Stoma Active Appliance Change Help

[acg101]

I Need your help and advice how does one deal with changing the appliance when the stoma is active - I needed to change the appliance while the stoma was very active. I must have been in the shower 20+ times before I could manage to do it fast enough. It was like a scene from candid camera - Got to keep good spirit but very frustrating.
Thank you!

 

[Guest]

normally i try to pick a change time when stomie is inactive.. makes things so much easier, but there are always those times when you just don't get to choose the moment.... and if you have the big D, it's even more difficult

i don't change mine in the shower, i stand at the basin, & have everything ready around me - cloths, appliance ready cut & backing paper peeled off, plus a pile of toilet paper to hand, just in case.... it is like a game of cat & mouse when it's active, and sometimes it feels like you'll never get the right moment to slap the appliance on... but have patience... get the skin clean and dry, and then just hold a cloth around the stoma so that if it produces, the output will go on the cloth, not your skin.... and wait until there's a break in output... take a deep breath, hold it, and quickly put the appliance on. i don't know why holding my breath makes my stoma stop working for a few seconds, but it does.

 

[acg101]

Dingbat - Thank you so much for the input. I try to pick a change time when stomie is inactive, but yesterday while exercising I pull the appliance off and created a mess which necessitated an unscheduled change. I will try next time your method.

 

[CDDad]

Hey Dan - pretty impressive exercising just a month and 1/2 after Proctocolectomy surgery! Don't hurt yourself - I needed a good 3 months.

I don't have anything to add, Dingbat gave great advice.

I did have a rare blowout during the night last night. I woke up around 3am and felt some wet stuff down there. Too lazy to get up (I know - gross, but it was not a total explosion), dozed until 5:30am and dealt with it. It was change day anyhow. I've been running 3 days a week, and working up quite a sweat, so I suppose this kind of thing is expected.

Plus, I lost track of my last change day, I think it was 4 days, but maybe 5.

 

[acg101]

Hey Joe - I have made great progress with my recovery and I have a personal trainer concentrating on low impact stuff for right now. I walk few times per week 3 miles, trying not to gain too much weight because I am hungry all the time and I can eat foods I could not for 15 years.
I found out that this stuff burns like hell and I could not get into the shower fast enough.

Have you used a stoma pasted before?

 

[CDDad]

I don't use the paste, but my output did not burn. I eat so much fruit (part of the reason for the blowout) that it was like applesauce on me. Ok, excuse me while I throw up. What a conversation.

 

[johnd]

Hi Dan,

As a new stoma guy I've had the same problem trying to rush before 'old faithful' starts again. I just always try to change my flange during a morning shower and I usually don't have a problem. By getting everything ready before the shower it shouldn't take long to do the barrier wipe, let it dry and then get the flange and bag on.

Good Luck,
John

 

[acg101]

Hi John, I typically do the same, but I had an unscheduled change and it was when the stoma was very active, so I stayed in the shower for a while until it slowed down and put on a temporary flange until the 'quiet time' .
Thanks for your input

 

[Jer's Girl]

Of course I try to change my bag during inactive periods but sometimes changes during active times are just unavoidable (like after a leak).

Here is my method. First, I remove the bag half way so that the stoma has a minute to empty into the bag without restriction (my stoma always has a little reaction from the pressure of the bag being removed, so I always give it a second). Then I get everything ready ahead of time: put glue, paste on new bag, set up stoma powder, wipes, cloth to clean the area, cloth to dry the area etcetera. Then I lay a paper towel down under my tummy on the sink just in case and remove the bag the rest of the way. If it is active, I stick an alcohol wipe (or a piece of TP) over the stoma opening and I lean a little bit forward so if it gets past the wipe, it won’t drain onto me. The alcohol wipe usually keeps it from going for a second so I have time to clean it, dry it and such. If it needs to do a little business, I just lean over the paper towel and wait until it is done then put another wipe over it. If it is VERY active, I press on my fingers on my stomach around the stoma and try to make as much come out as possible. When it is quite again I cover it again and finish doing what I need to do as quickly as possible, the press the clean bag on as quickly as possible and hold pressure on it for a minute. This usually works pretty well for me. I had a few messes in the beginning, but now that I do this method, I am usually able to get put back together before anything terrible happens. I am getting pretty efficient with this stuff.

 

[acg101]

Thank you jer's you are always so very helpful with your advice. I am still a novice and learning so its very helpful to hear others experiences.
Your husband's advice helped with fixing the skin around the stoma

 

[Paulah28]

I have had luck with eating 3 of the large marshmellows about 20 minutes before I change the bag. It helps stop things from flowing long enough to take my time and not as much mess.

 

[Jer's Girl]

I'll have to try that.