Dealing with Sore Skin Around My Stoma: Seeking Advice

About 4 days ago the skin under the baseplate started to tingle and itch around the edge and, over the last few days has got worse.  I use Pelican soft convex one piece drainable bags because although I have a colostomy, due to lack of enough colon it acts like an ileostomy.  I also use Eakin Slims and 2 of those half moon stickies top and bottom.   This set up has been perfect and a bag would last up to 4 to 5 days with no problems to my skin.   Now my skin is raw in places despite using Brava powder and spray.   I reached the end of my tether today with trying different things so what I have done is, cleaned the area well, as I always do, cut up some dressings which were left over from my last op. and placed them on the raw places over a tiny bit of Sudocrem and covered the whole area with Opsite second skin tape.   My bag has stuck well to the tape and the area feels comfortable for the first time in a few days.  Am I doing right in treating it like this, and has anyone else done anything similar?  I had to find a way of releiving the itching and soreness and, other than leaving the bag off I could'nt think of anything else.   In all this one thing I did notice was that my stoma had shrunk by about 2mm all around so I have cut a few bags to the smaller size and hopefully that will help?   For now do you think I should change my bag daily regardless of if it is uncomfortable or not?

I feel your pain.You should definately meazure the size of your stoma again. I measure mine everytime I change the wafer. Because I workout hard a lot and hard I find my stoma can be different everytime I change the pouch. When, my skin gets irritated I clean it with warm water and Dial foaming hand soap and then just warm water. I make sure the skin is very dry by using a warm hair dryer. Then I use a cream called Sween Cream, which, is made by Coloplast, around the base of my stoma. You only need a very small amount. After that powder, Safe &. Simple wipes, they are gentle on the skin, a protective sheet and then the wafer and the pouch. I need to use a two piece appliance. When, I am preparing the pouch, I use 5ml of brava lubricant mixed with 3-5ml of nourshing baby oil. I run my finger around the openning at the top of the pouch that touches the stoma to make sure that it is coated entirely with the combination and I add a few drops of essential oil. I use a 2 piece wafer so that I can put stoma paste around it if I feel I need to in between pouch changes. I haven't had many skin problems. I only do this is when I do when I feel I need to and then go back to my regular system. I take benadryl and pepcid for the itching, one of my DR.s told me to do this. Op-site retains fluid and traps it not allowing the skin to breath. I try to finded times when I might be able to live everything uncovered or I put a piece of Press and Seal over just the stoma so that the skin can rest.

The main thing I would recommend is to start using a good protective sheet. It wil protect the entire area and some of them do not need to be changed when you change the wafer.

The only other thing I would suggest is the contact your ostomy nurse.

Good Luck

Pray for Peace, Hana

Hi Beshli,   I've had my ileostomy for more than 50+ years, way before stoma nurses, and all the special supplies available.     On ocassion, I've developed irritations under the wafer, and while most antibiotic ointments  impair the ability of the wafer to stick to the skin....I've done what you're doing.  treat the irritation, cover it with some sort of "shield" ( almost every company has cut to size  products)  which you can then treat as skin.  Personally, if it feels ok, no itching or burning, I'd leave it on for a day or two.... so as not to further irritate the healing.  You're the best judge of "how it feels".   I've had bouts of Pyoderma Gangarosum ( which is ulcerative colitis on the skin, and several times it was under the wafer.   Annoying to work with, but it heals eventually.   Have patience.  

Best of luck.  Marsha

Thanks Hana and Marsha,

I seem to be healing very well.  Been changing both bag and dressing each day though yesterday I could have left it until today.   I'm not itching or feeling irritated so I may leave things alone until tomorrow.  At first the output seeped under and got onto the dressing so for two days I've put some Adapt paste around the stoma before putting the bag on and that solved it.

I have a feeling that what has caused this is, since September I have had a week here and there where my skin all me over has itched and presented with a raised red rash which lasts for about a week.   It seems I have an allergy to something but I have no idea what to!!   The skin around my stoma went raw during one of these attacks.   I am taking Piriton and applying cream for relief.   I don't know if it was when I changed my bags to the soft convex but if it was that surely the skin around my stoma would have been affected before now??   I am puzzled and wish I could find the culprit as it's so uncomfortable.

Has anyone else had anything like this?   If so, what caused it?

Blessings, Beshlie.