What do those of you with adhesive allergies do (2024)

I have itching if output gets on the skin around stoma. It's uncomfortable isn't it? What helps me is spraying the skin around stoma (then drying with hairdryer) with a protective spray. I use 3M Nexcare No Sting liquid bandage (same ingredients as an ostomy spray but cheaper). Before applying new appliance. How often do you change? There's a great variation from every day to every week. Too often can irritate the skin. Good luck. Sorry you had a perforated colon. Been there done that. Not fun. Did you escape sepsis?

Nina

do you have any redness or rash under your wafer?

i have adhesive allergies and found when i was reacting to the wafer i would get red welted areas around the outer edge of it. while going through the testing phase to see if it was an allergy or not i would cut back part of the tape portion (just a corner or so) and put some hydrocortisone ointment on the red area to see if it cleared up. i would also take some benadryl to help with the itching. this seemed to help and clued me in that is was in fact an allergy to the wafer. my WOCN (wound ostomy continence nurse) confirmed this when i saw her as well.

when i started sampling other brands of wafers trying to find one i didn't react to, i would cut off a small corner of it first and wear it on my abdomen or the inside of my arm/wrist area to see if i reacted to it first. this saves your skin around your stoma while you're trying to figure it out. once you find a brand your skin tolerates, since you only cut off a corner you can still use the wafer.

i also found tapeless wafers work well and actually stay on much better than i thought they would.

many of us here find that we cannot tolerate most brands but can one particular brand. each of us are different in which brands work for us as well.

you can call all the manufacturers and get samples to try to try to find one that doesn't give you a reaction.

another possible cause of itching under the wafer are rashes. we are prone to getting yeast infections under our wafers as it creates the perfect environment (warm, dark, and moist) so when changing your wafer you want to make sure the skin is completely dry before placing your new wafer on. if you suspect that it may be a fungal rash you can dust the area with a nystatin powder (i use desenex powder for athletes foot) or ask your dr about an oral anti fungal treatment if the powder doesn't seem to help. i take pictures with my phone when i change my wafer so i can show the rash to my dr. that way he feels more comfortable about giving me the prescription for the oral antifungal treatment.

if there is any stool starting to leak under even just the inner edge of the wafer it can cause itching as well and you will want to change your wafer as it will create sores if left on your skin too long.

some people have reactions to the barrier rings also so if you are using one of the moldable rings under your wafer you may just need to change the brand of that.

do you have a WOCN to work with that can help you figure out the cause of the itching?

if not here is a link to find one near you. just type in your zip code where it asks and it will show you the nearest wocn.

sometimes they are not real close to us as they tend to be closer to and work out of the bigger hospitals where they have more need for them. i use to have to drive about 80 miles to mine but then found one closer within 45 minutes of where i live.

https://www.wocn.org/page/Nurse_Referral

In reply to Nina47's comment

Yes barely escaped sepsis. Luckily I was already in the hospital.

I change every two to three days but the itching and soreness are driving me crazy. My skin doesn’t have a rash or any thing that would indicate leakage

In reply to moosiemichelle's comment

In reply to kimmy05's comment

could just be healing still maybe? i know when my nerves are repairing themselves after surgery (can take up to a year) it will make it itch at the skin level but no visual reason for the itching.

sweating under the wafer can cause itching also.

The ingrediate thats in head n shoulders also comes in a spray and cream. I put that on my skin, then put no sting adhessive, finally put down tegaderm followed by wafer. Next i place tegaderm over wafer. This helps to make it waterproof. Finally i attach the bag.

I have severe adhessive allergy. When i first got ostomy i asked about allergy proof wafers. I was laughed at.

Ive had my ostomy mow for 15 months. I plan on keeping it as the problems that perforated my colon along with sepis are not going away.

Keeping it allows me to monitor my body as it lives.

Terri

In reply to Sandy-Colostomy's comment

Sandy, I assume you dry the witch hazel with hair dryer or something?

Nina

In reply to terri9869's comment

Kimmy,

I have had my colostomy since 2011 and also have issues with the adhesives. I found bags by a lesser known company, Marlen, work well for me. I do use original Head and Shoulders to wash around the stoma.

If you Google, Marlen ostomy supplies, you can see the catalog and request samples. However, they are a bit slow in responding. If you speak to a representative you might get quicker service.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Clara

In reply to Cb45's comment

In reply to RetiredGranny's comment

In reply to Nina47's comment