Phantom Leaks - Feeling Wet When It's Dry?

It all started after I was finally able to wear a bag, and still continues now. I will be doing something, nothing in particular, and I will sense something wet under my bag. I will stop what I am doing and put my hand under there thinking it is a leak starting to happen. Then guess what? It's bone dry under there. So why do I have a sense that it's wet? This happens to me all the time! Anyone else have this happen? Is it all in my head? My mom thinks it could be anxiety from past bag leaks. I don't have a feeling of anxiety though, I have a feeling of wet! Only it's not!

Lee

If it's not wet then yes, it is the after situation of having lots of leaks. If you think you're going to have a leak, you will feel as if it's leaking. But still, check just in case. Regards, IGGIE

Hello Lee.

Thank you for asking a very pertinent question (for me at least), as it gives me the opportunity of sharing my own take on this phenomenon.

First of all, sometimes it is wet! so I don't ignore that feeling and make sure I check it out thoroughly each time.
Then there are the (many) times that I cannot detect any moisture and yet still feel as if it is wet. This is when my inquisitiveness, exploration and examination  come into play.
For the most part,. I have concluded that the bag (or sleeve), which has previously not been touching the skin, therefore becomes cold to the touch. When, for some reason, it then temporarily touches the skin it feels cold and gives the impression of a leak. This happens a lot with me because the DIY devices that I have made tend to make the bags/sleeves stand slightly away from my skin. Then, when the plastic does touch the skin - it feels exactly as you describe.  
Sometimes, a similar feeling comes about with sweat, which can make the device feel colder than it might do normally. 
Back to my first statement, Recently I had this sensation and couldn't find a leak. However, when I removed the bag there was an imperceptible  hairline crack on the join around the hard and soft plastic of the two-piece bag.

As a final comment, I would encourage you to believe in your own judgements rather than those of other people when it comes to whether things are psychological or 'real'.

Just because we cannot always find a physical answer to our questions does not mean that such an answer does not exist (except in our imagination).

Best wishes

Bill
 

Hello Lee.
Thanks again for posting your concerns about phantom leaks, which has prompted me to write a rhyme (below).
I have also posted it separately, because otherwise I forget which rhymes I have posted or not. Posting them separately allows me to keep track and hopefully not post the same rhymes more than once.
Best wishes

Bill

PHANTOM LEAKS

Those folks with stomas might regret
if they don’t check when they feel wet,
for those who do not take a peek
may find that they have got a leak.

I know it is frustrating when
I check and check and check again,
only to find that I am dry
and then I start to question why.

Why is it that I sometimes feel
a wet sensation that feels real,
and makes me think there’s something wrong
which might lead to an awful pong?

Why do I take that extra care
when I think that a leak is there,
only to find that I am dry
which leads me then to question why?

Is this a common phenomenon
to seek a leak where there is none?
Or do I stand alone with this
believing I might come amiss? 

Sometimes it’s good to talk and share
with other people who’ve been there
and understand what it’s about
when caring for this stoma spout. 

Of course, it’s what one might expect
with stomas, where, without respect,
they may react and cause a mess
which, in turn, causes distress.

So, I think I will persevere
with seeking leaks, because I fear
that if I omit to check on it
my stoma may eject its **it.

A leak can come at anytime,
which is the moral of this rhyme. 

                                            B. Withers 2023

Hi all, before I had resection surgery some years ago and my stoma was on the right side, I would get that sensation of wetness running down my thigh. When I was in for my surgery, I asked the surgeon about it and he thought maybe a nerve was having pressure on it from scar tissue.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hi Lee, my guess is that anxiety could definitely cause that. It's amazing what our brains can do. I've recently experienced something similar. I've been having skin problems again, and had a leak the other night, discovered before it became a big mess thankfully, but I've taken to wearing a barrier ring until my skin clears up, and fear of having another leak has increased my anxiety. I've been constantly checking and re-checking my pouch, and have gotten whiffs a few times, only to discover everything is completely secure. So, I guess I'm having phantom smells! I also have often checked my pouch and freaked out momentarily when I feel moisture, only to realize it's just sweat!

Terry

Bill,

That says it exactly, and in rhyming form too! I've written poems about my stoma before too, but they're not really good. I like to make up jokes about my stoma, Marvin. Like:

Why did Marvin win the vote?

Because he was poopular

What do you get if you freeze Marvin?

Poopsicles

Why did Marvin's boat sink?

It sprang a leak

Lee

Hello Lee.

Thank you for the jokes, which are much appreciated as it is good to retain a sense of humour about these sorts of things. 
As for poetry. Who is to say what is 'good' and what is not. My own take own the 'goodness' or 'value' of a poem is whether or not it conveys the message it is supposed to.
I like rhyming verse(with the knowledge that many other people do not), yet poems don't have to rhyme to be effective at conveying a message.

I have found that some of the 'hardest' rhymes to write (for me) are just two lines long. However, when I can capture a message in those two lines, it is most satisfying. Whether they are 'good' or not is relatively irrelevant. The question would be: ' Do they convey the intended message?'  One of my favourite books of two-line rhymes is called 'Di-Line Rhyme: Poor-Parking Pull-outs' (2016), which has been designed so that any of the single pages can be torn out of the book and stuck on someone's windscreen, when the message is appropriate to that particular example of poor parking. 
I also wrote another book: Di-Line Rhyme on "Stomas" (2018). In which I express a number of frustrating things about stomas in just two lines. Very often, when I had the time, I would write a longer rhyme to explain more fully what each frustration was about. However, it would be difficult for me to decide which of the rhymes were better than the other, because they were composed with different objectives in mind. It's a bit like trying to ascertain  which race is 'best' the 100 metres or the 10,000metres.
Anyway, thanks a lot for reading my rhyme and for your subsequent appreciative comments, for these I do cherish.
Best wishes

Bill   

Yep, all in your head. I'm sure we all check our bags constantly even though we may not notice ourselves doing it. Part of life now, carry on and enjoy. You can either let your mind control you or you control it. The best thing any of us can do is do something, sitting around will let your mind overload you.

Most of the poetry I write rhymes. I used to say I am ruled by the rhyme, but I have discovered you can put pretty powerful things in rhyme, and sometimes very silly things. I think both are important. I usually say to my mom, if I don't laugh about it, I will cry about it, in reference to my stoma. I never thought about 2-line poems. I have tried out writing haiku but I didn't like it very much. Today I was possessed to say my version of roses are red, as I changed my bag and am trying a new kind of bag (which I decidedly do not care for) so I said this, "Stoma's are red, M9 dops are blue, better get that bag on, before he goes poo-poo." It's not my best work but it gave me a chuckle. I needed to laugh because I was having trouble getting the new (sample) bag on. I have decided I would rather stick with my regular bags for now and not switch to the sample kind. LoL I will have a look out for my poems by you. I'm a fan now.

Lee

AlexT, I have only emptied my bag in a public bathroom 3 times since I was able to wear a bag (after my re-location surgery March 30 of this year.) I have never had to make a complete change in public. That whole idea frightens me. I think I check my bag more at home than I do out in public, but I have a big tendency to put my hand over the bag when I am out in public. I don't know if I think I am protecting my stoma or making sure the bag doesn't fall off!! It is a nearly unconscious action. I do go out and do things, but it's not without anxiety (also a little social anxiety as well as Stoma/Bag anxieties). I do think keeping busy is a good way to not obsess over having a life-altering surgery.

Lee