but small.
Nice to hear peeps use the Haitian dryer method for drying skin. Wish I had heard of it years ago!
Happy New Year!

Hi Panko, another thing I should mention that I think has improved my wear time. After applying the new pouch, I hold it firmly in place, covering it with my hand so that I'm applying even pressure all around the flange, and keep holding it in place for around 90 seconds. I used to just hold it in place for a few seconds and that may have not been enough. The extra time is worth it. I also didn't mention that the pouch I use, the #8958, has a soft convex wafer which has also made a big difference from the flat wafers. They are just as comfortable as the flat ones and more comfortable than the hard convex. Good luck and happy New Year to you too!

Terry

Always say a little prayer, be thankful at the end of the day. Wake up in a good spirit of cheer normally.
If it's sunny, then that's a bonus. By the time you've had coffee, breakfast, showered, and then changed your bags,
there's no time for depression or self-pity, so just get on with the day and what it beholds.

Hi Panko, my bags are vented, but it's only because you can't get that particular bag without a vent. I cover the vent with one of those little stickers, so it doesn't work. I've never liked vents because they tend to make the bag suck in against the stoma and make it more difficult for output to slide down to the bottom. If I have gas build up, I just "burp" my bag.

Hi delgrl, I often wondered what those little sticky round tabs were for.
I actually thought they were to remind you that you've had your bag on for more than a day. (What a donut)!
Well, now I know, I will try your tip. Sounds like a good idea to stop pancaking!
As for burping, great idea. Being a plumber, it makes sense as you are venting your own system!
Thanks again for the great tip. As my prolapsed stoma inflates and deflates all day, this could be a way of keeping it smaller.
Instead of women saying, "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?"

Hi Terry/panko,
I only found out about the event about a month ago too. Better late than never, right? XX

So glad I could help out! It's what this site is all about, isn't it great?

Terry

Got any other tips, being a veteran and all that?
Have you thought about going black instead of pink for bags as they blend in more with darker clothing?
As they say, once you've had black, there's no turning back because black doesn't crack!

You are a hoot, Panko! Not sure about the black bags for me, wouldn't look too good under my white T-shirts! And I am far from being a veteran, got my first stoma just over two years ago, emergency colostomy from a perforated bowel, then a second surgery to remove more large bowel a few months later. Major problems ensued and I finally got my current ileostomy just over one year ago, which meant learning to live with an entirely different stoma, so different products, etc. I'm still learning myself, but I'm lucky I've found products that work well for me. It's nice to be able to pass on any knowledge or tips I can because I've appreciated all the help I've gotten from members of this site, as well as good doctors and ostomy nurses I've been lucky to have.

Terry

I'm 3 years in and had to find my own way mostly, as my stoma nurses were crap, to be honest. I just found out things from other ostomates along the way in hospitals or online chats like you.
But yeah, they do make black things to blend it with the skin!

Thanks for the internet radio stations... Mi Soul, Mi Groove, Mi House! I am hooked! LOL {{{Hugs}}}

Went to the shops today and bought a new stick deodorant. On it, it said, "Remove lid and push up bottom." For God's sake, I'm in agony and can hardly walk! 🤣