Maximizing Wafer Wear Time with a Colostomy - Personal Experiments

In an effort of discovery, I've been waiting longer and longer between wafer changes. How long can I go? I have a colostomy.

Last experiment was 10 days. Skin looked good. No leaks. Hair growth didn't cause a problem. And the wafer still felt comfortable. I wore various hernia support belts too. And rode my bike a total of 100 miles over 5 days. Also showered many times with the bag on, getting it all soaking wet.

For today's experiment, I'm at day 11 on the same wafer. Inspecting my Hollister 11204, the fabric perimeter tape looks good. I'll update after I remove the wafer today.

Hi Beachboy, you are living life dangerously! I've experimented too, in order to get to where I am, which is seven days with an ileostomy, and I have stretched it to eight days several times with no issue. The back of the wafer looks about the same on day eight as it did on day seven, so I guess I could try for nine. But do I really want to? Probably not. Let us know how far you get!

Terry

I used to always follow the rules. Then over time, I discovered rules were concocted by people who didn't have experience with what they were regulating. I spent decades building satellites. There were lots of rules and procedures. Until a program was behind schedule, way over budget, or the launch date was getting close. Then all those rules took a back seat to getting the beast finished, shipped, and launched. I broke every rule... but got them finished in time. They're all in orbit... running perfectly.

It's the same with my colostomy. At first, I was changing every 3 days. I'm lazy. I soon stretched it to 5, then 7 days. Skin looked good, no leaks.

So I pushed it to 10 days. It was still comfortable to wear. I used various hernia support belts. Sweated, showered, changed bags but not the wafer. At day 10, the wafer came off as usual. Skin looked good, stoma looked happy, no leaks. It was easier to trim hair because it was longer.

So now I'm at 11 1/2 days. I will take the wafer off in an hour. I'll post what transpires.

I think it's important to discover what equipment works for you. And how long you could go between changes if you had to. Inflation is killing everyone's budgets. Ostomy supplies are expensive, especially barrier rings and spray adhesive remover. The longer I can safely stretch out changing time, the more money I save and I can build up a backlog of supplies over time.

Plus... I'm lazy.

Finally removed the wafer this morning. Was supposed to do it last night... but I watched an old episode of Columbo on TV. So, I postponed the removal. Plus, I'm lazy.

The wafer was stuck on for 12 days. The fabric tape held very well. I took multiple showers with the wafer/bag on.

I used spray adhesive remover and remover wipes to gently get the wafer off. Hair growth wasn't a problem; the remover wipe got them unstuck.

The skin looked good. The barrier ring and wafer seal had no evidence of leaks. When I sit, a small fat roll pushes up against the stoma. As a result, the skin around my stoma bottom always gets a little beat up.

I didn't notice much difference between wearing the wafer for 7 days versus 12.

OK... I have...pictures.

WARNING!! GRAPHIC PHOTOS. Pictures of a colostomy stoma. CAUTION: Full color, close-up, nude stoma. EYE DANGER. TURN BACK. 😉

CAUTION, WARNING, CAREFUL, OMG!!

WATCH OUT!!!! One peek can turn susceptible humans into stone.

I ate some nuts last night. Sigh... I can't do that anymore. It swells up Mr. Stoma, as you can see. Normally it's not so large at the end.

🔒 Login to see image
You can just see the skin around the stoma bottom somewhat irritated. I layer stoma powder with 3M Cavilon swab wipes on the irritated skin. Then spray Cavilon barrier film over the entire area. It works well.

Bear in mind, I have a colostomy. Ileostomy care is much different. My output is firm, not watery or caustic.

I am going to visit my surgeon about a revision. My beast sticks out about an inch too much. I'm going to suggest using a Linear cutter/stapler to chop a piece off.

Now I know I can extend wafer changeout without problems. Good to know.

Doesn't it get too smelly? I can go about seven days, but then the smell isn't good so I know it's time to change.

Living with Your Ostomy | Hollister

No, it doesn't get smelly at all. My wife would tell me right away. Since my stoma sticks out quite a bit, output mostly ends up in the bag and not around the wafer. I use Hollister M9 drops and lubricating deodorizer. Also, I change bags often. I shower with the bag on. Then I change to a new bag afterward. The fabric wafer perimeter tape dries quickly. I use toilet paper to blot up excess moisture.

The Brava moldable rings I use are $60 for a box of 10. Wafers are expensive too. I'm extending my changeover time to 10 days instead of my previous 7. Living with politically induced inflation, I need to save every dollar. Plus, changing the wafer is work... and I'm lazy.

Just wondering why you would change the bag if you're not changing the wafer? Does the bag wear out faster? I'm only 5 months into having an ileostomy. Currently, I'm changing every 3-4 days, but would love to do that less.

It's because I'm lazy. I could rinse out the bag and reuse it. It's just easier for me to snap off a soiled bag, snap on a new one. It takes less than a minute. Sometimes I go 2 days with no output. Then, boom... full bag. It's hard to empty since I don't rinse. So bags don't wear out; I'm just lazy.

I do empty bags quite a bit. I have a colostomy, so the output is well-formed and thick. In 18 months, I've never had a natural leak out of the wafer. I did have one that was my fault; I didn't snap on the bag all the way.

Yes, I was told to change my ileostomy gear every other day. So a week went by with no pain, leaking, or itching, then two, then three. Then I got nervous and changed it.

Then after two weeks, I had a leak in the night, what a mess. I don't know why. So now I go two weeks. I feel good with that.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I discovered the more I changed the wafer, the worse my skin became. Taking the wafer off too much irritates delicate peristomal skin.

I normally change the wafer after 7 days ... never had a problem. I have gone to 8 once or twice. I change the pouch once between wafer changes. The main reason for every 7 days is that it is easier to remember for this old fart. Same day every week.

My wafer comes off easily when the time comes ... never needed adhesive remover. But I am not hairy, and only 140 lbs, so that may have something to do with it.

I use Hollister 2-piece, and Coloplast barriers.

Cost is not a big issue, thank goodness. The Ontario government provides a $950 per year grant to ostomates, and my retired-federal-gov-employee medical plan pays for 80% of what the grant doesn't cover. My out-of-pocket expenses are only a couple of hundred dollars a year.

The most I have gone is 4 days. Because I have so much redness from the barrier ring, I may change to every 3. Not sure yet. Or go without the barrier ring, as I was doing okay without it. So Stony Nurse said I should use the ring because of the size of the stoma and the bulge behind it.

Can I ask what hernia support belts you are using or have tried and where you got them? It is not confirmed that I have a hernia (the doctor says no, waiting for CT results) but my weight loss of almost 30 pounds is causing the belly to fall and I feel like I want something to help pull it back up. I have had no luck finding a size for me on Amazon or one that works with the colostomy. I am having the reversal in September or October (knock on wood), so I don't need something long term. Any advice?

Hello, I use NU-Hope Corporation belts. They are excellent quality and reasonably priced. I have 2, 3, & 4-inch wide belts.

I bought the 2-inch wide belts directly on the Nu-Hope website. The 3 & 4-inch I bought on The Parthenon Company website. You need to provide your flange diameter. The plastic belt ring fits over the bag. My diameter is 3 1/4 inches.