No College for Stoma Bag Knowledge

Recently, I requested a sample of a Convatec Pouch - the kind with the Velcro fold and hidden pocket - namely CONVATEC #416975.

I was so happy to receive 3 of them, and the next a.m. I took one for a test drive. Fail - within 4 hours, there was leakage on each side of the Velcro. Because I have an ileostomy, my output is frequently liquid. Occasionally, I will request a different sample product. As it turned out, I had previously tried this product a year ago - I would not have remembered that (at 80, need I explain?) except the same thing happened back then - which I vividly remember.

After this fail, I went back to my old faithful, namely CONVATEC #22771.

Today, I received a call inquiring how I like the samples. I explained what had happened, and the fella kindly passed me through to a WOC Nurse. She was extremely nice and quizzed me about the issue. She said they had a similar problem and found it was a faulty batch/lot #. Since it was a problem for me a year ago, perhaps they are shipping freebies from that lot or the problem has not been fixed. Wouldn't seem they would want to ship samples that are faulty to prospective buyers.

My conversation with this WOC nurse enlightened me on a few new things. For instance, I was under the impression all pouches had tape all around the outside wax edge - not so.

What I have come to learn as a 3-year ostomate, regarding products, we all have very different pouch requirements and solutions. I do find that even though I really have no issues with leakage or skin irritation, I still seek a product that fills all my current “I wish they would make” thoughts. Top of that list is the roll-up out-spout with Velcro, which is why I requested the sample. This is why I will occasionally further investigate products.

I received a call today advising me Convatec is sending a similar pouch sample, and it should arrive tomorrow. I have been very satisfied with my supplier 180 Med.
jb

I've often wished that I could find a bag that meets all of my requirements because it seems as if we're all settling for the best we can get.

I really like my Hollister Wafer/bag combo. Having a colostomy, I don't have much liquid. So no worries about leaks. I just began using a barrier ring. Pretty cool. I don't have to cut my wafer hole so close to stoma size. Just apply ring to stoma, slap on wafer.... disco here I come.

Hello Just Breathe

I use a Hollister brand roll-up bag with 1 1/2 wax rings and barrier.

As I'm losing weight, I have developed a shallow dip on the right side of my stoma, so I have to cut one ring in half and layer it on top of the first wax ring on the right side to level it out.

I keep my stool liquid to avoid digestive pain and rarely have a leak or skin contamination before my 7-day change. I'm allergic to band-aids, so I was afraid of using any brand, but have no issues with the Hollister products. Best of luck jb!

Terri

JB, I have no idea how people wear bags that have no cloth edge and can tolerate just the ring, very annoying when I tried one.

Living with Your Ostomy | Hollister

Mine too. I always have a little skin showing somewhere around my stoma and the barrier ring just fills it in. I've been told my stoma/skin looks very healthy.

I have very healthy skin as well and I credit the people on this site suggesting a bagless shower. You Alex, were one of those people. I believe that skin immediately surrounding the parastomal skin should be washed and the stoma itself should be rinsed in fresh shower water. This practice ensures clean skin preparation for all products applied. I change and shower every other day (I can imagine some eye rolls here) and I know some do not change that frequently - this is just a personal choice and I could probably get more days from our “dealer add-ons” but the fact that this method is so successful for me and wear time is very comfortable I don't want to change my regimen. The only reason for trying a new product is I do like the Velcro seal and out spout idea as opposed to a clip.

Well, thanks. I don't think people realize how much their peristomal skin needs a break from having that sticky crap stuck to it 24/7. Whether it's 5 minutes or an hour at a time, fresh air helps a lot in my opinion. Hardly any healthcare provider will recommend a lot of the things we as ostomates do.

Yes, Alex - Hahaha - you are right and hardly any healthcare person or physician would recommend a lot of things I do!!!

I learned myself and others have taught me if you have a system that works, don't change. I was doing well with Hollister. Personally, I tried Convatec twice because I like the bag construction. I could not stop itching and had folliculitis following my trial. The Convatec "customer service" gentleman hung up on me and did not call me back if there was a bad connection.

Sorry to hear that - I have 180 Medical and so far so good. About 4 days after they sent the sample, they called me - the fellow I talked with answered a few questions, then had me talk with a WOC nurse. They sent me a second sample, but it too failed - waiting for another call now - hope they won't hang up on me. jb

Sorry to hear that - I have 180 Medical and so far so good. About 4 days after they sent the sample, they called me - the fellow I talked with answered a few questions, then had me talk with a WOC nurse. They sent me a second sample, but it too failed - waiting for another call now - hope they won't hang up on me. jb