Saw my GI this afternoon. He wants to check my magnesium, potassium and sodium levels but other than that, he’s quite happy with how I’m doing. Unfortunately, the blood test lab is closed now so I’ll have to go back to the hospital tomorrow to have that done. Hopefully, my levels will come back fine.

I tried to use a plaster to hold the edges down but it didn’t really work too well; it stuck to the bag fine but didn’t stay stuck to my skin for long due to it’s placement (partly over my naval) as well as the heat. I just changed the bag the next day and the new one seems to be staying put. I hoping it was just a one-off.

Quite proud of myself for making it to and from town on my own and without my stick. I did a bit of clothes shopping for tops/dresses that would go nicely over my bag, found these two tops but decided to go for just the flowery one. I might go back and get the green later because it’s really comfy.

Dansac Novalife convex vs SenSuro Mio convex

So, I was having trouble with the flat SenSuro Mio bags where they would start to leak after only a days wear. I saw my Stoma nurse and, after looking at my stoma, she decided I would benefit from using a convex bag as my stoma had shifted and was now leaning to one side, meaning all the output was going onto one part of the bag and eroding it much faster than it was meant to.

The skin around my stoma was a little irritated which my nurse said could be because of the adhesive, so she gave me some samples of who different bags; the Dansac Novalife and the SenSuro Mio convex. I tried the SenSuro Mio first to see if it was the adhesive that was causing my skin to be irritated. We don’t think it was because it’s no longer as itchy or red when wearing the SenSuro bags so it was likely a combination of a heat rash (we’ve had a mini heatwave recently), the adhesive and the leakage causing my skin to become inflamed and itchy.

The bags themselves are much like the flat ones except they are a little heavier and stick out a bit more than the Dansac bags. They did take a little getting used to as well, as they have four little loops which you can attach a belt to if needed. Also, because the convex part is a lot thicker, it does sometimes look like there is a tiny bit of leakage when really it’s just a shadow. Other than that, I found them very comfortable and they seem to muffle any stoma noise quite well.

I’ve also tried the Dansac bags which, at first, I liked. However, after a little while, it became clear that they weren’t as good as the SenSuro bags. Don’t get me wrong, the adhesive is fine, it doesn’t irritate my skin and comes off easily, and the bag itself is very light. However, the opening is really weird; instead of having an extra bit on the underside of the bag, it just has an opening at the end with both sides being the same length. This made it harder for me empty without making a mess. Another thing that I didn’t like was that when the bag gets full (like at night), it doesn’t keep its shape as well as the SenSuro bags do and feels like it’s pulling on the skin a lot more than the SenSuro.

Overall, I prefer the SenSuro Mio Convex bags so I’ve asked for my prescription to be changed to them now.

Three days down and three to go. I’ve been taking my stick with me to work but not using it. Feeling a little tired, as usual, but I’m also a little proud of myself for being able to do the commute without the use of my stick. I guess I’ll see how things go next week without it but I’ll keep it with me just in case.

So I didn’t end up using my stick at all today. I was walking a little slower and was quite tired by the time I got home, but not in any pain which I think means I’m getting stronger. I’ll still take my stick with me to work next week but try not to use it unless I feel I need to.

I’m testing myself today by not using my stick on the way into work this morning. I’m still bringing it with me in case I need it on the way home but I’m hoping I won’t. It all depends how much moving around I’ve done during the day and how tired I am by the time I go home.