Shower tips for ileostomy

[Brian'sMom]

My son has a new ileostomy. Everything is going great. One thing I need tips on is showering. Right now he likes to shower and then change the appliance because he hates the feel of getting the wafer and the bag wet. Summer is upon us and there is no way this boy will be able to take a shower every 3 days!! He used to shower every morning. Also... does showering make the wafer come loose? I've heard about the blow dryer idea. He doesn't like that. Thanks for any tips.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I'm the same way, prefer to shower without the bag and put a new one on but it can't be done daily obviously.

Some options:
1. Getting used to it, using towel and blow dryer. Honestly the wafer will be fine, it may peel a tad on the edge. It's annoying at first but he will get used to it.

2. Showering with the wafer on and no bag. If he has a 2 piece he can take off the bag but the wafer will still get wet and the water may get under it. Risky but works for some.

3. A great solution has yet to be found but people are creative with Saran wrap tape and bags to cover the ostomy so It doesn't get wet. It really never works for me.

I either shower with stoma out or let the bag get wet and blow dry.

 

[vonfunk]

What I do depend on who the manufacturer is. If it's Coloplast I seal the edge with medical tape. The flange portion is rubber, I find that alone is enough to protect it. If I'm using Hollister, which uses a cloth tape, I cover the entire flange with tape to seal it. I use a two piece I generally get a week's worth of wear on the base plate.

As far as the bag, I towel it off the best I can and then hang around in my boxers to let it air dry the rest. If he wanted to avoid getting the bag wet completely, he could always put the bag portion in one of those thin plastic bags from the grocery store that you use for vegetables and tape it there with low sticky tape like masking tape. In general I use a hand held shower head so that I can direct here the water actually goes,to minimise how much that area gets wet.

 

[glum chump]

If he's using Coloplast products, they've just come out with a new product line called "mio", a two-piece that is more water-repellant than their other products. I've just tried it, and it doesn't feel as wet as the Sensura (the one I've been using) and dries a lot quicker. He could call Coloplast and ask them to send samples.

If he's using a 2-piece system, he could also consider snapping on a new bag (discarding the wet one) without changing out the flange...shower, take off the old bag, slap on a new one and off he goes! I don't know if financially, it's feasible for you to be able to go with a new bag every day!

My sympathy is with your son...I feel the exact same way about wet bags!

Kismet

 

[PsychoJane]

I know that my local store sells the "cheapest" looking bag with essentially a sticker to just put over to prevent all from getting wet. I know its a local product base, its really just "practical" in that matter.

Like Kismet was saying, to snap a dry bag after shower is probably the easiest approach. Which implies using a two-piece system. Financially, well, bags can easily be washed, dried and reused. It has the downside of having to deal with cleaning the bag...

Like Von said, the coloplast product are more of a gum base plate. To me, it feels less wet than the bandage surrounded flange that certain company offer. Its easier to dry out even though the edge gets a bit smooshy with water.

Speaking about it... I am thinking of something. There are stoma caps that are designed for people that have colostomy. Its either a really small bag (about the size of the clip circle) or a cover type of thing depending of the brand. Maybe you could get a hold of these and he could try using this during the shower. It is not a solution for ileo-ostomate for many hours perspective but I could see it being ok for me during the shower. It could be problematic if he has a high output ostomy though.

 

[DJW]

Unless I'm changing right after I use a wash cloth and only let the water hit my back. I can soap up the cloth and wring it out and wipe the soap off. Been doing that for years with no issues.

 

[Brian'sMom]

Thank you so much for all the good advice!! He uses Hollister 2 piece system. He has the 'no tape' wafer. And his output isn't heavy, thankfully. So today he tried this. I have a clear bag that we got in the hospital (Fabric type stuff on the back only). So I had him unsnap his bag and connect this clear one just for the shower. Afterwards he dried off and put his dry bag back on and I rinsed out the clear bag and let it dry. We thought maybe we could have a 'shower bag'. It's just going to be a pain for me because I'm the 'bag rinser'!! I'm sure at some point he'll start to do everything all himself. I was surprised that the wafer stayed in place. We'll have to see how that goes showering every morning. I'm going to look for the stoma clips or the 1 hour bags some of you talked about. That sounds like a better solution.
On another note... I was shocked how expensive all the ostomy stuff costs!! Wow!!

 

[babyjenks]

Hi!
I used B Braun two pieces system and I showered everyday without any problem. I used to do it in the morning before breakfast, so the bag would have been almost empty and the whole procedure easier.
I emptied the bag from the night, then I used to shower normally. After that, I removed the wet bag, I dried carefully the plaque (I always used the double adhesive plaque, with protective paste all around the stoma) and then I applied the new bag.
I used to change the plaque every 2-3 days (or when the skin around the stoma became itchy below the plaque...) and the bag every day, as my stomatherapys stuggested me.
Honestly, I would not raccommend blow dryer because the hot air may dry the delicate skin around the adhesive and that would be really awful.

Ps: the adhesive of my system NEVER came unstuck! Neither after showers, neither after entire days at the beach. I am sure that you and your son will find your own way to manage all this, I send you my humble suggestions and experience and a big hug.

 

[TacoTuesday]

On another note... I was shocked how expensive all the ostomy stuff costs!! Wow!!

Yes it's pretty crazy, I was fortunate enough to have health benefits through my temp.. Could not imagine not having them, there are a lot of good products to try / use but without benefits I can't see people going and buying the extras at the cost they are.

Anyway for my showers (every day due to a physical job) I would blow try the bag for a couple mins, or just quickly change the bag out seeing as it was a 2:1 ratio bags / flange for the system I bought. (this would not be too cost effective though).

 

[dozey-dormouse]

Have you heard of ostotape? I got a sample with my last order, it's really sticky, waterproof and moulds well to skin. I use it around one of the black disposal bags over my bag in the shower and it keeps it 90% dry, certainly much better than without! Plus I've used the same one two days in a row! Going to try to add some pics! No sorry, this site is far too complicated to add pictures - shame it's not like the Facebook NACC group, much easier!