There are ways to deal with stoma leakages to help prevent them and to make it easier if it does happen. Here are our tips for dealing with stoma bag leakages!

What to have in your bag:

• Spare stoma bag
• Accessories (for example, ESENTA Skin Barrier and ESENTA Adhesive Remover)
• Water bottle
• Dry wipes
• Disposable bags
• Spare clothing

Top Tip!

Pre-cutting your base plates will save you a lot of time, especially if you are in a rush, panicking or upset.

Stay calm!

Find a public restroom or an establishment like a pub, cafe or restaurant which has restrooms.

Top Tips for dealing with small cubicles:

• Space can be an issue in a restroom cubicle and you may need to think about how to use the space creatively - can you use the restroom cistern as a shelf or even the restroom roll dispenser to balance your supplies?
• Disabled restrooms are good as they usually have more room, a sink and places to put your supplies when getting ready to change
• Baby change rooms are also great as like the disabled restroom they also have the additional space

Take your time

Having a leak is horrible and you will want the whole experience to be over quickly, but try not to rush.

Take time to apply your new bag correctly and avoid another leak.

Seek advice

If you are getting repetitive leaks, then it could be a good idea to review your appliance, any accessories you use and your application technique with your stoma nurse.

Common causes for leakage:

• Stoma has changed size or shape since you last measured.
• Misalignment when applying appliance - so may not fit properly
• The skin has become irritated so adhesion has become poor
• The output is aggressive and therefore breaks down the adhesive sooner than expected.
• Not using a barrier spray or a barrier pad
• Gelling products can help ‘solidify’ output and therefore help avoid leakage and make it easier to empty.
• Empty your stoma bag regularly

If you would like to talk privately and confidentially why not speak to our team of expert lifestyle advisors? Call 0800 467 866 we are here to help.

Meghan Brown, @emc_brown

Meghan was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 13 years old. She is an exclusive Convatec wearer and loves our Mouldable Technology, ESENTA, Stomahesive^® and our new Esteem Body products!

At the age of 24, a colonoscopy revealed pre-cancerous cells in her colon and it was then she elected to have ileostomy surgery despite many reservations such as the fear she couldn’t get pregnant. Not only did Meghan’s quality of life rapidly improve since ileostomy surgery, her Crohn’s symptoms remain in remission. She is a proud mother of two beautiful children. But the start of her stoma journey was a difficult one where leaks and discomfort occurred on a regular basis due to competitor products she was discharged in. This is the story about how “Convatec saved her life”.