Hello new colostomy warriors,

If you're using a Hollister 2-piece system... here is a drain tip provided to me by my ostomy nurse.

Put a pleat in the drain plastic.

🔒 Login to see image
Pinch each side to put a crease in it.

🔒 Login to see image
What it looks like before pushing the lips together, then folding the plastic up and fastening the Velcro.

The pleat will make it easier to separate the plastic drain when it's filled with output.

There ain't nothing stickier than poop. 😉

Indeed. That is the first thing I do when I open a box of bags. I crease them and then seal them. Nothing is worse than struggling to open the darned pouch with dry hands. :-)

Been doing that since week 1. 👍

This "pinch to pleat" works great on a dry, new bag. Each time I empty, sometimes it's easy. Other times I need a pry bar to open up that thing.

You darn tooting... poop sticks like nobody's business. Gorilla glue!!

Here's an image. Did you see the movie Saving Private Ryan?

Tom Hanks toward the end of the story needed to take out enemy tanks.

He asked his men to fill their socks with poop and add TNT (dynamite) and throw the socks at approaching enemy tanks.

Thought #1 - ostomy bag in the making.

2 - An ostomate soldier would have no issues doing this.

3 - Talk about a stink bomb.

It was axle grease and called a sticky bomb.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hey Daddy, what did you do in the war?

Well, daughter. There were these pouches...

Hi,

I learned this from my nurse too. The Hollister I find harder to open and pinch. The Coloplast I don't have to pinch; just squeeze the ends and it opens.

Desiree

Before I was informed about crimping the drain plastic, I would spend a long time trying to open the drain halves. I tried toothpicks, put water on it, twisted and pulled it. No dice. Poop cemented it shut—very shut—and nothing seemed to budge it.

So, I snapped off the bag, grabbed a new pouch, and all was good in Margaritaville. Now where did I put my shaker of salt?

I like my version better. Positive there was more stuff around than grease. I'm gonna remake the movie. 🤣🤔😲

Great tip, Beachboy,

I hope you don't mind if I add a tip to go along with yours...
I've been using the clear bags, as you show, and to help keep things from getting jammed up at the top as much as possible, I use mineral oil on the inner surface and crinkle as much of the plastic surface as I can all the way from the top to the bottom using my thumb and forefinger to break the surface tension of the plastic. Along with the mineral oil, it really helps to allow the output to make its way to the bottom.

If you use your thumb and first finger, squeeze the tip of the bag together and kind of do the motion of snapping your fingers, it'll pull them apart.

Thank you!

That doesn't work so great here in the land of 10% humidity. :-)

My ostomy nurse showed me to crease it like you do, and then cut part of the crease towards the outside of the bag to help get it open easier. I wish there was an easier way because the existing openings are messy to clean. That goes for all of them I've tried, with the exception of the Coloplast high output bags that have a drain plug. Those are actually very convenient!