Well, friends, I'm almost at a loss for words, but here goes. I got my ileostomy around Easter of 2003, and since that time, I have gone through hell with leaking wafers and blowouts. All that came to an end last week when I got some free Adapt Barrier Rings from Hollister. Now I had to figure out how to use them. I got a notice that I had mail in my inbox from a dear lady in Florida who suggested I use a hair dryer on low for about 30 seconds; this made applying the ring so much easier. After one week, I finally removed the flange; it was as clean as when I put it on. Then I found out my Pharmacare will pay for these expensive little suckers; life is looking good. But to get to my reason for this screed, I kept thinking there's something in the back of my mind to make this job even easier, just like at work, you learn to adapt. Well, my idea was this simple adaptation. My stoma is approximately 1 inch and round. The hole in the barrier ring is about 5/8, so what I came up with was this. In my shed, I had a 1'' wooden dowel 3 feet long, so using a grinder, I tapered the end of the dowel from 1/2 inch to the 1-inch size, cut off four inches, and voilà, heat the barrier ring, slip it over the tapered end, and it slid right down to the 1-inch size and just slip it over the stoma. Simple is good. Thanks again, Barb, Ed
PS: These wooden dowels come in many thicknesses, should anyone care to try.
PS: These wooden dowels come in many thicknesses, should anyone care to try.
