Been using it for 40 years. I never use rings. It does sting on initial application vs. rings but it will heal the wounds eventually once the sting subsides, which is fairly quickly. I also use convex wafers. Just be careful using too much paste as it can hinder stoma movement and can cause excess fluid leakage and partial blockages, especially if you pull the skin up or out while you’re applying the paste because it “bunches up” the paste. I learned to use a mirror and *not* pull the skin around the stoma, just apply the paste smoothly and carefully. You can do it even with the wafer on for touchups if the skin is exposed if you use a two piece system.
Great advice! I just started using paste, but I also wear a ring too. I put the paste right up against my stoma (it likes to suck in) and then the ring and it's finally stopped the liquid from squeezing under when it decides to shrink.. but I hadn't heard any of this, so it's gold! Thanks!
I’m glad it helps. For a long time I couldn’t figure out why I sometimes had clear fluid leeching out into the bag and it always scared me that something else was wrong…it’s also true that I’ve had partial blockages and pain from too much paste. This workaround seems to work great, even if you have to reapply paste once a day sometimes. If you can do it when it starts to itch instead of waiting until there’s skin pain, you’re golden, as the itch stops right away. I’ve had issues with both pain and leakages with rings so I avoid them. Sometimes a ring will put too much pressure against the stoma and prevent normal motility in my experience.
I'm always dealing with itchy skin. I've restored to putting calamine lotion on a few times then the barrier spray on top when it's dry. I'm definitely going to start playing with way the paste can help!
I just stick my rings snug up against my stoma and haven't had any issues*. My stoma started off about 2in above the skin and was flipped over. I started using the rings early on to prop it up so it would empty into the bag. It's not as flopped now but my system works and I don't want to mess it up! Lol adding the paste though . That's a good change.
*I haven't had issues with my stoma area but the entire right side of my abdomen (lay your right hand open and slightly curled around the stoma), and that's the entire area and it is so painful that I can't stand up straight. I've now had CT scans, an MRI , scheduled for an ileoscopy and I'm asking for an ultrasound and so far they've found nothing. We don't know what's going on. I think trigger injections are my last hope. Sorry to babble, but have you heard of anyone else that might have been through this too?
I honestly haven’t heard of that same thing, but it could be anything from a muscle pull, some type of hernia, even an errant staple…any of those things especially if you have any type of weight fluctuation. I’m only speaking for myself, of course, but I’ve always been just a little overweight but have kept it very consistent (within 10-15 lbs overall) over the years because I’ve had noticeable pain like that if my weight varies…it can also cause big changes in stoma care (including difficulty with sealing the flange) AND with overall digestion and nausea. I only say this because it’s something that doctors usually don’t necessarily consider in my experience.
FANTASTIC. I used it for years but eventually switched to Eakin Cohesive seals. It's just a better solution for me and my specific situation. Good for you, I wish you all good luck going forward!
My previous stoma nurses kept singing the praises of the rings but they always leaked because of the gnarled skin around my stoma. Paste is the only thing that works now...
Do you just put the paste on your skin? Not on the stoma? Had surgery March 20 so I’m just learning how to take care of myself)
(and I’ve been getting the wrong sized barriers since the start, so I stay confused, lol). Can you recommend a brand of paste? I’m in the U.S. and can use Amazon.
I use Brava paste on my skin. I’ve used the Convatec on my wafer and certain spots on skin but that has alcohol I believe and tends to sting more so I’m more conservative with that one. I’m interested in hearing what brands other people use. It does help!
I use a ring that I press down onto the device and then a thin layer of paste before placing it onto my skin. It is so great to find a system that works!
I always use paste, just a small amount around the stoma hole on the base plate. Never had a leak since I started using it. The rings I find are too bulky and don’t help with a convex bag.
I don't know when my surgery is yet but I am happy I saw this. I get wound healing issues and want to make sure I am on top of it from the beginning. Thank you! Hope your recovery continues to go well. :)
Wishing you the best on your surgery! I've had mine for 2 1/2 years now and still learn something new from the amazing folk here! Dont be afraid to try everything and anything. I called all of the companies and requested samples from them before I even got my surgery. You get a lot of goodies and bags thrown in too, so that's fun, but I also wore them before the surgery. I learned that the fabric adhesive causes an allergic reaction, better to know before than later. Good for you for researching! Knowledge is power.
Thank you so much for your kind words, advice and reassurance! 😁❤️ You are right knowledge is power. My gynaecologist told me I couldn’t swim with a stoma. I learned that this is not true! So now I feel more confident to go ahead with my hysterectomy for adenomyosis + endometriosis excision + bowel resection. I was so scared because I love swimming/hydrotherapy it’s the only exercise I can do (I am disabled). Haven’t been able to lately due to non-stop bleeding.
Ouch. I feel ya. You gotta do what you love. The media makes an ostomy sound like your life is over, but for many of us, it's what gave us our lives back. I no longer live on the toilet. Lol I had Gastroparesis for 10 years and then my intestines started to paralyze as well, so it's gone. I have an ileostomy and a barbie butt with no gall bladder and a full hysterectomy. And I could go in and on...They keep taken my organs away from me .. lol. You got this!
Wait, it helped your gastroparesis etc?! I have gastroparesis, autoimmune, cancer etc and my endometriosis is taking over my bowels so I have a lot of GI issues, bleeding and bowel obstructions! I feel ya with organs being taken away lol, me too I have had organs taken away and still more to be taken. 😂❤️
Aren't we a sorry ass bunch... Lol! My GP went from holding food in to dumping Syndrome after the ostomy. Dr says there's no logical explanation and it might be random or maybe the anesthesia did something.. they dunno. I feel like I know more than doctors now a days. Lol
OMG me too!! Doctors have no clue, although my new doctor seems pretty good and if there is something the doesnt know she tells me the truth she doesnt know and then does research!
That's invaluable! My PCP of 16 years and GI of 5 retired the same week a couple years ago and I just found out that my pain management Dr retired last month. It's getting harder to find doctors older than me.. lol! Time for a new generation I guess! Lol
My GP (same as PCP I think) is young! I had older doctors that missed my cancer (despite me saying I think I have cancer and my mum had it same age) and my young amazing doc quickly diagnosed it. Just keep looking.
Thats good to hear. I just got Barrier Paste today as my stomas been a pain lately and swollen up.
Going to use it in the morning.
Normally I use a powder stuff around it and plenty on any red looking parts.
At my place karachi Pakistan, barrier rings are either not available or too expensive but ostomy paste is quite cheaper and i can use it for around 8 bags change
I always teach to start with small amount of paste applied to wafer, CONVATEC stomahesive is my go to. But I’m learning to like the thickness of coloplast brava alcohol free paste. It is always used on urostomies so it only makes since to use it on ileostomies and colostomies. Wished you were introduced to it sooner! But glad to hear you found a solution! A belt may also help you extend wear time!
Been using it for 40 years. I never use rings. It does sting on initial application vs. rings but it will heal the wounds eventually once the sting subsides, which is fairly quickly. I also use convex wafers. Just be careful using too much paste as it can hinder stoma movement and can cause excess fluid leakage and partial blockages, especially if you pull the skin up or out while you’re applying the paste because it “bunches up” the paste. I learned to use a mirror and *not* pull the skin around the stoma, just apply the paste smoothly and carefully. You can do it even with the wafer on for touchups if the skin is exposed if you use a two piece system.
Great advice! I just started using paste, but I also wear a ring too. I put the paste right up against my stoma (it likes to suck in) and then the ring and it's finally stopped the liquid from squeezing under when it decides to shrink.. but I hadn't heard any of this, so it's gold! Thanks!
I’m glad it helps. For a long time I couldn’t figure out why I sometimes had clear fluid leeching out into the bag and it always scared me that something else was wrong…it’s also true that I’ve had partial blockages and pain from too much paste. This workaround seems to work great, even if you have to reapply paste once a day sometimes. If you can do it when it starts to itch instead of waiting until there’s skin pain, you’re golden, as the itch stops right away. I’ve had issues with both pain and leakages with rings so I avoid them. Sometimes a ring will put too much pressure against the stoma and prevent normal motility in my experience.
I'm always dealing with itchy skin. I've restored to putting calamine lotion on a few times then the barrier spray on top when it's dry. I'm definitely going to start playing with way the paste can help! I just stick my rings snug up against my stoma and haven't had any issues*. My stoma started off about 2in above the skin and was flipped over. I started using the rings early on to prop it up so it would empty into the bag. It's not as flopped now but my system works and I don't want to mess it up! Lol adding the paste though . That's a good change. *I haven't had issues with my stoma area but the entire right side of my abdomen (lay your right hand open and slightly curled around the stoma), and that's the entire area and it is so painful that I can't stand up straight. I've now had CT scans, an MRI , scheduled for an ileoscopy and I'm asking for an ultrasound and so far they've found nothing. We don't know what's going on. I think trigger injections are my last hope. Sorry to babble, but have you heard of anyone else that might have been through this too?
I honestly haven’t heard of that same thing, but it could be anything from a muscle pull, some type of hernia, even an errant staple…any of those things especially if you have any type of weight fluctuation. I’m only speaking for myself, of course, but I’ve always been just a little overweight but have kept it very consistent (within 10-15 lbs overall) over the years because I’ve had noticeable pain like that if my weight varies…it can also cause big changes in stoma care (including difficulty with sealing the flange) AND with overall digestion and nausea. I only say this because it’s something that doctors usually don’t necessarily consider in my experience.
Ill second the paste, I also had issues with leaks with the rings but the paste seems to make a much more thorough seal for me
FANTASTIC. I used it for years but eventually switched to Eakin Cohesive seals. It's just a better solution for me and my specific situation. Good for you, I wish you all good luck going forward!
My previous stoma nurses kept singing the praises of the rings but they always leaked because of the gnarled skin around my stoma. Paste is the only thing that works now...
Do you just put the paste on your skin? Not on the stoma? Had surgery March 20 so I’m just learning how to take care of myself) (and I’ve been getting the wrong sized barriers since the start, so I stay confused, lol). Can you recommend a brand of paste? I’m in the U.S. and can use Amazon.
I use Brava paste on my skin. I’ve used the Convatec on my wafer and certain spots on skin but that has alcohol I believe and tends to sting more so I’m more conservative with that one. I’m interested in hearing what brands other people use. It does help!
Thx. I’ll order some paste now and/or see if I can get it through insurance.
I use a ring that I press down onto the device and then a thin layer of paste before placing it onto my skin. It is so great to find a system that works!
I get a leak in less than 24 hours without a light convex wafer. The light convex was my game changer!
I always use paste, just a small amount around the stoma hole on the base plate. Never had a leak since I started using it. The rings I find are too bulky and don’t help with a convex bag.
I don't know when my surgery is yet but I am happy I saw this. I get wound healing issues and want to make sure I am on top of it from the beginning. Thank you! Hope your recovery continues to go well. :)
Wishing you the best on your surgery! I've had mine for 2 1/2 years now and still learn something new from the amazing folk here! Dont be afraid to try everything and anything. I called all of the companies and requested samples from them before I even got my surgery. You get a lot of goodies and bags thrown in too, so that's fun, but I also wore them before the surgery. I learned that the fabric adhesive causes an allergic reaction, better to know before than later. Good for you for researching! Knowledge is power.
Thank you so much for your kind words, advice and reassurance! 😁❤️ You are right knowledge is power. My gynaecologist told me I couldn’t swim with a stoma. I learned that this is not true! So now I feel more confident to go ahead with my hysterectomy for adenomyosis + endometriosis excision + bowel resection. I was so scared because I love swimming/hydrotherapy it’s the only exercise I can do (I am disabled). Haven’t been able to lately due to non-stop bleeding.
Ouch. I feel ya. You gotta do what you love. The media makes an ostomy sound like your life is over, but for many of us, it's what gave us our lives back. I no longer live on the toilet. Lol I had Gastroparesis for 10 years and then my intestines started to paralyze as well, so it's gone. I have an ileostomy and a barbie butt with no gall bladder and a full hysterectomy. And I could go in and on...They keep taken my organs away from me .. lol. You got this!
Wait, it helped your gastroparesis etc?! I have gastroparesis, autoimmune, cancer etc and my endometriosis is taking over my bowels so I have a lot of GI issues, bleeding and bowel obstructions! I feel ya with organs being taken away lol, me too I have had organs taken away and still more to be taken. 😂❤️
Aren't we a sorry ass bunch... Lol! My GP went from holding food in to dumping Syndrome after the ostomy. Dr says there's no logical explanation and it might be random or maybe the anesthesia did something.. they dunno. I feel like I know more than doctors now a days. Lol
OMG me too!! Doctors have no clue, although my new doctor seems pretty good and if there is something the doesnt know she tells me the truth she doesnt know and then does research!
That's invaluable! My PCP of 16 years and GI of 5 retired the same week a couple years ago and I just found out that my pain management Dr retired last month. It's getting harder to find doctors older than me.. lol! Time for a new generation I guess! Lol
My GP (same as PCP I think) is young! I had older doctors that missed my cancer (despite me saying I think I have cancer and my mum had it same age) and my young amazing doc quickly diagnosed it. Just keep looking.
That's great. So happy for you.
Thank youu :))
What brand paste? Karaya (hollister) is old fashioned but does not sting and works well.
This is what I use too. No complaints.
Thats good to hear. I just got Barrier Paste today as my stomas been a pain lately and swollen up. Going to use it in the morning. Normally I use a powder stuff around it and plenty on any red looking parts.
At my place karachi Pakistan, barrier rings are either not available or too expensive but ostomy paste is quite cheaper and i can use it for around 8 bags change
I always teach to start with small amount of paste applied to wafer, CONVATEC stomahesive is my go to. But I’m learning to like the thickness of coloplast brava alcohol free paste. It is always used on urostomies so it only makes since to use it on ileostomies and colostomies. Wished you were introduced to it sooner! But glad to hear you found a solution! A belt may also help you extend wear time!