Had my first major leak about twenty minutes ago :(

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SweetPea

SweetPea

Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Messages
21
Guess I'm fully inducted into the Ostomate club now.

It was horrible.

I was just sitting at my computer playing the Sims 3 and I looked down and saw a yellowish stain on my favorite top. I had just taken my rats out to cuddle, so I just assumed that they had peed on me. Annoying, but not unusual.

A few more minutes go by and then I notice it's spreading down to my shorts! I lift up my shirt...and lo and behold.

IT'S GUSHING EVERYWHERE.

All over my cute jean shorts and my cute top D:

I had to run upstairs and whip off my appliance and do a majorly quick change. My skin got burned and my clothes might be ruined. I threw them in the washer on a hot cycle, but we'll see...

The weirdest thing was that it didn't leak under the flange or anything. The top left corner of my bag had literally split open! Like it had burst! Is that unusual? Do you think it might just have been a faulty bag? I wasn't wearing anything overly tight---just the same jean shorts I've been wearing all summer, even after my operation.

My ostomate nurse told me that the bags weren't capable of bursting or anything.


UGH SO FRUSTRATED AND EMBARRASSED.
 
First of all, sorry about your "accident". It's very upsetting, I know.
Secondly, thank goodness you weren't in public.
But still, it sure sucks.
Is it possible that the claws may have punctured the bag? I never had one actually split on me but my dog put a hole in one with his paws quite easily...
In my opinion, if a car worth a ton of money can be faulty, an ostomy bag can be faulty...Sure they are made with the intention of durability, but I wouldn't rule out a faulty bag. If air builds up in there,,,,poof!
I'm surprised your nose didn't alert you first! My nose told me when my flanges were on their last legs but not yet leaking! :)
I hope that this is your last leak!
 
Oh SweetPea, I feel your pain and embarrassment. I had a leak a few days ago---woke up at 3 am to something "wet" on my belly. Since I have an active wound next to my bag, I thought gunk might be leaking out of there, but oh no, it was my bag.

I agree with Poolside, I think there is such a thing as a faulty bag. Whether that was the cause this time or not, I can't say, but I wouldn't discount faulty bags.

It sounds like this incident really spoiled your mood, and yes, leaks and blowouts really suck.

Hopefully, you never have to deal with another one!

Cheers,

Kismet
 
Sorry to hear about your blow-out and the favorite clothes.
Regarding the clothes: I use Oxyclean and soak soiled laundry for a while, which usually takes care of all the stains, bed, shirts, towels, underwear, .... you get the drift.
I swear by it and have completely stopped using the smelly bleach crap, especially since bleach can only be used on white.

Hope the tip helps!

Here's to no more blow-outs! :)
 
Yes, you've officially been inducted now. I'm sorry about this! My first blowout was in the middle of a large supermarket. I'm so happy yours was at home!

I've had faulty bags, so very possible that was the cause!
 
Yep, it happens, and it will happen again. It happens to me the most in the middle of the night because thats when you get lazy and the bag gets full. One of the best things you can do to avoid accidents is to make sure that pressure doesnt build up too much. If too much air is in the bag, it will begin to break down the seal. Generally, the bag wont actually burst, it will either pop off or more likely, the wafer will leak.

Try to get the bags with the built in filter - they help a little bit to vent some of the pressure.

If and when it does happen again, just dont get upset about it. Its not a big deal and you'll have it cleaned up good as new like it never happened. Washing your sheets or clothes isnt the end of the world!

Make sure you invest in a nice brand of soft paper towels. I like viva because they are soft and easy on the skin.
 
Sorry to hear you had a leak sweetpea. I had many early on with my stoma, it takes time to work out the right bag and the right set up for you.

I have had bags split in unusual places, it's certainly not out of the ordinary. As kekemonster said this usually happens when the bag gets full with air.

Usually it's not a common thing though! Hope you remain leak free from now on! :)
 
Sorry to hear about your leak sweatpea. I know how horrible it can be. i also had a similar experience over the weekend, but like everyone has said, it does happen at first but it will get better :)

I had my first leak since coming home from hospital on friday morning. I woke up at 3 am in bed with it dribbling down my leg. so at 3:30 in the morning i had to rush about like a mad man trying to get things changed which was very frustrating and also upsetting. I went away for the weekend friday morning for a short break to get away from things and spent the whole weekend worrying and constantly checking my bag because this one leak had knocked my confidence so much. And whilst having lunch in a pub the day after i found a small stain on my brand new white shirt.. (thats a lesson learnt) that turned out to only be a tiny leak and the bag somehow lasted until the next morning when i changed it.
 
Hi Sweetpea!!! How are you doing now? The first leak is always the worst. It really does knock your confidence! Dont let it!

I've had several major blowouts, and the key is to catch it early! You have a whiff....run and go check! As I'm dealing with a parastomal hernia the size of Mexico...I get alot of trouble believe you me! Whiff...run...before it's too late!

Always have supplies with you. Thankfully as you are a girl (and a very pretty one at that!) you have a purse! Get out and about! Have your supplies and dont worry! I go to work every day and work with the general public. I have my spares and if I have to....wooolaaaa...quick change.

Dont let it get you down. I am sure glad I have a bag...it's better than the alternative and the mess!

:kiss:
 
I've had a few:
1) The flange was on for too long. I was playing video games, it started leaking.
2) I was out for wings and didn't have supplies with me. however wasn't too far away from home. Spent the entire walk pressing the flange against y body.
3) Room mate was taking too long in the washroom, bag was full of air, I then heard a small pop and air escaping from underneath the flange.
4) I was about to head out for brunch and my room mate asked if the bottom of my shirt was supposed to be yellow. I quickly ran back in and changed everything.
 
Aww thanks for all the support guys!

I've been super paranoid about leaks since then, but I think I'm finally starting to calm down haha.
 
I had my worst leaks one weekend away after my surgery, probablytoo soon to go away. They were due to the fact I did t realize I needed convex base plates to my bags. Since then I had no problems..... Apart from the Past couple of weeks; during the night I've woken up and the bag has got so full it's pulled itself away from my body. It's usually just because it's full of so much air!! Ive noticed that I can 'burp' the bag in bed and carry on sleeping, and I'm usually pretty good at checking it in my sleep. However last night I don't know what haPpened! - I woke up to pain around my Stoma and saw it literally seeping under the baseplate, then boom! It was all down my side!
It's only the 2nd big leak I've had in 6 months so not too down heartening! Still a pain in the bag tho!
I have a theory about the output 'fermenting' in the bag and producing all the gas, because im normally very lucky and my Stoma doesn't Produce much gas. Does anyone agree with this. It just seems sometimes I've 'burped' it 4 or 5 times in a short amount of time. I probably should just get up and empty it but my toilet is really far away in my house! :(
Sorry about typos, my iPhones failing on me!
Also sorry about my MAJOR absence from this forum, I've been loving life with my bag! :D
X
 
I'm using a coloplast convex one piece, it does have 2 small filters at the top but I don't think they do much! I'm also usin the biggest size available. Its a bit wierd coz some nights it's fine!
I've still not used a 2 piece coz other than this I've had no problems atall with the coloplast ones.
Xx
 
Theres a product called 'Ileogel' which helps to suppress gas that you put in your bag. Helps!

Also, charcoal tablets you can get from the health food store.

(I like beans...ahem)
 
I've noticed something similar Vicky. I used to get up about 2/3 times a night to empty the bag but recently I've been sleeping through and only really emptying it in the morning when I can get myself out of bed... But I've noticed since I've started leaving it when I get up in the morning the bag is literally like a balloon and full of air! the actual amount of "waste" Isn't that large. So It's a possibility that it does ferment in some way! I have a bag with a charcoal filter on it but it doesn't seem to cope to well overnight.
 
When the filters get wet they become useless! :ymad:

A little help from the the ileogel or charcoal tablet is great.
 
I wish I could just attatch a bin liner to it at night or something! Lol! And it would keep me warm! Hahaha!
 
The stool in there doesnt ferment - that gas is just coming from your bowel itself, just like it normally would if you were connected normally. You are just passing gas - havent you ever experienced a big amount of gas without stool coming out? I know I have. I vent my bag several times per day to let air out. I certainly wouldnt want to do a change every time just because the bag is "full". I just lift up a corner and press (GENTLY!!!) to let the air out, and go back to sleep. It can usually buy you at least a few hours if you need to change a bag.

Heres a tip for especially at night if you are too tired to get up -

Keep an extra empty bag and paper towels next to your bed, and when you gotta change it, just place your full ostomy bag in a ziplock bag along with any tissues you used to wipe and clean up, and put it all in a garbage bag. A little rubbing alcohol on your hands and its back to bed, then deal with the garbage in the morning. This of course works only if you use a closed bag system, which is way way better in my opinion then always having to empty a gross reused bag.
 
Just had my first major leak this morning and it was horrible, Up untill now ive been lucky and only had very small leaks every so often but this got all over my clothes and everything and absolutely stank! :(
 
The was one time a few weeks ago where I was using a coloplast appliance and hit the little locking mechanism and the bag fell of the flange and dropped on the floor. I had just emptied it so it wasn't too bad, but it's one of the reasons I no longer use them.
 
Ugh..coloplast... hate that stupid company. Their wafers are so uncomfortable and their bag system so cumbersome and ridiculous to use.

Having a bag leak isnt all that crazy for somebody with crohns whose had accidents before. Hehe, its sort of like having an accident before an ostomy, just different. End result is you cleaning up the mess afterwards! Neither is good to happen in public..but at least with an ostomy, you usually know when you have a leak and you have more time to fix it then you would if you didnt have an ostomy and had diarrhea in a public place.
 
Pain in the bag - like that!

Brief experiences only here - mine was temporary and removed after 4 months. Still, I had a great one. I was removing the window air conditioner in my house, didn't notice the bag was nearly full. Pressure from the a/c unit on the bag did the rest. Of course, this would show up literally 15 minutes before the guests. Messy floor, messy clothes, quick shower. I did find out after a month about "burping" the bag - made a big difference.
 
Burping the bag is sort of like risking a fart (when you were connected). If you do it too forcefully, you might accidentally "shart" yourself! :p
 
I agree! I don't know how many times I sharted out the top of my bag. Never trust a bag burp!
 

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