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Leaking colostomy
Hi , I am from India , my mother has been diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer , lung metastasis , her tumour could not be operated , she underwent a colostomy followed by chemotherapy , Folfox regime . We are using. a two piece coloplast colostomy bag which tends to leak after 4/5 days . Earlier the same bag worked for a week . Any solution ?
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Welcome to Connect, @manveen.
My dad didn't have a colostomy bag, so I don't have first-hand experience. But I did an Internet search and found very detailed information about leaks on this website: https://www.veganostomy.ca/ostomy-leaks-tips/
Here's an excerpt that may pertain to your situation:
"On a two-piece appliance, there’s always a very small risk that you can get leaks where the pouch connects to the wafer via the flange (called a coupling). It’s important to make sure that your mechanical coupling snaps together and is locked in place (if your pouch has that feature). You can give it a little tug to make sure that it’s secure. If you’re using an adhesive coupling, make sure that the surface you are sticking your bag to is clean and free of any moisture. You’ll also want to make sure that the adhesive is smoothed out and that there are no bubbles or creases in it."
Here's further information from Mayo Clinic about "Adapting to life after colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy" http://mayocl.in/2mb2dvk
I'm tagging @ilene1 @user_cha5e73f6 @soul @mkat5955 to see if they have any advice about leaky colostomy bags.
Manveen, do you live close to your mother?
Thank you very much for the response . My mother lives with me since this diagnosis was made . She has a high transverse colostomy , hence cannot manage it on her own . I would appreciate if you could discuss the issue of leaking colostomy bags with a stoma nurse too . They might have first hand experience of this problem.
Manveen,
I just to share with you a stoma bag with my Mom's experience. My Mom had a stoma bag attached after her first operations for colon stony. The nurse came to clean her bag everyday and replace with the new one if it needed. There is a specialist who knows and teaches how to handle and attach the bag. The specialist came to show me and my sis to do our own for my Mom. We learned and my Mom discharged a few days later with this stoma bag. My sister and I had to start cleaning and changing the bag at home. Thete is an incident my Mom's stoma bag was leaking. We did not have spare bag at home and I had to run to the hospital and get an new bag. I came home and with my sister help, we were able to attach the bag for her. But we are not a specialist so that the bag was detached easily. But my Mom had to to go to the hospital the next day to do second operation to connect so that the bag did not need for her. It was a big relief. I hope you can find the specialist and nurse who are expert in handling the bag. I wish you and your Mom a smooth transition in handling stoma bag.
@soul , thank you so much for your feedback . The problem I am facing is that in India we are unable to procure the daily change opaque bags with a precut stoma . I would be highly obliged if someone can guide me as to where I can purchase these daily change colostomy bags . I am a doctor myself and can look after my mother's colostomy , just looking for an ideal bag .
Hello @manveen, here is a link to the Mayo Clinic store catalog. http://www.mayo.edu/pmts/mc1200-mc1299/mc1234-47.pdf
Please let me know if this has been helpful in what you are looking for. Best of luck to you and your Mother.
@jamienolson , thank you very much for the link . I am highly obliged . Thanks for your kind wishes for my mother too.