kaberett | [medical] notes on a training stoma bag (Reply)

[Passing references to nudity.]

Installation

The most confusing part was the instructions for installing the prosthetic stoma. Happily, should I need to do this in reality The Stoma Will Be Provided.

This did not require me to cut to a template, and the mock stoma was for an end rather than a loop ileostomy i.e. more straightforward.

I will want to remember that I don't get to adjust the angle the thing hangs at once the adhesive's been activated.

Daily life

Overall remarkably smooth.

Surprised by the moment of body horror on peering through the viewing port and seeing the mock stoma. Glad to have got that experience in advance of reality.
Biggest problem during a full standard-for-me Pilates session was that the prosthetic stoma, while somewhat squishy, was definitely also solid enough to be a Noticeable Protuberance. Otherwise everything was secure and non-leaky despite containing The Thickened Liquid and me doing e.g. Swan Dive on it.
Cycling to allotment and doing some weeding (in squat): basically totally fine, but (at least when wearing the navy trousers) tugged on the top edge of the bag enough to start the top edge of the adhesive pulling away/getting squished, and caused a little irritation to the immediately underlying skin.
Sleeping: I found it remarkably unbothersome and A did not complain either (using the covered pouch).
Leggings, pyjama bottoms and navy trousers all fine for positioning waistband above the top of the bag given where I'd positioned the mock stoma (according to instructions). Reality of this obviously dependent on stoma nurses + surgeon, but tentatively promising, I think.
Zero leakage throughout all of these activities, many of which are Decidedly More Vigorous than I'd expect to be doing in the short term post-surgery. Some liquid had made its way partway down the spout when I came to unfold it, but really definitely not enough to be of concern.
Only practised emptying it the once. Got enough of The Effluent on my hands, and had a difficult enough time wiping the spout down, that I was extremely glad the Test Contents were not noxious. There is definitely also going to be A Knack to getting it to empty in a fashion that is not "dribs and spurts", or at least I hope the answer isn't "sad jiggling". Did this in a half-squat and will need to come up with a better approach if the plague fatigue keeps up, but that is a problem to solve once I, you know, can optimise for the soma site I actually have.
Showered immediately before removal. Patting dry did not work as well as One Might Hope, so, uh, budget for drying time if wanting to put clothes on over the top.

Removal

... oh No the supplied adhesive-removal wipes are Extremely. Peppermint.
DO NOT do this immediately after a shower or other endampening, wow, the hydrocolloid goes REALLY texturally unpleasant. The book warned you!!! AND YET.
Don't want to be picking horrid crumbs of hydrocolloid out of your pubes? UNDERWEAR.
... just... try to not have body hair on your stomach. basically.
To my utter astonishment, I think skin integrity was basically not compromised at all, after 48 hours, despite not having cleaned the area before sticking things to it??? Hurrah for hydrocolloid misc. (Half an hour after removal I've got a tiiiny patch of red skin around where the upper edge of the adhesive was, which is consistent with the various things I noticed irritating that in specific.)