Common Issues

Pouch leakage is one of the concerns that patients with an ostomy have, alongside noise, odour and visibility of appliance. Adapting to life with an ostomy depends largely on the health of the peristomal skin. Skin irritation is reduced if the pouching system is fitted well and leakages are not occurring on a regular basis. Many people living with a stoma frequently have leakage problems and do not seek clinical support from an ostomy nurse.¹ For more information on pouch leakage, please speak to your ostomy nurse or reach out to our me+ support team.

Pancaking occurs when the stool accumulates at the top of the appliance around the stoma and does not fall down into the appliance. This is believed by many ostomy nurses to be due to a vacuum in the pouch. This subsequently results in the adherent seal of the appliance being compromised, resulting in leakage. Pancaking is recognized as troublesome within ostomy care, leaving many people with an ostomy feeling exasperated in trying to deal with this difficult problem. Ostomy nurses offer strategies to help alleviate pancaking. When strategies fail and appliances continue to leak - or require pouch changes due to risk of leaking, individuals often feel helpless, demoralized and quality of life can be damaged.

Nearly all closed pouches now have an integrated filter, the position varies from being somewhere across the top of the pouch to a third of the way down the pouch. Using a filter cover is another option that people with colostomies are often advised to try as another way of eliminating pancaking. Nearly all of the commercially available appliances are supplied with small bits of sticky material that can be placed over the filter, either intermittently or all the time. This enables the person with the ostomy to control when the filter is effective.² Please seek advice from your ostomy nurse if you have any issues with pancaking or speak to a member of our me+ team.

Ballooning occurs when air from the digestive system is trapped in the ostomy bag causing it to inflate. This has been shown to negatively impact user quality of life due to discomfort/sleep problems.³  ​Please seek advice from your ostomy nurse or speak to a member of our me+ support  team if you experience ballooning.

Skin health is one of the most common challenges following ostomy surgery, with over 30% of patients exhibiting peristomal skin complications within 90 days of surgery. The barrier adhesive is the foundation needed to maintain healthy skin. Our range of hydrocolloid adhesive technologies are proven to perform and designed to protect the skin around the stoma. 

Skin protection is the most important factor in our adhesive and skin barrier technology. Our hydrocolloid adhesives are designed for use in high-moisture environments and have decades of proven product performance.