How to empty and clean an ostomy bag: OSTOMY TIPS 

+Beauty and The Bag Thank you :) I will have a longer version with the toilet positions in there, but this video goes well with the article that I made it for! Hope you are doing awesome!

No I but bayt wipes in bulk

Update: I still use wipes however since my last comment I added a handheld water sprayer and rinse out my bag since now I use a 2 pc it’s much easier now.

I rinse it quite often, but usually find it unnecessary. If it works for you, go for it 👍

@@VeganOstomy If interested this is my take on the new MIO flip. My stoma sits on a hump. Very much like a under skin parastomal hernia. Doc said that will go down in timr. But it has made fitting a wafer a nightmare. The bottom of my stoma actually goes in at the basa a little. Plus add the taper of the stoma and a leak awaits. If you put a ring under it lifts the middle and now your hole is too big. I haven't found a paste that works because of the moisture my stoma puts off. Ostomy nurse first tried my on a smaller wafer thinking a stiffer small obe wouldn't lift. That didn't work and the ring lifted the whole wafer. Then she tried an oversize hole letting the ring turtle neck. That blew out in 3 hours. The next idea was convex. I got 2 from Hollister and 2 of the new Mio flip. I put a ring around my stoma and flipped the wings and set it in place. At first it felt good until my short nap. What happens is when you flip it like coloplast says you end up witg a flat wafer with adhesive wings that mold over the hump. In thr end you get less pressure down and the ring lifted the whole wafer. 3 hours is all I got on both with or without a ring. The hollister convex sealed great. But I ran into another problem. Flat out painful to wear. The downward push pulls the skin away from the stoma. About an hour is all I could stand. The also sent me a pre cut, just the wrong size. 1 inch instead of 1 1/4. I ended up returning to my original hollister 14603 cut to fit 2 piece. I do my best to cut it to 30mm even though my stoma is 29 at the base. Safe n simple ribgs at this point work the best for me. I wrap my stoma in TP to get as much moisture off as I can. I quickly mold the ring a little undersized. Fast I remove the TP and put the ring on letting it turle neck up the stoma a little. Them press my bag on centered so I can see the ring evenly betwen the wafer and stoma. I heat it a little with my hair dryer while pressing down. Just that little moisture from the stoma softens it making it squeeze into the crack. Afte a minute pouch is on and sealed. That flat wafer with the super moldable ring gave me my first wear more than 24 hours since leaving the hospital. In no way would I recommend the mio flip pouch. If you don't have a big hump it may not work for you. It was the adhesive that really tore me uo. Gave me a skin sore for the first time.

@@bbaker904baker7 I really appreciate you sharing that! It's a shame that the Mio flip didn't work any better for you.

@@VeganOstomy I do wish more would know that water contact with the wafer won't kill it. You may loose just a day between changes in exchange for less smell and less skin break down if you suspect a leak. If you think about outputs you have thick from the colon, thin from the ilium, and pure liquid from urin. All three these products must handle. So if wafer material handles urin then why can't we get it wet cleaning our bags? I asked hollister and coloplast about this and what I do every bag empty. Both said it should be fine to do. When I empty I tip the bag up and pour water into the neck. Then pinch the drain and slosh around. Repeat until bag is clean and all stuck on stuff on stoma is also gone. At that point I often take the bag off and spray saline into any gap around stoma you would be shocked at what gets trapped there and it's that stuff the often makes it past any seal. I get 3 to 4 days on a wafer and bag doing this. My ostomy nurse was shocked how clean my skin was.

@@bbaker904baker7 The problem with using water to rinse your bag is that you CAN make things worse in two ways: yo get the filter wet and render it useless sooner than expected, and if you use cold water there's a very real chance that your stoma will contract and allow for water to breach the seal. If you can avoid those two things (which is easy), then there's really no trouble.

That's a tip that can only come from someone with experience 👍 It's amazing that you had a nurse who could relate!

+Nance Gillies For that thick output I tend to rinse my bag out with water. That cleans it out nicely.

Have a great flight! Practice draining the bag, and you'll pick it up in no time.

Yes, I've heard good things about those bidet sprayers! Awesome advice.

Good luck!

Hi Via. I'm going to assume you mean smells when emptying you bag (since there should be no odor when the bag is closed). I have a few tips in this video to help with that: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--bAqs69_65w.html The product I currently use for odor is Hollister M9 - when I add it to my bag, I have no odor at all. It's amazing, actually. I hope you find something that helps!

Via you can put warm water in your bag and swish it all around your bag that removes everything and makes you feel clean and reduces itchiness too I know Eric has given you a link for ballooning good luck hope this helps

Which bag are you using? As long as you can fit at least a finger into the outlet, you should be able to clean it as in the video. 👍

+Alphonsel Rotting Do you have an ileostomy or colostomy? Hollister and the new B. Braun Flexima 3S filters have worked the best for me (I rarely get ballooning when using them), but there are many brands that you could experiment with if you feel like changing your appliance would work best for you.

I have a Colostomy.

+Alphonsel Rotting If your stool is drier, then that's the IDEAL output for filters. Are you experiencing "pancaking" - like your stool stays stuck at the top of your bag around the filter and stoma? That could certainly make matters worse.

Good question. It's been my experience that if I do not clean the last few inches of the outlet, there's a risk of leak through the outlet (has happened when I simply wipe the opening) and it also causes odor to get through. That said, this is more of an issue if you have liquid or loose output, and not so much if you have a colostomy or otherwise solid output.

When you say your hands get dirty, do you have liquid output or thicker output? Liquid is harder to manage, and you have to be more careful not to make a mess. I nearly always kneel with my right knee to the ground. If I'm in a public washroom and the floors are really dirty, I'll squat over the toilet facing the back of the bowl.

Yes, I have very liquid output quite often (partly thanks to chemo). I find that outlets with those little plastic lips are unmanageable. For me, I normally stand as a male would normally stand and crouch to avoid splash.

Use a gelling product if liquid output is a challenge. It will make a world of difference when it comes to emptying your appliance!

+Vegan Ostomy Thank you for the suggestion. I will.

Ah this was more or less what I was hoping the video would be about. I keep reading that you're supposed to sit on the toilet and put paper down to minimize splashing. The problem for me is that a lot of toilets are too small to allow room between my legs for emptying in this manner or I'd use it for sure as standing is likely to cause splash back. I'm a fair height but not overweight by any means so I can only imagine how stressful this must be for those who are. I would try a gelling solution but my consistency changes somewhat often and I'm not sure how this would effect my more thick times.

Best of luck with your recovery 👍

You'll notice a lot of changes with your output for the first little while. I have an ileostomy and my output is thicker than most people, but it's totally normal. People who have an colostomy will often have very thick dry output that looks like regular stool. Thickness will also vary depending on what you eat and your fluid intake. 👍

Yes, I also rinse sometimes. Really depends on the output I'm having, and also because with clear bags I tend to want them to look cleaner 😂😂

Which method do you use, Terry?

Absolutely. Plain water (warm, if possible) works fine. I suggest not splashing the water right up to the stoma, or it may get under the wafer.

Yes, that's perfectly fine, but I have a few suggestions: use warm water when possible and try not to get the water to stay too long around the stoma opening or you risk getting a leak.

Yes you can, however I would caution against getting the water too close to the stoma for too long or it may create a leak. I also find that it helps to use warmer water as cold water tends to contract the stoma and leave an opening for water to seep through.

@@VeganOstomy thank you soo much. That really helps for my future surgery endeavors!!! Blessings 🙌

Thanks for the question. Do you have a colostomy? I would imagine that if you do then wiping the inside of the outlet isn't going to be needed, but for those of us with liquid or loose output, there's no reliable way to fold the outlet without cleaning it or else it just seeps out like toothpaste out of a tube. The only leaks I've ever had through the outlet were when I didn't clean it out with rolled toilet paper - and many people who report odor without any leaks under the wafer can usually link it to the outlet not being cleaned properly. For me, stool gets on the end of the outlet, which means if I don't wipe it clean on the outside edge and in the first inch or two, I'll get it all over my hands when I roll it up; if I use a clip, then it's always necessary to clean the first little bit of the tail end or else I end up have output just sitting there. But ostomy care is about what works for each individual. I share a technique that I've found to be the most reliable, consistent and clean way of doing it.

Fold the end flap all the way back out of the way with one hand then squeeze to empty the pouch with the other hand... then wipe the end of the folded end and Just Squeeze any residual back up like a tube of toothpaste just make sure there are no big chucks.... and i am an ileostomate so liquid stools .... also not sure why any one would keep that end flap down when emptying ones pouch .... I guess i have to make my own video ... Also its the Phoenix ostomy belt just look him up I use them every day

+B Valan Yes, make a video! I'd love to see your technique 👍

Yep.

Because it is NOT your rectum and anus. (YES G-d did a much better job) And you might have a clip that requires folding a total of more an than inch if plastic. Either way, the odd piece of dried stool WILL be dropping through your knickers and trousers. You will be cool, but others may think you have a ripe odour. It will probably not hurt you , but, a loved one might eventually get e-coli. Just because people think we are freaks does not mean we are not CLEAN. PS: The manufacturers use cheap, out-of-date materials. Mylar, Polyester, Nitrile, Nitro-hybrids (modern), etc, would help tremendously.

+Alphonsel Rotting I don't have a video on ballooning, but I do have an article that might give you some things to try: www.veganostomy.ca/2015/08/ostomy-pouch-ballooning.html Good luck!!

+Vegan Ostomy Thank you, very good article.

Which brand are you using? Some velcro openings are very poorly made, while others are quite robust. I very often use a water bottle to rinse my bag and use velcro closures almost exclusively. =)

I have velcro for closing at the end of my bag and water bottle works fine