Thursday 18 August 2011

How I change my bag

I have absolutely no idea of whether this is of any use to anyone, but it crossed my mind today, whilst reading some IA Support forum posts that everyone must have slight differences in the way that they were taught and the way that they've learned themselves to change their bag. So here is my current procedure:

Everything set out for a bag change!
  1. I get everything ready. I always change my bag (a Dansac Novalife one-piece) standing up, next to the sink. I get everything that I'll need for the change out and arrange it around the sink. I also half-fill the sink with warm water.
  2. I cut out my bag's template and fold up and secure the neck. I put one squirt of Ostomist odour eliminator spray into the bag, and set it aside until I need it.
  3. I quickly check that my current bag's empty and then tuck it into my disposal bag. I use Pelican adhesive remover spray to remove the bag's flange, and fold it up into the disposal bag.
  4. Since I use flange extenders, the skin around my stoma can sometimes get quite a build up of adhesive, so the first thing I normally do once my bag's off is spray the adhesive remover around the stoma and wipe away any remaining adhesive.
  5. Now I wash my stoma and the skin around it, making sure to bathe the skin to ensure that all adhesive remover, paste/powder and output have been washed away. This can be very easy or very difficult, depending on how active my stoma is (the former if I've got up early, the latter if I've been naughty and stayed in bed, or avoided changing my bag until an hour or two after breakfast!). My stoma's quite long at the moment and so hangs down onto my stomach; I have to lift it up and check that the underside is clean using a small mirror.
  6. Dry the skin around my stoma, especially underneath.
  7. I wipe the skin with a LBF skin barrier wipe and leave it to dry; this protects the skin from any adhesive and output.
  8. The next step depends on whether or not I've got any red or sore sections around my stoma. If so, I sprinkle some Orahesive protective powder onto a dry wipe and then apply it to the sore spot and lightly dust away any excess. If it's easier, I use Orahesive protective paste instead, but I've generally found that the powder helps things to heal faster.
  9. Next, I take a Salts SecuPlast slim mouldable seal and tear it in half (I only use half per change). I roll it between my palms - like plasticine - until it forms a sausage-like shape, about 0.5cm wide and 6cm long. I stick this close around my stoma, join it at the top, and flatten the outer edges as best I can.
  10. I warm my bag's flange between my palms for half a minute or so, then peel off the backing and  guide my stoma through the hole. I normally have to lean forward slightly to manage this, as my stoma droops over, but I'm getting better at managing it in one go! I press my palms against the flange to both warm the adhesive and smooth out any creases and help it stick. Because it's closed, some air is always trapped, making it like a little pillow, full of air. I release the air by unrolling and then resealing the neck.
  11. Finally, I secure the left-hand side of my flange with a CliniMed HydroFrame flange extender. This stops that side from coming away from my skin after 24 hours.
All I then have to do is tidy up! 

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