For some, this appliance is the style worn for a lifetime; for others, weight gain, normal growth, and other factors may later on require a new or different style appliance. Don't continue using a recommended appliance if it is not satisfactory. Try different types until you find one that is both comfortable and convenient to use.
Sometimes a one - piece appliance will work better than a two - piece unit when: the patient's eyesight is poor or if their hands are shaky; the patient is a youngster who is just learning for him or herself; the new patient is depressed or uninterested and clearly will not be bothered with assembling anything; the stoma is flush with the skin a particular one - piece appliance offers the proper convexity in the face place for obtaining the best seal. Sometimes a two - piece appliance may be better when: the patient wants to put the face plate over the stoma first, which allows them to be sure that the stoma is correctly centered. (This is particularly helpful when the stoma is irregular in shape and the face plate opening has been tailored to fit); it is necessary to provide a very small face plate to avoid contours such as Scarring depressions, or high spots on or near the surrounding area. There are manufacturers who make appliances to meet those needs as well. A two - piece system may work better when you or the doctor want the pouch to be changed daily for cleaning. With a two - piece, this can be accomplished with ease, while the flange remains securely in place.
The need to keep your equipment spotlessly clean cannot be stressed too much. Bacteria will multiply rapidly even in the tiniest droplet of urine. The bacteria may travel up through the ureters and cause a kidney infection, or it can cause odor by acting on the urine.
It is important to empty your pouch at regular intervals. If you drink a lot of fluids, of course, you will need to empty the appliance more frequently.
Soooo - - How Do I Clean This Pouch?
If you are cleaning a drainable two - piece pouch for reuse,use warm, rather than hot or cold water. Cold water doesn't lift stool or urine as readily from the plastic and the pouch is less pliable. Hot water will cause the pouch to wear out faster and may increase the likelihood of odour. If you want to rinse the pouch while you're still wearing it, use a small squirt bottle to get the water in it, slosh' it around by holding the end and let things empty into the toilet.
Unless you have no option, it's best to remove the pouch entirely for cleaning. A bit of ordinary dish detergent with warm water, or, if bacteria is a concern, a bit of white vinegar mixed with water will do the trick. Fill the pouch with the warm water/soap/vinegar solution and slosh it by hand over the toilet, drain and repeat as necessary. It's not recommended that you wash these things in the sink - - the drains are usually too small to handle this sort of waste and the result will not be hygienic. Once you have things reasonably clean, you can hold the pouch under the bathtub faucet and let it rinse. Tub drains are larger and so long as you let a good fl flush of water follow, and scrub the bathtub on a regular basis (which you do anyway, right?) your bathroom will not smell. Baking soda in the wash water and down the drain is an excellent deodorizer.
You can hang the wet pouch by the ring on a hook to dry or just leave it fl at on a towel and it will be ready for use the next day. The inside doesn't have to be bone dry for use, but the outside and ring should be. A lot of products have a thin fabric covering on them - - nice against the skin when dry but very uncomfortable if damp. Make sure that part is dry before putting it back on.
