United Ostomy Association, Inc.
Evansville, Indiana Chapter
Re-Route

 
Contents:

DEFECTIVE OSTOMY PRODUCTS
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SKIN
WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT MY COLECTOMY
WHEN CHEST PAIN IS NOT RELATED TO YOUR HEART
HELPFUL HINTS AND TIPS
CARTOONSVILLE

Re-Route Archive

Volume 26, Number 8  May, 1999

DEFECTIVE OSTOMY PRODUCTS

Finding a defective ostomy product is no fun. More often than not it tends to be a pouch whose leak does not show up until you have spent time and effort to get it installed and the contents have soiled your clothing. When possible, change your appliance and save the defective product. Using a felt-tip pen, mark the area where the problem is (clean the pouch of course first; use circles, arrows, etc. to mark the problem area.  Put the clean item in a plastic zip-lock bag, attach a note explaining the problem, and mail it directly to the manufacturer. (Postal Authorities will be most appreciative if you emptied the pouch before mailing, no matter how much you’d like to "get even" with the manufacturer, also the postage will be less. It is normally not a good idea to return a defective product to the place where you bought it. The vendor may not welcome you with open arms – he has better things to do – and may find it cheaper to just throw the item away or keep it on the shelf for months until enough items have accumulated to make a return shipment to the manufacturer cost effective. In the meantime, the manufacturer may continue sending out defective items without knowing it. For speedy action and to help prevent other ostomates from running into the same problem in the future, you’re better off going to the manufacturer directly. Remember, most manufacturer’s want to know if there is a problem with a particular product.

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PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SKIN : Hemet San Jacinto Ostomy Newsletter

Skin  problems thought to be due to adhesives are often due to physical skin injury.  The skin consists of two layers, the dermas and epidermis.  If tape is placed on the skin with tension, the constant pull on the outer layer can cause a strain on the bond with the lower layer.  This can cause irritation or blister.  The same effect will also take place if swelling occurs after an adhesive appliance is in place.  To prevent this, gently place adhesive products on the skin without tension.  In applying longer lengths of tape, apply from the center of the dressing outward to avoid stress on the ends of the tape. Damage may also be caused by rapid removal of tape.  If you adhere a piece of tape to a rubber sheet, you will find the tape pops off when you stretch the sheet.  The skin also has elastisity.  If you pick up a corner of the tape and stretch the skin away from the adhesive, trauma is reduced substantially. While the skin can withstand immersion in water for a few hours, indefinite exposure is harmful and so the area around the stoma should be protected against moisture.  Water-logged skin becomes sensitized and may eventually lead to the stoma equivalent to diaper rash. Redness may also be caused by chemical irritants trapped between the adhesive and the skin.  Usually the irritant is residual soap (Ivory is a known offender), skin preps that are not completely dry, deodorants , antiseptics  and   other skin coatings such as lotions and sunscreens. Chemical substances from within the body may also cause irritation.  Complex metabolic by-products from foods, drinks, and medications are constantly passing through the skin.  Everyone has his own personal collection of allergies caused by anything that enters their digestive tracts.  When these by-products are trapped under a non-porous tape, the increased concentration at the skin surface may cause a problem. Another source of irritation are pouch contents on the skin.  The enzymes present with the ileostomy do not know the difference between you and a piece of steak.  With a urostomy, alkaline high pH urine does the most damage.  Certain fluids such as cranberry juice will lower the pH and minimize the problem.  If a skin prep is used for protection, be sure to use non water-soluble type. The obvious way to eliminate or minimize chemically caused irritation is to thoroughly wash, rinse and completely dry the stoma area before tape application making sure all soap residue and other irritants are removed.  In most cases, using only plain water to clean the stomal area is the best approach.  The occasional use of a more porous adhesive such a Micropore will help if you have sensitive skin or if your skin needs a rest.

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WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT MY COLECTOMY By Don Korbin, Via: Santa Barbara CA Side Exit & S Brevard FL Newsletter

My colon was removed in March.  It’s REALLY gone.  I know, because my surgeon brought it to my hospital room during lunch one day – six and a half pounds in a glass beaker.  It looked like a brisket.  I wasn’t hungry. I opted for a continent ileostomy.  So now, I’m a kangaroo of sorts, except my pouch is on the inside.  Getting used to the new plumbing hasn’t been bad.  Considering the shape I was in before surgery.  I’d say this new system is better than the original, with one exception: It is not the stoma.  Mine is less than the size of a dime; it disappears beneath the briefest of swim suits; It’s not the diet;  I have no dietary restrictions.; Nor, is it physical limitation – I’m even contemplating cross-country skiing on Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor. No, it’s the operation’s effect on one of my favorite pastimes that I dislike.  I used to spend many quiet moments sitting in the bathroom.  Now, I don’t.  Dr. Koch’s efficient catheter system makes it unnecessary. A lifetime reading habit has been shattered.  THAT”s what I don’t like about my colectomy!!!

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WHEN CHEST PAIN IS NOT RELATED TO YOUR HEART  Mayo Clinic Health Care Letter, Via: GB  News Review

After a trip to the emergency room, you are relieved to know your chest pain is not your heart.  But there are other reasons for chest pain which should be evaluated. Several conditions may cause chest pain.  You may be evaluated for gastroesophageal disorders, anxiety disorders, chest wall pain and lung conditions.  Other causes of non-cardiac chest pain include pinched nerves or shingles (an infection of nerve pathways caused by the chickenpox virus).  Chronic pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia, can also cause chest pain. Other conditions which may cause pain to radiate to the chest include gallstones or inflammation of the gallbladder.  Rarely, cancer involving the chest or cancer that has spread from another part of the body can cause chest pain. If you experience chest pain, do not try to self-diagnose or ignore it.  Chest pain may not be very serious, but you will not know until you are evaluated by a physician.  Chest pain can result from a number of causes other than heart problems and since you cannot always determine that cause yourself, do not delay seeking medical attention.

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HELPFUL HINTS AND TIPS

Sometimes a large teaspoon of bulk gelatin dissolved in water or lemon juice will help firm up a loose stool.  It should be taken once a day. When ill with a virus and diarrhea, eat pretzels, it is something which can be kept down and salt is good for you to maintain liquid balance. If you use washcloths (as opposed to sponges) and you have arthritic hands, substitute thin, inexpensive ones instead.  They are easier to wring out. Always take your ostomy supplies to the hospital with you.  Designate someone else to do this if you cannot.  Let this person know where your supplies are.  If you have had serious medical problems, make up an emergency “bag” to be grabbed at the last minute.  When the ambulance arrives is no time to do this. Always remove the cotton from pill bottles after opening.  Once you touch the cotton, it becomes contaminated with bacteria.  Place that cotton in a bottle of peppermint oil (available at the pharmacy).  Make sure the bottle has a good stopper.  When changing your pouch, just remove the bottle top and pull some of the cotton out.  Works like an air spray and has a pleasant odor that does not pollute the air. If it looks as if you are allergic to a certain product, try one made by another company and patch test it too.  You will probably find one that works for you.  Allergies are not as common as is irritation caused by the faulty use of a product. For this reason, always read the directions that come with a product.  When in  doubt, consult your ET nurse or physician. For colostomates if you feel that the last of the discharge has not been disposed of after irrigating, blow your nose ten or fifteen times after you think you are through and before putting on your little pad.  You will usually get rid of the last troublesome matter.A couple of drops of mineral oil or spray of Pam on the inside of the pouch, spread around by rubbing the sides of the pouch together, causes the feces to drop to the bottom of the pouch and not stay around the stoma. Ileostomates in need of an antidiarrhea agent would do  well to consider Imodium rather than Lomotil.  Not particularly new, Imodium has become more and more the drug of choice in reducing volume of discharge in ileostomies and colostomies.  Its great advantage over Lomotil is that it contains no atropine and anti-cholinergic. Urostomates who travel may benefit by using two zip-lock bags (one inside the other) for night-time drainage.  A plastic wastebasket may be used to hold the makeshift container by taping the connector tube to the inside of the wastebasket.

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