These comments are in response to remarks that I have seen on this blog and others, and result from my own observations
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I cover the stoma with a "cotton round" (suggested by my wife, who uses them to apply skin care products) after having gone a few months using 2 x 2 gauze pads. The cotton rounds are more absorbent and less irritating than the gauze. They are held in place by paper tape. The tape is slightly irritating (the subject of a future post) but that hasn't changed in nearly 1 1/2 years.
Leaks are inevitable and unpredictable so I cover the cotton round with 1/3 of a sanitary pad -- only the end third since the absorbent granules tend to drift from the cut ends -- also held in place with paper tape. The smaller (not "maxi") pads are less bulky but still hold a lot of fluid. A built-in benefit is that they mask odor very well.
I haven't noticed any change in trouser waist size, a concern of one blogger.
A future post will deal with the mucus issue. I invite your questions and comments as I do the research.
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I cover the stoma with a "cotton round" (suggested by my wife, who uses them to apply skin care products) after having gone a few months using 2 x 2 gauze pads. The cotton rounds are more absorbent and less irritating than the gauze. They are held in place by paper tape. The tape is slightly irritating (the subject of a future post) but that hasn't changed in nearly 1 1/2 years.
Leaks are inevitable and unpredictable so I cover the cotton round with 1/3 of a sanitary pad -- only the end third since the absorbent granules tend to drift from the cut ends -- also held in place with paper tape. The smaller (not "maxi") pads are less bulky but still hold a lot of fluid. A built-in benefit is that they mask odor very well.
I haven't noticed any change in trouser waist size, a concern of one blogger.
A future post will deal with the mucus issue. I invite your questions and comments as I do the research.
Nice blog! Good idea...
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you could use the silicone bandages instead of tape with your cotton pads and sanitary pad. I found the paper tape, while the least irritating, still a bit of a pain with some irritation but as well having to replace it or double it up a more than once in a day as it doesn't stay sticky to my skin. The silicone bandages I wear I can keep on for about 5 days, changing the gauze as needed - my skin is much happier now! And I don't look like a McGyver leftover...
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments on silicone bandages. Could you let us know where to get them, what sizes are available and how much they cost? What I found on the Internet seems pretty expensive. Paper tape costs about a penny for a 3" strip.
Yes, the Mepilex are expensive - I can only find the one company that makes them - Molnlycke. The 7.5x7.5 (3"x3") are about $3.60 each and I can use one for about 5 days so maybe $.75 per day. Obviously more expensive than the papertape route.... I am very lucky that my benefits covers 100% of medical supplies so for now I am not concerning myself about the cost but rather saving my skin... :-)
ReplyDeleteI use nursing pads to cover my stoma, they curve to my body and my underware keeps them in place without tape, the are much better than sanitary pads
ReplyDeleteHi, Andrea,
ReplyDeleteYour suggestion of nursing pads is intriguing -- I am a zealot for breastfeeding -- but I wonder about the cost. The 1/3 sanitary pad costs about ten cents. Also, the pads hold an enormous amount of fluid and also neutralize odor. How do nursing pads compare? Not having to take several minutes every few days to cut the ends off sanitary pads would be convenient.
I have had my Indiana Pouch since Oct 2002 I have used everything and any thing to cover my stoma, I just discovered nursing pads at a garage sale, it was a whole box full of 60 by Johnson and Johnson, I deceided what the heck, its padding, They were $4.98 at the store, I can keep one on for 2 days,Just found them a year ago, they hold fluid a lot better than sanitary pads.
ReplyDelete