Frequently Asked Questions on Shop Ostomy Webinar

As a Urostomate, Is there any advantage to a 2-piece?

The advantage to a two-piece ostomy system is that it is easier to see how you are placing your wafer, especially for somebody who has some vision issues or has trouble seeing very well. For them, a 2-piece will be more practical & easier because they can look in the mirror & see. I do find that some family members, who are providing stoma care also find that easier to do especially when they are new. When you become a pro at it because you’ve had your stoma for a long time, I do have patients who use one-piece tan pouch so they don’t have to see how they are placing it. The biggest benefit to it is getting that good placement of the wafer portion of your pouch.

Any suggestions on how to prevent stools from getting on the wafer? I am an OC & when this happens, I end up changing my wafer which irritates my skin from frequent change.

If that is because it is leaking, there is going to be stool just on the skin barrier or wafer inside. But if it’s leaking, then we need to look at why is it leaking? Is there something wrong with your fit? There are a lot of people who complain about something called pancaking. What that means is, their stool comes out but it does not fall into the pouch. It will sit around at the top portion of the pouch & when that happens because it is not sliding down into the bag, it can start to leak underneath at the edge of the pouch. For somebody with that, it is recommended to use either an ostomy paste or a multiple ring & maybe consider using a lubrication deodorant so that when you empty your pouch, you want to make sure that the top part of the pouch is lubricated nicely because it is oily. So that it gives little more opportunity for the stool to fall into the bag. If that doesn’t work, usually in case of people who get pancaking, the stool is thick & pasty, you want to then work on getting more fiber in your diet to make the stool firmer. It then would come out in a piece & is then easier to clean & take care & you won’t have this pancaking. Or you could use a stool softener to make it a little bit lose so that now it is falling into the pouch.

When I use the barrier, stools get on the barrier & again forces me to change the wafer.

Mostly related to the previous option. If you have access to a stoma nurse, it is better to contact the nurse. Fatima Kanch to share the contact information for the attendees.

Does Shop Ostomy Supplies offer all the accessories shown here?

Yes!

Do I need a prescription to order from you? I have an Ileal-conduit urine only?

Ileal-conduit is basically a Urostomy. Insurance covers certain amounts of these products & for a Urostomy or Ileal Conduit, you will be entitled to 20 pouching systems a month. Usually there are companies that will bill insurance directly. If you have ostomy accessories that are not covered by your insurance, certainly or you need extra, say you go with the closed end pouches but your insurance is going to give you actually 60 a month, as it is allowed only 2 a day, with Urostomy though. If you need other things that are not covered by insurance, say a binder or a support belt or a wrap, that would be out of pocket expense. Most other of your accessories typically are covered by insurance. You don’t need prescription from our website. A customer can directly add to cart. You don’t need a prescription for ostomy products.

I have a temporary loop ileostomy & developed a peri-stomal fistula which is a complication that I need to manage for as long as I have my stoma (about one year). The fistula is under the loop stoma on the active site so the output goes out of the stoma but it also comes out from under it against the skin. Because of this, I cannot use any rings or paste underneath my wafer & I cannot use any products that puff up when exposed to my output. I am wondering if you have any experience with per-stomal fistula & what products are best to use?

Typically, I would recommend if it is close to the stoma & if you are using a flat type of product/wafer, what I would do is cut a hole for your stoma, you might have to get a bigger flange for it, but cut a hole for your stoma & cut a little hole where the fistula is so that drainage from both stoma & fistula will empty into that bag. If there is not enough space in the wafer, they actually make fistula pouching systems in various sizes that you can incorporate, you can get those without any holes so it is easier to maneuver & get the geographic locations correct in both of your openings but I would have them draining into the same bag.

I was a truck driver before my cancer diagnosis. Can I drive trucks with colostomy?

Absolutely! You can do anything you did before having your stoma. Track driving – absolutely. I think your biggest concern would be, if you’ve had the ileostomy & you have to empty your pouch frequently, they do actually make little packets that you can put in your pouch. They will help gel it so that it is not as liquid-like but being a truck driver, if you do heavy lifting, I would recommend you get a support belt to help with the peristomal hernia. Go back to truck driving, go back to swimming, go back to climbing rocks, go back to hiking! It is all good for you!

When I change the appliance often, it itches about a day after changing. It gets better a day later. I use stomahesive & I put stomahesive strips around the stoma opening on the appliance. What might be causing the itching?

There could be 2 things – 1, you could be sensitive to the material that the barrier is made from. Hollister makes a product with ceramide in it. Ceramide you can find in beauty products. They help rejuvenate the skin and make it better. If you’re having a problem & you are reacting to the actual adhesive here, I would recommend trying Hollister’s ceramide line. They make them in flat, one piece, two piece & with convexity. The other thing is that, because your skin is covered all of the time, it doesn’t really breathe, sometimes you can develop a little bit of a fungal reaction & getting an anti-fungal powder that you can place on the skin. So, instead of using a stoma powder, you would use the fungal powder & then use your barrier spray over that so that your product can stick & that may help with the itching.

Any suggestions on how to use the moldable ring to prevent pancaking? I tried it before & again I ended up changing the wafer, not just the ring.

If the ring is not working for you as far as the pancaking goes, I would try the fiber, depending on why you had the stoma – Crohn’s disease or something where you can’t have a lot of fiber, the I would recommend you use the stool softener, making stool looser, so that is not sticking at the top of your pouch. But if you have a colostomy & you cannot have fiber, adding that fine fiber to bulk up the stool is hopefully going to make that problem go away.

Does HPFY sell the wrap? Where can I find it?

We have on our site but no access to ostomy secrets.

I have a hernia at the stoma site. Is the support belt that you showed, the best support? Where can I get one?

There are a few companies that make the support belts. Nu-Hope makes multiple ones. Some are see-through, some are more breathable. They come in 3,4,5,6,9 inch depending on how big & tall you are. We have on our website. Coloplast makes one that is the binder & it has a specific area that you can cut to fit your pouching system. It is available on Shop Ostomy Supplies as well.

Do you carry Sensura Mio? If so, do you take Medicaid with superior as my insurer? My doctor knows how to write the script & I am out of supplies by Saturday.

We don’t work with Insurance. We can provide information. Hollister, Convatec, Coloplast give samples.

What is the average number of days of an Ileostomy before changing? I change the appliance every 6 days, but lately I have been changing it after 5 days. Just curious what the average is?

Since the Ileostomy output is very acidic, I recommend to change it every 3 days. If you are getting 5-6 days with an Ileostomy, that is great! 4 days I would recommend as the maximum for the simple reason of you don’t want to wait for it to leak, you want to be pro-active so that your skin is not coming in contact with those digestive enzymes in the Ileostomy output. Changing in every 4 days helps you to keep your skin in a good shape.

I have a urostomy & change it on average of 2 weeks. Is that too long?

It is great if you are getting that much wear time. I would recommend not going more that a week because you want to monitor that skin. Giving that skin a chance to breathe & making sure it is not breaking down. That is being pro-active. But if you are consistent with getting it for 2 weeks, that is good but I would recommend not more than 7 days.

Why is so hard to find belts for adults with a 26-inch waist?

The adjustable belts come in medium & large, even XL. They are adjustable. They do get smaller. We can look for pediatric belts. Different companies are usually into changeable with the exception of Coloplast Mio line. You could use Convatec belt with a Hollister product or a Coloplast product. You could use Hollister with all the other products. Check these brands to find out their smallest size. The one shown in is by Convatec.

The person has that but it is not enough support. They have a stealth belt at 28 inches but it is slightly too big. I am a size 0. Any experience with that Christine?

If that belt is not enough, you may look into Nu-Hope. These types of support belts instead of one that hooks on to the pouch, they do make them in a 3-inch width, so it is less cumbersome. They make it in a 6 inch, that would work better for you. You may wear that pretty snug so that’ll hold that pouch closer to you. Medium from Nu-Hope shown in webinar. They might have smaller one. Nu-Hope does custom products. We can work on it.