I have an ileostomy and I wear my ostomy bags horizontally.
I have an international trip coming up and I am interested in getting a proper shower bag.
I find that the bags are geared toward vertically placed bags. What can I do?
This is the bag I was interested in:
Take your bag off, shower, dry off well, put a new bag on. Save money, save the hassle of putting it on and off, get your skin much cleaner and healthier, and save having to haul and store that thing.
Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 37,000 members who truly understand you.
It's not all about ostomy. We talk about everything.
Many come here for advice or to give advice, others have found good friends, and some have even found love. Most importantly, people here are honest and genuinely care.
🛑 Privacy is very important - we have many features that are only visible to members, ensuring a safe and secure environment for you to share and connect.
Create an account and you will be amazed by the warmth of this community.
Buy a small electric hair dryer for traveling, just hit it with that after you shower, much easier.
There is the Stoma Goggle. It's round and should accommodate your bag. It has to be folded, either way. It works fairly well, but needs to be really tight to avoid dampness. I have mixed feelings about mine. It's hard to get a good seal around my autopsy scar and flabby belly. It does beat having to dry the bag after a shower, although it sometimes gets a little damp.
https://parthenoninc.com/stomagoggle-ostomy-belt/
Daniel
I've used Press 'n Seal by Glad, or really any kind of cling wrap will do in a pinch when you need your bag and barrier tape to stay mostly dry.
Those are a waste of your money. Water will get in it. I've tried everything. I've ordered all kinds of gadgets promising to work, but they all leaked water.
The best thing thus far was Press and Seal and then taping all around the edges, but sometimes water still gets in if not taped right. Or, like AlexT said, just shower and put a new one on.
I wear a one-piece Active Life. It is waterproof. I can swim in it for hours. When I get out of the shower, I use paper towels to get the water off the tape part first. I also always wear extra tape, Medipore tape. It helps. I change the tape sometimes to dry around the bag more, then put new tape on.
A microfiber towel after a shower does the trick and zaps the moisture out of the bag and base real quick.
You can also spray a 3M product on your bag; it's called Scotchgard for material. The water just runs off and the bag doesn't get wet. Regards, IGGIE
If you use a 2-piece system, you can spin the pouch vertically for the shower and back to horizontal afterward.
Hi,
I wear a one-piece active life as well. I'm using the Convex Active Life. I used to wear the Flat Active Life and liked the Stomahesive adhesive better as it was more gentle. This Durahesive seems to melt and get sticky in water and seeps out, so that's why if I do try to salvage it and shower or get wet with it on, I use the Press and Seal. I miss my Stomahesive.
Great bags though! They are the toughest out there that I've found.
Scotch Guard? That is brilliant, Iggie. Who knew? It's not sticky, is it? I've never used that for anything, but there's always a first time. 😀
For me, I don't get what all the worry is about.
I use a handheld thing and water goes where I want it.
If you don't have that, just keep your back to the sprayer or adjust it.
The bag gets wet, yes, not soaked, and easily dries with a hair blower or towel. Having those C-strip extenders are a big help too.
My bag gets soaked in the shower; I even get soap on it. Rinse it off, dry it with a towel or hair dryer if you need it super dry right away, and go on with your day. I really don't see the need to try and cover it. By the time anyone is fully done getting ready, it's dry. 🤷♂️ I'll admit that when I first got my bag, I tried the Saran Wrap/Press-n-Seal stuff. It was all worthless and not needed.
Daniel, I place a washcloth over my bag and cover the bag and washcloth with the stoma google, and it prevents any dampness on the bag.
Thanks. I've actually considered that, but the dampness isn't enough of an issue to warrant adding another step. I bought the thing for two reasons. The first is to not have to worry about rushing warm water weakening the outer tape. The second reason feeds off the first. This is summertime and I am outside a fair amount. 90+ temperatures tend to generate a lot of sweat for a fellow my size, especially on my morning walks. I am less apt to skip a shower when I don't have to worry about the tape, something my wife appreciates. 😆
Not sure why there is concern about getting your bag wet. I wash the outside of mine when I shower with a bit of soap and shoot some water into the bag and rinse it a few times until it runs clear. Then I go about my shower as I normally do. The bag is soaking wet when I am done. After I get out, I use one of my granddaughter's old cloth diapers and wrap it around the bag like a burrito and use an abdominal binder gently wrapped around my midsection to hold the diaper on. I continue getting ready and after about 10 minutes it is pretty much dry and I am on my way. When I traveled last month, I used a hand towel from the hotel to do the same thing, which worked fine. I did this with my ileostomy for a year and now four months into my colostomy doing this and no problems. I would get about 5 days on a bag with my ileostomy and am getting 7 with my colostomy, so I do not think it increased bag change frequency.
