Pouch emptying is nasty

How do you guys empty your pouch without getting a little poo on your hands? I roll up the collar but I still find it dirty. I use baby wipes periodically but the whole process is gross.

Oh and nothing prevents splash back ugh. I don't want to use my whole roll.

First of all the cleanest and easiest bags to empty are coloplast sensura. They have a tab that velcro open so there's no rolling or anything. Second, sometimes splashback just happens. All you can do is aim for the part of the toilet before the water and pray. I think cleanliness comes with practice. I was messy when I first got my stoma and used to find the need for wet wipes too. Now I'm pretty neat and usually get away with one chunk of tp.

I use Coloplast Sensura pouches and I never have a problem with cleaning. Try to see a photo or video on how they work and you'll see why. Or even asking coloplast for samples

Splashes are a challenge too. I empty against the wall of the bowl (if that makes sense) above the water line.

I like coloplast and just ordered some but still find I need to wipe a bit so nothing seeps out. I do aim for the non water part of the toilet too.

I hate the bags with the clip because those keep knocking my groin.

nogutsnoglory said:

I like coloplast and just ordered some but still find I need to wipe a bit so nothing seeps out. I do aim for the non water part of the toilet too.

I hate the bags with the clip because those keep knocking my groin.

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What I do is wipe the top of the outlet clean, then I roll up some toilet paper into something that I can stick inside the top 3 inches of the outlet then I take that out and wipe the top of the outlet one more time.

Works great and I never have an issue with seeping or smells.

Place a piece of toilet paper in the bowl and aim for that. It helps a lot with splash back. For cleaning I prepare two pieces of toilet paper and clean folding the toilet paper so there is at least two layers between the stool and my hand.

What about unrolling the collar? Even though I clip it somehow the collar is gooey or kinda gross to unfold.

Also, any tips on not having the clip smack your groin? I put the pouch on an angle but still have ball or thigh pain if the clip presses into me.

As you know, I've only had my stoma a couple of weeks, so it's all still new to me, but I've not found this a problem at all.

The stoma nurse told me I could stand or kneel in front of the toilet to empty it, however, for the sole reason that I was feeling so ill from the surgery I didn't want to stand, I took to sitting far back on the loo and emptying it between my legs. It doesn't seem to splash at all? There's often mess around the pouch opening once it's emptied - quite a bit - so I grab a wad of toilet paper, swipe most of it off and drop the toilet paper between my legs straight into the toilet. Then when there's only a little left on the pouch, I get a baby wipe, clean it thoroughly with that, dry it with some more dry toilet paper, and it's done. (And I make generous use of my new lovely smelling air fresheners/deoderisers while I do it.)

I was told I could change the bag every three days, but the insides starts looking a bit manky - or perhaps it's just my imagination, but after two days I feel like I need a clean one and change it.

Of course, you could always do what the nurses in the hospital do - wear disposable gloves. When I was too sick to get out of bed, the nurses would tuck a small sheet of paper - the kind that they put on beds to protect mattresses of incontinent patients - into my knickers to keep them clean, they pin up the end of my nightie with a clothes peg so that only my chest was covered by the nightie, put on their gloves and empty it there on the bed, into a disposable bowl. No mess. (I guess since protecting your modesty isn't an issue when you're on your own, you could just strip off entirely, to ensure that any splashes or spills can be easily washed away.)


I honestly find it so easy - I guess I've been incredibly lucky. BTW I'm using coloplast bags.

To avoid the clip... I use the closed bag that are intended for colostomy I believe.
I understand you need to have a behaving stoma to use that alternative as that can put anyone at risk for accident. I unclip the bag at the top and empty that way, holding the piece that clip but is on the bag. Based on the fact the stoma is not hyperactive, I take a paper, hold it there while I empty from the top. It takes practice, at first this is worst than the unrolling thing but on the long run, I prefer this way. I too did not appreciate cleaning the inside out of the conventional ileostomy bag and I don't like the clip/roll up effect, it always ends up irritating me.

I use plastic gloves when i empty my bag :blush: If i don't, there will be poop all over my hands. I do have colostomy and my poo is thick and i have to squeeze it out there with force, lol Then i wet a little toilet paper and clean inside the "tail" and then dry it with toilet paper.

Jimena, have you tried "oiling" your bag? I have no clue if it actually works has I have an ileostomy and don't have that issue, but I figured it could possibly work fine!
Might worth a try?

Jimena safe & simple deodorant gel really helps get remainder poo out of the pouch. I would give you the product # but I'm away from home now.

Thanks everyone for your tips. I may just use gloves but being I empty 15 times a day my garbage fills up fast.

nogutsnoglory said:

Jimena safe & simple deodorant gel really helps get remainder poo out of the pouch. I would give you the product # but I'm away from home now.

Thanks everyone for your tips. I may just use gloves but being I empty 15 times a day my garbage fills up fast.

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Good luck! 15 times is a lot. How come?

I use that one deodorant, i can't remember the name but it's oily. It helps for the first emptying but i think i have to add it more to the bag cos second emptying is'nt so easy anymore.

NGNG, i use same gloves mayby for a week. I rinse them when i am done and let it dry over the garbage pin

Splashback is more of a problem in the US than it is in the UK because our toilets have a lot more water sitting in the bowl at all times.

I rinse mine out with a water bottle when I empty if I'm at home..much cleaner this way. When I'm not at home, I use a big wad of paper to wipe out the majority of the muck around the opening and then a second smaller wad of paper to do a second wipe out.

I have had success with the M9 deodorizer, but it seems that most people here don't like it. I probably use twice as much of it than what the directions say, but I do like it. As for lubricants in the bag, I've only tried one, a sample from Coloplast I think, and it worked quite well. I haven't used any since then, however, since my output is usually thin liquid anyway.

2thFairy said:

I have had success with the M9 deodorizer, but it seems that most people here don't like it. I probably use twice as much of it than what the directions say, but I do like it. As for lubricants in the bag, I've only tried one, a sample from Coloplast I think, and it worked quite well. I haven't used any since then, however, since my output is usually thin liquid anyway.

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M9 works fine, but the Coloplast Brava drops lubricate and give the contents a mild "soapy"smell, which is pleasant.

Jimena said:

I use plastic gloves when i empty my bag :blush: If i don't, there will be poop all over my hands. I do have colostomy and my poo is thick and i have to squeeze it out there with force, lol Then i wet a little toilet paper and clean inside the "tail" and then dry it with toilet paper.

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You should try the liners I use...you just put the liner inside your bag, and whip it out and flush it when it's full. Easy, clean, and I've never gotten poop on me. And they're great for when you're out. No need for water or anything. They're the best thing I've ever bought for my stoma. They are a bit pricey and I'm not sure if insurance covers them or not. I find it well worth the cost though.

http://www.colomajic.com/colo-majic-liners/

I rinse mine out with a water bottle at home too. Seems to keep the bag in nicer shape longer. Not as stained and dirty looking. I get 5 days wear out of a one piece and from what I hear that's pretty good. I also tend to kneel on the floor to empty at home. The closer to the water the less splash I think. When I'm out I use a wad of tp in the water to stop the splash and just wipe the end out really well. I don't care about wasting public toilet paper.

nogutsnoglory said:

Jimena safe & simple deodorant gel really helps get remainder poo out of the pouch. I would give you the product # but I'm away from home now.

Thanks everyone for your tips. I may just use gloves but being I empty 15 times a day my garbage fills up fast.

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Wow - 15 times?! You poor thing! I empty mine about three times a day - I could get away with less, as I empty it when it's about half full. My stoma seems to produce absolutely nothing all day (at first I kept worrying it wasn't working, as it hadn't worked straight after the surgery for a couple of weeks), then it fills to about half full a couple of times during the evening. I sleep all night without emptying it and there's hardly anything in the bag in the morning. Is it because you still have active Crohn's in your remaining bowel that yours fills so much?

I'd also wondered about toilet design influencing the splashing - I remember the toilets in the US, where I went on holiday some years ago (didn't have a stoma then of course), being different to those here in the UK. I also seem to recall when I visited Holland even more years ago that the toilets were different there again too. Glad I'm not planning any more overseas trips!

I'm not sure if it's active crohn's or not that's causing such high output, most likely because I'd have diarrhea constantly before surgery and pooped my clothes constantly. Hopefully my new treatment will slow things down.

nogutsnoglory said:

I'm not sure if it's active crohn's or not that's causing such high output, most likely because I'd have diarrhea constantly before surgery and pooped my clothes constantly. Hopefully my new treatment will slow things down.

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Good luck.

I used the velcro type I would carry a water bottle with me everywhere and when I get into the bathroom I fill it up, go into the stall squat down close to the toilet and emoty, then wash the bag out with water being careful not to get the stoma too wet so it didnt effect the seal. I was usually able to get the bag very clean with one bottle of water had a 7 day wear time too, No wipes. Just the way I did it when I had mine.

I switched to the closed pouches because I kept grossing myself out every time I ended up touching poop. Bags with clamps poked my thigh. Then I switch to the Velcro tried the water bottle thing to rinse out the neck, toilet paper wipes the whole 9 yards. Now I only use the open end Velcro ones when I'm sick and I have to empty more often, but I found a portable bidet thing that attaches to the toilet and you can adjust the amount of water pressure, but I love it because you can use as much water as you need the water bottle never seem to be enough to clean it all out. Yes, you still end up with a little bit on your hands sometimes, but then I use the gloves. I just wish I would've found this thing before my surgeries because it would have really helped all the burning etc. when you're so raw that you can't even wipe without screaming nothing like some cold water to clean and cool you off. Oh yeah also tried the plastic insert bags pocking the holes on the sides and trying to pull it out was too difficult for me still have some left over might try it again.

Found a good trick to prevent splashback. If you want to stand and empty or even kneel or sit you get your pouch ready to empty hold the tip and flush the toilet and release. As the water goes down it's not splashing back much. The downside is you need to double flush but it helps me so far.