Cleaning my appliance

@pidge32. I'm unsure why the end of a loop ileostomy is supposed to be "under the skin". I had two different loop ileostomies and neither one had and end that was supposed to be under the skin. Mine looked like if you cut a hose partway through and folded it back on itself.

How many times a day are you emptying your appliance? I'm unclear if you have an ileostomy or a colostomy. If you have an ileostomy and empty multiple times a day you should be using a drainable pouch. It's never going to be really clean. Are you using a transparent pouch? If so you can switch to an opaque pouch (not as gross).

If you have a colostomy and have one movement a day my understanding is most people just throw the closed end pouch away.. if you use a two piece appliance this would be easier than doing a change (I think).

Can you do an in person appointment with your WOCN? These are things that are much easier to figure out in person, when you can point to what you are talking about.

No appointment yet since we spent so much time on the phone with her we thought we were OK.
I was told I had a Loop Colostomy and basically they cut the intestine in half. It isn’t an ileostomy it is a colostomy.
Initially there was only one Stoma for quite awhile. In the past week or two this new (stoma?) or the other half of the intestine that was cut reared its ugly face! It just started getting bigger and bigger and we couldn’t get it to go back in.
I usually have between one and three changes, a few times 4.
The new intestine that is popping out now is a good size.
My contact said they refer to it as an elephant!
Is this normal with a Loop Colostomy? I was told in the hospital to just push it back in. This won’t go back in. It’s quite long and on the wider side.
I’m going to give my friend at the WOCN a call and see what she says.
Thanks for your input.

@pidge32 I'm glad you are talking to her!

That does not sound like what I experienced, but I had an ileostomy.

I use a one piece closed end disposable pouch I* just remove it throw it away and put a new pouch on each time This works well for me and I always feel clean I could not deal with the drainable pouch

"The end of the loop that is supposed to be under the skin"

Please know that I did not say or even mean that the second stoma is "supposed" to be under the skin. I have no idea where it is supposed to be. I am sorry that @pidge32 is having such problems with this stoma. Mine is under my skin and also under whatever flange I am using but I don't know if this is correctly placed or not. I'm going to ask on my Canadian ostomy list where it is for other folks and I will report back. Curious...I never gave it any thought at all before.

Regarding cleaning the pouch. I use a lab wash bottle to clean the neck of the pouch then pour some water in and dump it into a container for disposal. I’ve been told that Amazon has wash bottles under the name “Ostomy bottle”.
Have you considered using an opaque pouch? That way you don’t see what is in the pouch.

I do the same thing when we are traveling and are in a location where you are not supposed to put paper in the toilet (mostly on scuba diving boats with marine toilets). I do it sitting on the toilet after emptying and just let the water go into the toilet. Then dry it off with a little toilet paper. I don't worry about the resto of the pouch (it's just going to fill up again).

Otherwise I use folded up toilet paper to wick out the neck of the pouch.

@fbt217 so you have an ileostomy or a colostomy? How often do you need to empty?

@piki my loop ileostomies were back in 1987/88. So it's a bit of a stretch to remember exactly what they looked like... :-p.

@susanf8 I have a Loop Colostomy. No fun. The second half of the colon pushed through next to the stoma and giving me problems.
Thanks for your suggestions they are helpful.

@fbt217
Thanks for help. Good idea.