Tips

THE LINER
You can change your Liner 4 – 5 times a day for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.
It is most important that you spread the liner from side to side so it lies flat in the pouch as shown in the instructions.
When removing the pouch, hold your finger on the wafer so that you will not loosen the wafer.

Do not forget to put the pin holes in the proper area so as to let the gas escape from the liner into the pouch. This will also allow your filter to stay clean between changes.
THE WAFER
You can purchase pre-cut, stoma size wafers from your dealer.

Stoma paste around the stoma hole is a good guarantee against leakage under the wafer. When applying the paste around the hole, lay the wafer over the edge of your table or counter top, turn the wafer around while holding the tube in one position and squeezing out the paste at the same time. This action will give a nice even layer around the hole. Always make sure your skin is thoroughly dry before applying your new wafer.

If you use the flexible wafer, cutting a 3/8 inch /\ shaped cut in each of the 4 corners of the wafer helps to reduce the wrinkles in the wafer when you apply the wafer to your body.

Shaving the hair around the stoma area and under the wafer can cause a rash, infection and in-grown hair in the shaved area. A few minutes with a good pair of tweezers to remove the longest and most stubborn hairs each time you change your wafer will eventually remove the hair permanently and save much pain and skin rash. Always make sure your skin is dry before applying a wafer.

DIET & ODOR
It is a fact that odor is caused by the conversion of materials in the diet into compounds which have a strong odor, the worst is caused by the decomposition of amino acid materials in the food during the digestive process. This is a natural part of the process, turning food into body fuels. There are many ways for colostomates and others to try to overcome this natural strong odor.

1. The use of odor reducing pills, taken internally or for use in the pouch.

2. Emptying the pouch and rinsing it out every time the bowel chooses to move, possibly 2 to 4 times a day, (a messy operation and risky when you are away from home). In a short time the pouch will take on the odor caused by the fecal matter it contains as will the wafer. Long periods of time between changes is risky and uncertain. This risk and uncertainty can be greatly eliminated by using the COLO- MAJIC® FLUSHABLE OSTOMY POUCH LINER which is designed for colostomates and possibly some ileostomates (a personal decision for them). The liner is the safest and easiest way to guard against offensive odors (just change it away in a couple of minutes).

FOOD
Before we start it is only reasonable to say that we are all different when it comes to food. Different strokes for different folks as it were. We should all be aware that some foods will create odors and we should really try to understand and avoid them as much as possible.

At the top of the list are, onions, garlic, certain sea foods and especially spices. Next are beans, peas, cabbage, turnips and broccoli. Then comes fish and eggs which are also heavy contenders.