My First Prescription Parcel

Last time I attended the stoma clinic, the nurse set up my supply line to get the stuff I need for Kermit (my stoma) – bags and accessories. All these things are available on prescription on our wonderful NHS. The nurse ordered the things I would need for the immediate future and the parcel arrived in due course.

After this, it was up to me to place an order when I needed anything, and last week I did just that. After the stoma open day we attended in June, where we picked up loads of samples from different companies, I had the opportunity to try lots of different products, and decide which ones suited me best, so I knew what to order.

When the stoma nurse put in the first order, she sent a template for them to cut the bags to size, but when I used the bag that she cut for me that day, the hole was too large and almost immediately I was getting itching and skin irritation, so I removed the bag and cut a new one myself, and phoned her to let her know. I contacted the company and asked them to send the first batch of bags uncut, and I would cut them myself, which is what I have been doing.

I spoke to the gentleman at the company and said I would post him a template in due course, and that I would like my bags cut to this size thereafter.

The parcel arrived today, and all the bags are perfectly cut! Not only are they to my exact template, but they seem to have cut them with some sort of hot tool or laser or something because the cut line is extremely smooth and regular – far more so than I was able to do with scissors. I shall phone them in due course to tell them how pleased I am.

They have sent me 3 boxes of my regular Coloplast SenSura soft convex bags, and enough accessories to last the same time as the bags will last: adhesive remover wipes and barrier wipes by Independence; deodorising spray: NaturCare pouch deodoriser/air freshener spray in zest vibrant citrus by Opus Healthcare – I decided on second thoughts that this was preferable to my original first choice of the OstoMart mint drops, as the smell is gorgeous, and it doubles as an air freshener spray as well; and Silex silicone flange extenders by Trio Ostomy Care. I did not order any adhesive remover spray as I have plenty in the form of samples from the open day, and what the hospital supplied.

All the companies supply complimentary disposal bags and dry wipes, but I asked them not to send me any this time as I still have plenty supplied to me by the hospital.

The supplier I am dealing with is Patient Choice. They are a non-profit company which also supports ostomy charities. They have a service for collecting unwanted supplies and redistributing them free of charge to those in need. When I phoned through with my order, I asked about this, and they said they would send me a pre-paid bag to put things in and post back to them. I have got quite a few redundant bags from the days when I used flat-backed ones, and quite a lot of samples which I don’t want, and various banana flanges which the hospital supplied, which didn’t suit me. I also had a lot of stoma rings which I’ve never been able to get on with. All this stuff was taking up quite a lot of space in my storage tower and I am glad to be shot of them! I have packed them all up and they will go off tomorrow. It’s very nice to know that the stuff I do not want, but which is perfectly OK, does not have to be thrown away and wasted, but can be of use to others. I think this is an excellent idea.

So far I am very pleased with the company. They have been consistently friendly and helpful on the phone. They have been revamping their website, but this evening I was able to register online, and once I hear back from them I shall set up an online account and order my supplies from the website rather than by phone.

How the system works is that after a supplier receives the order, they contact the GP who issues a prescription, and then they fill it and post to you what you ordered. Easy peasy. The only thing to remember is to order in good time, just in case there is a problem with the post or something – one doesn’t want to run out of things, so it’s a good idea to order while you’ve still got plenty in reserve, especially if you are going on holiday, or around Christmas when the post can become unreliable.

Like many of the other supply companies, Patient Choice are not tied to any particular manufacturer. Whatever products are on the prescription tariff, they can supply. Everybody’s needs are different, and one’s list of supplies consists of products recommended by your stoma nurse as being appropriate for you, and your own personal choice.

An example of team work: between the patient, their stoma nurse, their supply company, and their GP. It’s a tried and tested system with the least amount of hassle involved for the patient, who after all has enough to deal with, managing a stoma, without having to stress about getting the stuff they need!

A Good Stoma Clinic Appointment

The second of two posts for today.

This afternoon I had another scheduled appointment at the stoma clinic. I had spoken briefly on the phone last Tuesday with one of the specialist colo-rectal nurses about my problems with one of the HCAs and asked that I didn’t see her again, so I was a bit alarmed that she appeared to be on duty at the clinic today. I asked the receptionist who I was due to see, and he told me it was one of the CNS’s (Clinical Nurse Specialists) so I was relieved. The receptionist knew me by name, which was nice – but it does indicate just how much time I am spending in that place!!

While I was waiting, Dr. Johnston, the gastro-enterologist came through, and I had a nice chat with him, and while we were talking, my surgeon, Mr. Pullan, also turned up, wearing his scrubs! We all had a nice chat, and he said how well I was looking after my operation. I told them both about the six months of chemotherapy that I am facing and they both wished me well, and agreed that I have to look on it as a positive thing, making sure that all the cancer is gone for good. Nice to see my two favourite consultants!

My hubby was still parking the car when I was called in for my appointment. I was able to have a more detailed conversation with the nurse about the problems I had experienced with the HCA and she said she was sorry this had happened. I told her that I did not like to complain, but I felt it was important to let her know how things were, in case someone else was also affected, and I also had the opportunity to give her some specific examples. I repeated my request that I did not see that HCA again. I was glad my hubby was not there because this sort of thing makes him very uncomfortable (not that I enjoy it much either!) and he would much rather I left things alone and put up with it, but as I said to him, this is too important, and I need to have confidence in those who are caring for me, and sometimes things need dealing with, however unpleasant it might be at the time; in the long run, the benefits outweigh the temporary discomfiture. I feel very much better for having done it now, anyway, and the nurse was very understanding.

I then told her about the problems I’d had over the past few days. She took the bag off and said I still needed a convex bag. I told her how much I would like to go back to a flat one, because I so much liked the Coloplast SenSura Mio which is not yet available in the convex version, and she said that some people are able to use a flat bag again eventually, because after a period of time using the convex bag, the stoma gets pushed forward more, but it doesn’t happen with everybody. I said I didn’t mind, as long as I could have a decent convex bag, and I would certainly want to use the SenSura Mio convex if and when it was available.

She had another HCA helping her, who was also lovely and not at all like the other one! She made several trips to the cupboard for supplies for me, and the first convex bag they produced (can’t remember the name) I rejected almost at once, because the tail was horrible and it was a fiddle to undo, and like the OakMed one, it only had one rigid plastic strip so I could see myself getting output all over my hands again. The nurse suggested the Coloplast SenSura Convex Light bag – this is the convex version of my original bag, and I jumped at that one.

The tail is identical, and I really like this. It has the two rigid plastic strips, and when you press their edges together, the bag springs open beautifully, and I like the Velcro fastening wings too. This bag has a good viewing window, with the outer cover being divided so that you can lift it, and the top half of the bag under the cover is transparent. This is better than the Salts bag which was only transparent over the stoma itself. Another thing I like about the SenSura bags (flat and convex) is the fact that the edge of the flange is transparent, so you can see if a leak is advancing towards the edge, and deal with it in time.

The convexity is softer, and less pronounced than on my previous bags, and this is a good compromise between the rather hard and rigid deeper convex flanges and the flat bag.

One slight disadvantage is the paucity of measuring rings on the flange, which makes cutting it to size a bit more difficult, but the nurse gave me the backing sheet from the bag she put on me, to use as a template. She cut the hole circular, not worrying about the slight bulge on one side of Kermit, and said that it shouldn’t be too tight a fit, or the stoma might develop granulomas (small nodules which form as a result of friction from the bag) and these can bleed a lot. She cut the bag to around 28 mm.

I told her I was running out of some of my supplies, so in addition to supplying me with plenty of the new bags, she gave me a new pack of Conti wipes (these are the dry wipes that you can use either dry, or with water, and they are larger than a lot of the wipes supplied by the manufacturers of stoma care products, and you can cut them in half and get double the amount!), and plenty of barrier wipes (which the previous HCA had considered unnecessary!!).

I haven’t tried these Pelican barrier wipes, but my first adhesive remover spray was by Pelican and I liked that very much.

Finally, she gave me some more banana flanges to replace the few OstoMart ones I had left. I said I didn’t like those much because they made my skin itch (there are some small red spots where they had been) and she said she didn’t like them much either – a lot of patients had experienced skin irritation from them because they are far too sticky (even with adhesive remover spray they are very hard to remove) and do not allow the skin to breathe. She produced some by Salts instead.

These are thinner and more flexible, and although they look rather opaque when you first apply them, with the warmth of your body they become more transparent and adhere better than initially. They contain aloe vera and are a lot more skin-friendly than the OstoMart ones. Eventually I would like to get the Trio silicone ones through my supplier because these are a dream to use, but the nurse said they don’t deal much with Trio, because they only do accessories and the GPs are apparently pressing them to cut down on prescribing too many accessories. (The other HCA was just dismissive of Trio products and said, “We can’t stock everything…” and “I saw them at a trade fair and wasn’t impressed…”)

These banana flanges have backing papers on both sides. You remove the first one and apply the banana flange as normal, and then remove the top backing sheet, exposing a wafer-thin transparent strip which flexes with your skin and is breathable. I love these!

When the nurse removed my bag, she used plenty of adhesive remover spray without my having to ask her, and she peeled it off slowly and gradually, and I felt quite relaxed about it. She had no problem using barrier wipes either, but said the powder should only be used if the skin irritation was so bad that the surface of the skin was broken and moist, because otherwise the powder would not stick.

She said that we should now be thinking about getting a prescription set up for me, so that I can start receiving supplies via a home delivery service. I quite agreed, but said that things were still constantly changing, which was getting pretty boring! She said there was no point in setting up a prescription if the next week it had to be changed again! She has made another appointment to come in three weeks’ time, which will be on the same day as my follow-up appointment with Mr. Pullan, my surgeon, and hopefully by then, things will finally have settled down.

She warned me that the chemotherapy might affect the stoma – not necessarily its size or shape, but quite likely the output, which can increase in quantity and become much more liquid. She said I may need loperamide (Immodium) to help with this, but I said if I could correct the problem with jelly babies, that was preferable! (How I wish jelly babies were available on prescription!!) For the moment, the output is quite thick, which she was pleased to hear – although I did say I thought my blow-out this morning was partly due to pancaking because it was so thick!

As we left, both the nurse and the HCA were very sweet, and the HCA said, “Nice to see you again.” I said to my hubby on the way down, “What a great appointment! That’s how it is supposed to be!” I certainly didn’t feel like that on the previous two occasions! Coming out this time, I felt I had had a very positive experience, my questions and observations had been listened to carefully and responded to in a considered way; the atmosphere was friendly, and there was decent dialogue. Should be expect anything less?

My First Blow-Out!

The first of two posts for today.

Shoshi has ARRIVED! She has had her first blow-out!

I had major problems this morning. I woke to find my first blow-out!!! It was very thick, fortunately, and hadn't penetrated beyond my nightie, but it was on my right hand, and one very strange thing – I wear 2 silver rings, one on my thumb and one on the 2nd finger, and both these had gone a dark copper colour as a result of the reaction with Kermit's output, but I've polished it off with silver cleaner and all is well again. When I was in Iceland all my silver jewellery went black from the sulphur fumes constantly in the air there from the volcanic activity, but this was a coppery brown with a few patches of blue-black which looked like blued steel. Interesting reaction between digestive enzymes and silver!

The top right of the bag as I look down had blown out and there was a great splodge of poo sticking out! When I got up and cleaned myself up, I noticed that the moat around Kermit had returned somewhat – it’s worse at the top when I'm standing, where my tummy is sagging a bit forward. So I've gone back with a Salts convex bag again. Thank goodness I'm seeing the stoma nurse this afternoon, so I'll be able to discuss the problem with her. I'm also very glad that each time I've changed the type of bag I'm using, I have kept the remaining ones and not returned them to the clinic.
It's a real pain in these early days when everything is still shifting about and one's shape keeps changing!! Sometimes I wish I was Tin Man and had a nice rigid stomach to stick the bag to.

I think part of the problem was that last evening my skin was itching, not immediately around Kermit (although of course the skin is quite irritated again this morning) but I'd put a banana flange on (Ostofix large frame from OstoMart) and I really don't like them – they are hard to get off even with adhesive spray remover, and they do seem more itchy than the bag, and I had peeled it back a tad so I could have a good scratch, and the edge of the bag came up too – I pressed it all back firmly but the seal in that place may have been a bit compromised. Also, yesterday at lunch time my hubby made us a huuuuge cheese omelette (I keep on to him about portion sizes but he keeps giving me too much food, and I can't get over the childhood injunction to "eat up everything on your plate" lol!) and I think the eggs may have bound me up a bit. The poo was quite thick (good thing, actually, or it would have spread much further) and it had pancaked a bit, and a lot of it was at the top of the bag, and the pressure probably caused the blow-out. So I'm not 100% convinced that the SenSura flat bag was the problem. I was lying down, of course, so it had no reason to flow to the bottom of the bag and keep Kermit clear.

One amazing thing – as I woke up I was vaguely aware of a slight poo smell and thought it was drifting along the landing from my hubby's bathroom. There was barely any smell at all. I am now using a combination of a short spray of 3% hydrogen peroxide and a fresh mint tic-tac in the bag each time I empty, and it really does eliminate the odour!

I am hoping eventually to be able to have the Trio silicone banana flanges from my supplier – these are so fantastic. They have backing paper on both sides, and after you've applied the banana flange, you remove the top backing paper to reveal an ultra-thin, highly flexible and transparent flange which is practically invisible and which moves with your skin. Their silicone products are amazing.

More Bag Problems and Changing Body Shape

Over the past couple of days I started to get some itching again, and last night when we were out, it got so bad that I couldn’t wait to get home and take the bag off and see what was going on.

The skin was quite irritated again so obviously there had been some contact with output from Kermit E.G. Robinson. I cleaned the area thoroughly and applied some Head & Shoulders shampoo which I left in contact for a few minutes (zinc content very good for skin problems) while I measured Kermit again – he now about 28 mm in diameter with a slight bulge – and cut a new bag to size. Once the H&S was rinsed off I prepped the area well with stoma powder and barrier wipe, and applied the new bag.

Within a short time – after I had put all the stuff away, of course! – I realised that there was a problem with this bag too, and pressing on the flange, realised that it did not seem to be sticking down properly, so I got everything out again and took it off.

This time I examined Kermit closely, and the surrounding area, and noticed that the “moat” which had developed recently and which had caused so many problems with leaks, had virtually disappeared. The stoma nurse had given me some Salts convex bags to help with this problem, and they were no longer working properly.

I decided to go back to one of my original Coloplast bags, with a Hollister ring, and also added a banana flange on the side nearest my tummy button, where there is still a crease in my abdomen where the first leaks occurred, and was pleased that for the rest of the evening everything seemed to be OK.

It is now mid-afternoon the following day, and so far so good! The itching has disappeared, and there don’t appear to be any leaks.

I shall be delighted if this situation lasts, because of the several bags I have tried, it is the Coloplast that I like the best. Fortunately I had several left when I was transferred to the convex ones, and when I see the stoma nurse tomorrow I shall discuss this with her.

The Hollister ring is rather thick, and I was a bit concerned that together with the bag flange, it came all the way up to the top of Kermit and I thought he might leak underneath again rather than outputting straight into the bag. Ideally what I would like is to use one of the new Trio silicone rings with the Coloplast bag – these are much thinner and automatically shrink to the size of the stoma, providing a good seal. I shall see what the nurse says tomorrow.

I am particularly pleased because the original Coloplast bags I was using are now available in the updated model which I like even better, with their very nice new covers, and I do hope I shall end up being able to use these permanently, and eventually get my home delivery set up, with these, the Trio rings, and also the Trio banana flanges which are brilliant – really thin, and transparent too.

I want to get this all sorted out before I start my radical chemotherapy which is due to begin perhaps next week. (See the Cancer Diary page on my other blog for full details of that.) Once the side effects of the chemo kick in, I am sure the last thing I shall feel like doing is messing about with bag problems.

This is quite a rollercoaster ride, getting the right bag and accessories and a good fit – one minute I’m “up” and feeling we’ve finally got it right, and the next I am in the pit of despair and wondering if I’ll ever get this sorted! Eventually I know I will, and a year from now I shall probably be doing it in my sleep and looking back on this time with amazement. It’s just getting there that’s the problem!

The changes are due to my body settling down after surgery. The swelling from the operation is going down, Kermit is shrinking, and also my weight has been changing a bit. I lost about a stone (14 lb) in hospital, and then, when I came home, because my dear hubby will keep giving me delicious and tempting little pots of desperately fattening puddings, and the fact he needs continuous lessons in portion control lol – I gained about 7 lb! I also battle with the habit of “finishing everything on my plate” with which I was indoctrinated as a child – I hate waste! – if it’s on my plate, I will eat it!! Anyway, I am working on this, and so far have managed to lose a couple of pounds. I am not dieting as such; before the operation the surgeon had told me to hold off my diet until everything has settled down and I am better, because my body needs the nutrients for energy and healing; but I do want to eat as sensibly as possible and not undo all the good I did before. After he told me to stop the diet, and with the postponements in my surgery, I managed to gain 7 lb before going into hospital!

With all these changes to my body, the shape of my stomach is bound to be in a bit of a state of flux. The operation wound now forms quite a valley vertically down my belly, and I have noticed that I have developed a couple of “love handles” running diagonally downwards from my hip bones since the swelling has reduced – some internal bulk has been removed with the colectomy, and together with the weight loss, there is some sagging of my belly. Gravity, gravity, all is gravity… Maybe the NHS would be good enough to give me a tummy tuck if I tell them it’s for the benefit of Kermit E.G. Robinson? Hmm.. I don’t suppose they will! I thought it was jolly mean of the surgeon merely to laugh when I asked if he’d scrape out all my tummy fat while he was in there – all he said was, “No… I’m afraid everybody asks us to do that!” Shame.

Scheduled Stoma Clinic Appointment

Today I had my second scheduled appointment at the stoma clinic – the first one was a fortnight ago today and all being well, I should not have been back again until today, but because of the leaking problems I had last week, I had to have two extra emergency appointments to get sorted out.

On Thursday when I saw the HCA, she said they only had one type of convex bag in stock so I’d have to go with that (the Oakmed Hydrocolloidal Soft Convex bag # SC45 4120KV) which I wasn’t too keen on, and over the ensuing days, I did not change my opinion of this bag.

The opening proved a real pain, and I never managed to empty the bag and clean the opening without getting output on my hands, and I really didn’t like the closure. I was hoping that today she would have some different ones in stock for me to try.

They don’t have much choice in convex bags at the clinic. She produced the only other one they have: the Salts Confidence Natural Convex bag #XNDL 1338.

This bag has a shallower convexity than the Oakmed one, and it is slightly softer. As you can see from the photo, the flange is divided into sections so that it fits any skin contours better. It has a viewing window over the stoma but it is not quite so easy to see more of the inside of the bag as it was with the Oakmed one. I much prefer the closure on the Salts bag, though; being more like my original Coloplast bags, with the Velcro wings, and the Salts bag has a nice large Velcro patch to hold the closure when you want to tuck it up inside the lining, giving a nice smooth profile at the bottom so that it doesn’t dig into your leg – I hated this about the Oakmed one! The flange is impregnated with aloe vera for skin health, and the bag has a nice anatomical shape too. Finally, the closure has a stiff plastic strip on either side so that you can press the sides together to open the bag, like the Coloplast bag – this is going to be nice and easy to empty and clean.

As long as there are no leaks, this seems quite a nice bag and I should be happy enough with it, but being a convex bag, the flange is somewhat rigid. It has belt loops like the Oakmed bag and although the HCA suggested I use the belt, I don’t think I will as I didn’t find it that comfortable and felt much too trussed up.

I was a bit disappointed not to see a stoma care CNS for the second time running – in my experience they have been a bit more willing to listen to my opinions and wishes. Again, the HCA was quite dismissive of the Trio products and said they’d seen them at a product show last year and she “hadn’t been impressed.” She did not like the idea of them being non-absorbent – she said that with the absorbent hycrocholoidal adhesives, any effluent was absorbed into the product, away from the skin, but on the Trio website they emphasise the fact that if the effluent is absorbed by the product it is in contact with the skin for longer. Not sure what I think about this now! Anyway, I told her how very impressed I’d been with the Trio samples I had had, and how easy it was to fit the ring, which shrinks automatically to a perfect fit around the stoma. I said I liked the idea of using a ring because it made the fitting of the bag less critical, but she dismissed this saying that once my supplies were set up, the bags would be pre-cut anyway. In the meantime, she has cut the bags for me, to last until my next appointment on Friday week (8th May) and what I do if Kermit shrinks any further during that time, I am not sure.

When she changed the bag, I had to ask her again to use more adhesive remover spray because she really hurt me last time by using insufficient spray and pulling the bag off too quickly. It wasn’t quite so bad this time but I still winced a bit!!

She cleaned the area with water and wipes, and then simply dried it and put the new bag straight on. I asked if she wasn’t going to use a barrier wipe and she said no; if you use these every time, they build up and stop the bags adhering properly! This is certainly not what I have been told before (or read online), and she also did not use any adhesive remover wipes to remove any residual adhesive still on my skin. She said “less is more” and said that my skin was beautiful and shouldn’t be interfered with – to me, the irritation is a lot better than it was, but it is still there – it is still a bit red and there are a few little red spots. She said she likes to keep the whole process as simple as possible and use the minimum amount of different products, but I don’t mind how much stuff I use if the result is going to be better! The specialist nurses seemed to take a different approach.

This makes my appointments somewhat confusing. I know I am still very much a beginner and should bow to their expert advice, but when it is conflicting, and when it conflicts with the advice of seasoned ostomates (who after all are living with a stoma every day, unlike any of the professionals, and know what works from experience), it is often quite hard to know what to do. I do know that I should be free to try different things and discover for myself what works best for me.

I have my own views and opinions, albeit based on fairly limited experience so far, but I do know what I like, and what I feel confident about, and over my past two appointments I didn’t really feel that these views and opinions were sufficiently acknowledged, but were simply dismissed.

My preferred option is still to have a mouldable ring (if necessary, a convex one) topped with my original flat-flanged Coloplast bag (the updated one: new Sensura Mio One-Piece Drainable). A ring will allow a better seal and make the fitting of the bag less critical, whether or not it is pre-cut. I would feel more confident with that extra layer of security; I have had enough problems with leaks and skin irritation and do NOT want to go down that route again!!!

When the sample convex ring I have ordered from Trio arrives, I shall try this combination and see how it goes.

I am now getting to the stage when I can’t wait for my body to settle down to its permanent state post-surgery, and to be able to exercise more of my own personal choice as to what products I use, and get a home delivery system set up which suits my needs and desires.

When we got back, there was a message from CliniMed, whom I had contacted yesterday for samples, and we had a long chat about different products, and she is sending me a pack of things to try. I also contacted Salts for some of their samples (including a sample of the bag the HCA gave me today), and I have ordered a sample of the Trio convex flange. All of these samples should arrive in the next few days, and I shall be very interested to try them in different combinations. More news on this later.

An Exciting New Product Range

Last week my hubby went to the dentist, and told him all about what I had been going through recently. The dentist told him that he has a friend who owns a medical manufacturing company and they have recently broken into the ostomy market with a remarkable new product which is taking the ostomy world by storm. At a recent symposium in Sweden, the new product wowed all the delegates (and probably got them seriously worried!). They are building a new factory with robots and sterile packing areas, and they have won the Queen’s Award for Industry with this innovation.

The company is called Trio Ostomy Care, and the product they have developed is a new breathable silicone. Up until now, surgical silicone has not been breathable, which is quite a drawback as long-term contact with the skin can cause problems. The adhesives used in nearly all available ostomy products is a hydrocolloid substance which, while breathable, is also absorbent, and can soak up any leakage from the stoma, causing skin irritation. To have developed a compound which is both breathable and non-absorbent is a breakthrough indeed.

On their website they give details of the four products in their line: two stoma rings (one flat, one convex) in different sizes; their silicone gel for filling creases and uneven skin, and their banana flanges  (flange extenders).

My hubby phoned them and told them about our dentist knowing their MD, and later on a lady phoned, and I was able to speak to her. You can order samples from the website, but I asked her on the phone, and she enquired what size my stoma was, and we spoke a bit about my various needs etc. I asked if she could send enough samples for me to take in to show the stoma nurse next week, and she said she could do better than that – if I gave her the name, and the address of the hospital, she would send them a nice box of supplies, and some information, so that they could be equipped, and have samples to offer to their patients. She said she would put the samples in the post that night.

She told me that all their products were available free on prescription, and the stoma nurse said that there should be no problem with my supplier (Patient Choice) getting hold of supplies for me.

My pack arrived today, which I think is pretty efficient! I am very impressed by the attractive packaging.

Inside the pack:

They have sent me three silicone rings, a small tube of the gel, and four banana flanges.

On the website, there are Youtube videos about each product. When you open the blister pack for the ring, the ring is stuck inside. You roll the edge till you’ve got enough to get hold of, and then pull it out. It stretches quite alarmingly! However, as you hold it, it gradually shrinks back into shape again. When you place this over the stoma, making sure there are no air bubbles, it will slide into place, making a perfect seal around the stoma, adjusting itself to any irregularities, and it is then less critical to cut the hole in the bag to be such an accurate fit.

I am really looking forward to trying this when I do a bag change tomorrow, and also the new bags the stoma nurse gave me yesterday.

My hubby told the stoma nurse all about these products at my appointment yesterday, and she was very, very interested – he had printed out some pages from their website about the products which he left with her.

I have another appointment next Monday with her, and I am looking forward to being able to report how well I am doing with the new products, and also hearing what they think about them, too. Hopefully by then the skin irritation will have cleared up, too.

I’ll let you know how I get on.

Onwards and upwards! I am sure I will conquer these problems eventually, and I am prepared to try anything that works!