CliniMed Coffee Morning

I realised recently that it is a long time since I updated this blog. I am doing several posts today, to bring it up to date – each one will be dated as if I had done them at the time, to keep things in chronological order, but I am in fact writing them in early May.

On 3rd May my hubby and I attended a coffee morning at the Imperial Hotel in Torquay, hosted by CliniMed, one of the companies producing ostomy supplies.

The gentleman presenting the event was familiar to me – he recognised me as we came in, as I had spoken to him at the open day in Newton Abbot last year.

The main theme of the meeting was the presentation of the new Aura flushable colostomy bag. He gave us the horrifying statistic that in the UK alone, 35 million stoma bags end up in landfill annually!! This is one reason they have developed the flushable bag; it is also more convenient for users because if they are out and about and need to change their bag, they do not have the worry of disposal.

http://www.clinimed.co.uk/Stoma-Care/Products/Closed-Stoma-Bags/Aura-Flushable/Product-Design.aspx

Each table in the room was supplied with several of the new bags, and also some of the new flushable adhesive remover wipes and barrier wipes, and plastic cups of water. We were invited to pull the bags apart – there is a tab that you pull and the outer cover comes away, revealing the soluble inner lining which can be safely flushed away; the outer covering is biodegradable and can go in the recycling bin. We put the wipes into the cups of water and watched them dissolve away before our eyes!

Because the inner linings of these flushable bags are soluble, they are only suitable for colostomy bags which are changed each time they are full. For us ileostomates we do not change our bags every time because they are drainable. Obviously the lining would start to dissolve long before we were ready to change the bag, leading to disaster! However, it’s a wonderful innovation and will certainly reduce the need to dispose of so many bags in landfill.

He said how convenient the flushable bags were for people going on holiday. He asked, “Is anyone planning a holiday in the Med this year?” and then added, pointing out of the window at the truly magnificent sea view from the hotel, “I don’t suppose you are… Who needs the Med when you’ve got this?!!” Torquay is not known as the English Riviera for nothing!

We had a good Q&A session and open discussion about different aspects of living with a stoma. The presenter explained how the supply arm of their company, SecuriCare, operates – they have a team of account managers and you are assigned one who deals with your region, so that whenever you need anything you always end up speaking to the same person, ensuring continuity, and a good and friendly relationship is built up over time. He asked which supply companies we all used, and one or two did use SecuriCare – he was certainly not in the business of poaching custom from other companies. I told him I was with Patient Choice, and he nodded in approval and said they were good. I explained that this was a small company with only about a dozen employees at most, some of whom work in the warehouse and do not deal direct with customers, which meant that there was no need to be assigned a special member to deal with each individual account – over the months I have been with them, I have got to know them individually, and they know my situation and my requirements. I would certainly not wish to change as I am more than happy with the service that I have received from the beginning.

He also explained that the manufacturing arm of their company is known as Welland, which is the name stamped on their bags. He said this does cause a bit of confusion, but Welland and SecuriCare both come under the umbrella of CliniMed.

I came away with some samples of the flushable wipes which were very good – and also a couple of pens – all my biros these days seem to have stuff about stomas on them as I always pick up freebies at the various meetings! It’s becoming a bit of a standing joke!

After the meeting ended, my hubby and I had a wander around the ground floor of the hotel. It is one of Torquay’s oldest hotels and one of the most elegant and beautiful. Having spent hours recently, choosing chandeliers for our house, I am noticing them everywhere, and was amazed at the beauty of the ones in the hotel – one of the staff members pointed out two that were antique French ones – very large, stunningly beautiful, elegant, and worth a fortune!! (I immediately thought of the chandelier episode in “Only Fools and Horses”!!)

The rooms were so elegant, with high ceilings, beautiful plaster mouldings, tall windows with heavy drapes, and stunning sea views everywhere. They have added sun terraces and other modern facilities out of doors and it must occupy the prime location on our coastline!

Devon IA Outing to the Met Office

I realised recently that it is a long time since I updated this blog. I am doing several posts today, to bring it up to date – each one will be dated as if I had done them at the time, to keep things in chronological order, but I am in fact writing them in early May.

The Devon branch of the Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Support Group (formerly known as the Ileostomy Association), Devon IA, had an outing to the Met Office on 9th March.

You can read about this on my main blog here. A most interesting afternoon out!

Devon IA AGM at Kennford

I realised recently that it is a long time since I updated this blog. I am doing several posts today, to bring it up to date – each one will be dated as if I had done them at the time, to keep things in chronological order, but I am in fact writing them in early May.

The Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Support Group (IA), formerly known as the Ileostomy Association, of which I am a member, had its local AGM at Kennford in Devon on 5th March. These meetings are always good to attend because you get to meet up with others in the same situation, meet old friends and make new ones. There is always a good exchange of ideas and experiences, both informally, chatting over coffee and lunch, and through discussion in the more formal part of the meeting. They have a table where you can put unwanted supplies, and take whatever you need, and they have the usual raffle and sometimes a quiz. There is usually a visiting speaker.

On this occasion we had a colorectal surgeon from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter, speaking about hernias. A parastomal hernia is a very common problem indeed with ostomates, particularly people with a colostomy, and especially if they are older, and overweight, and being a smoker puts one at greater risk – the incidence of parastomal hernias is quite high, because the abdominal muscle wall is compromised by cutting a hole through which the intestine is brought out to form the stoma. He spoke about the problems of repairing them and how the risk of recurrence is high, and other measures that can be taken to prevent them developing. Some surgeons are now inserting a mesh around the stoma when the stoma is first created, and while this does strengthen the weak point, if further surgery is required (for instance if the stoma is reversed, or there are further abdominal problems requiring surgery) the presence of the mesh makes it a lot more difficult to operate. He spoke about synthetic meshes and also the use of pigskin!

A hernia can develop even through a simple activity like coughing or sneezing! In order to prevent hernias developing one should avoid heavy lifting, and if one has a severe cough, support one’s abdomen when coughing. There are various support garments that can be worn as well, but he said that these are more useful after one has developed a hernia than in prevention, although my stoma nurse did refer me to a fitter of support garments as a preventative measure.

He spoke about the anatomy of the abdomen and the different muscles involved. He said that in recent years, surgeons have tended to site stomas more towards the midline than before, and this could help in hernia prevention over time; being sited more towards the side of the abdomen, the musculature is weaker and more likely to herniate.

He asked for a show of hands and quite a few people indicated that they had developed hernias.

In the morning we had the business part of the meeting – the AGM, with appointment of new officers, financial report, etc. etc. and details of future meetings, outings, presentations by manufacturers, etc. Lunch was provided, and tea and coffee.

Pelican Meeting

Today my hubby took me out which was lovely. I tend to get a bit stir crazy stuck in the house all the time, although I do love being at home, and I get a lot of contact with the outside world via the internet.

We had had a letter in the post a while back from Pelican Healthcare (who supply stoma products) saying they would be visiting our area and a small open afternoon had been arranged in a local hotel suite. This hotel, the Passage House, just outside Newton Abbot, is just next to the Passage House Inn where we have often eaten out, so I suggested we went out for a nice meal first, and then went to the meeting, and this we did. They have a carvery every day and we both opted for that - quite delicious!

Not very many people attended the meeting unfortunately, but the lady from Pelican remembered me from the open day in Newton Abbot a few months ago and was interested to hear how I was getting on. I had a long chat with the couple who run the local branch of the IA (used to be Ileostomy Assoiation but now the Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Support Group) which I decided to join today - I'd thought about it before and didn't see much point as I was getting a lot of help and support from the Inspire forum and from the stoma team at the hospital, but they have meetings several times a year with different speakers, and it's an opportunity to meet up with other ostomates and their spouses.

Light refreshments were laid on, and I had some good conversations with several people there, as well as being able to pick the brains of the Pelican representative about one or two things. I came away with a few samples and other bits and pieces, including the inevitable free pens and notebooks! Always useful!

I was keen to try their barrier wipes because I’ve been experiencing some problems with the Independence ones I’ve been using – sometimes the bag doesn’t want to stick on quite as well as it might, but the Pelican rep agreed with me that it might be that it wasn’t quite dry before applying the bag. I couldn’t remember if I’d picked up any Pelican barrier wipes at the open day a few months ago, and if I did, I didn’t put them on my comparison charts which was a nuisance. Anyway I shall give them a try, and if I like them, I may order them instead, next time I’m putting an order in with Patient Choice, my supplier.

I was also quite interested in their wraps, which the rep said were not as supportive as the SupportX ones I have got, but they did seem a bit longer in the body, which might prevent them rolling up over my bum at night! I think I need to do a bit more research into this before I order any more. I am entitled to six pairs of paints (ooops! I mean PANTS – that’s the artist in me speaking lol!) and four wraps per year on NHS prescription. I have four pairs of the pants which I think are really a size too big, and they are not very supportive, although they do keep the bag a bit flatter than without.

The IA is holding a local meeting in Ottery St. Mary at the beginning of December, with a visiting speaker from the National Trust, speaking about the renovation work at Castle Drogo which I know both my hubby and I will be interested in, so we shall be going to that. Lunch is laid on, and there will be the opportunity for conversation with fellow ostomates. The meetings are apparently quite well attended.

I am rather tired now after a quite busy day, but it was worth it. Always nice to get out of the house, and while the weather looked distinctly unpromising first thing (raining) and we decided to leave the buggy at home, it did clear up and was quite sunny but rather windy, so we didn't get wet.

I enjoy these meetings attended by fellow ostomates, and as time goes on, I am hoping to get to know them all a bit better, and make some new friends. A local support group is always a good thing, I think, and who knows – in time, I may be able to offer support and help to others!