What has worked for managing your urinary diversion? Share your tips!

(The ostomy is a walk in the park compared to this thing! JMHO and because anyone answering Susan's query already has one, I'm not going to bother elucidating.)

The only clever thing I've come up with is how I clean my day and my night bag after each use. My solution is 2 parts vinegar / 3 parts water, storing 10 cups in a big plastic container. And I use empty Fleet enema containers whose nozzles just fit the tops of the urine collector bags. (I have a huge collection of these necessitated by my overproduction of mucus in my bowel stump which I cannot pass. Rats.) Procedure: I fill about 10 bottles at once with the solution and store them in my bathroom. Plus I have one more container that I fill each time with plain water. I rinse and clear the bag's channel with the plain water. Then I infuse the bag with a portion of the solution, swirl it around, dump and hang the bag to dry until its next use.

8 YEARS = NO LEAKS!! NO IRRITATED, ITCHING, WEEPING SKIN!!

I think the biggest concern for all of us is leakage. And most of us were taught to manage our appliances by someone who did not have an ostomy and therefore, had no practical experience. We came home with powders and strips of modeling clay and sprays and a whole list of dos & don’ts….and a nice little bag to put it in so we could conveniently carry it all with us everywhere we go…..because we WERE going to leak. We just didn’t know when. And, we WERE going to have skin irritation because….well, it just goes with the territory. That’s why we had to have all those sprays and powders and sprays…because the more crap you put on your skin, the better off you’ll be. Right? WRONG!

The leakage is caused by one or both of these two things: the opening for the stoma is bigger than it needs to be, allowing output to seep around the edge of the flange and loosen the adhesive &/or changing the appliances too often (every 7 days or so is should be often enough). And the skin irritation is caused by one or both of these two things: the output that seeps out around the stoma burns the skin &/or allergy to the adhesive on the flange.

After months of constantly itching, weeping skin and being afraid to go out in public or even leave my house without a small suitcase full of ostomy supplies and fresh clothing in spite of having tried every product known to man - with no change in status - I decided to start all over with absolutely nothing on my skin to try to, at least, figure out what was causing the itching…and in the process, I eliminated the leaking problem, too. I have had absolutely no skin irritation and not one single leak in over 8 years. Here is my process:

I almost always coordinate my appliance change with showering so I prepare my appliance before I shower so it’s ready to go when I get out. I use a cut-to-fit appliance because the precut ones may or may not fit closely enough to my stoma to prevent seepage. (It needs to fit as close to the stomas as possible without actually touching it.) I add a stoma ring to the flange by removing the plastic adhesive cover from the appliance, placing the ring on the flange, then, after replacing the plastic cover to keep it all clean and dry. I use my finger to mold & smooth the inside edge of stoma ring over the cut edge of the appliance. The stoma ring is made to swell just a little when it gets wet so by pressing it over the cut edge, it will swell over that edge to form a little “turtleneck” around the stoma and prevent the seepage that burns the skin. Setting the new appliance aside, I remove my old appliance using adhesive remover spray followed by an adhesive remover wipe to make sure all the glue is gone . Then I proceed with my shower, which I do without concern over the type of cleanser I use. It doesn’t matter because, after drying off, I’m going to use a couple of alcohol prep pads around my stoma to remove whatever oily residue might be left there. Then, (VERY IMPORTANT STEP) after my skin is completely dry, I squirt some Flonase on my fingertips and rub it over the entire area where the appliance flange will contact my skin and fan it dry. Then I apply the new appliance…..and go about about my life without a single worry over leaks or itching or skin irritation. No sprays. No powders. NOTHING on my skin but Flonase and a closely fitted flange/stoma ring. The stoma ring stops the seepage and the Flonase prevents itching & skin irritation. No seepage & no weeping skin = no leaks!!!

Although I know I should, it never occurs to me to carry a supply bag with me every time I leave home. I have not had a leak in so long, I just don’t think about it. I go where I’m going and do what I do without giving my ostomy a second thought.

If you are battling leakage or itching or just finding yourself too “aware” of your appliance without really knowing why….try my method. Maybe it will make a difference.

Once the area around the stoma is clean and prepped with the Cavilon barrier film, I peel just one side of the ring and apply it on the skin. That gives me full control over making sure the adhesion is optimal since the peel is still on the other side. When the ring is well attached around the stoma, only then I remove the other side of the protector peel and then immediately place the appliance over the stoma. That has worked very well for me.

@lynmc Do you use the Flonase as well as Cavilon barrier film or just the Flonase? If you use both, in which order are they applied? BTW, excellent step by step you wrote, thank you for that!

Just the flonase. (Thanks! I hope it helps someone. )