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night time question for bag ladies & gents

EG-NJMason
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Here's the setup. I have a urostomy with a bag (on my right side where it belongs). I have a nighttime 2 liter on the floor, and a long tube connecting them

I sleep on my back (we'll discuss snoring in a separate post) with the tube fastened to my right leg just above the knee. The tube passes UNDER my left leg. I sleep on the left side of the beg.

Here's the question. Occasionally, i turn to one side or the other and the tube pulls off of the bag. This is, needless to say, less than desirable at 3 in the morning.

How do you all manage not to pull it apart when you're sleeping !

Thnx
Eric

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Ostomy Falls

21 replies

roadrunner

Eric,
I don't know if your willing to try this but my husband doesn't use the nite time bag at all, he gets up once, and empties,and he really snores as well,
he finds his bag doesn't need emptied but the one time, and he can roll over as much as he likes, he did the floor bag twice,and opted out,,,hope you find a solution,or give this a try...ginger

EG-NJMason

I will give it a try but I can drop a liter or more overnight easily !! Worth a shot, though !

loonym

I use a night bag and if yours is like mine it makes the connection with a little rubber tube forced onto a hose barb. Then the other end of the tube mates with a snap on connection to the regular hollister bag I wear all the time. I had occasional problems with it coming off the hose barb, and you're right, it's no fun. I use a bit of duct tape now on that and near where the snap connection is up higher I have a heavy rubber band and a good sized safety pin that I clip to my shorts, sweatpants, or whatever I happen to be wearing. Hope this helps.

EG-NJMason

I'm off to home depot.. Duct tape might be extreme :) but i have some ideas. Like replacing the rubber tube more frequently so it doesn't stretch out

I'll let you know

roadrunner

Duct tape,,,again to the rescue,,,and it comes in colors now....

EG-NJMason

Back from Home Depot. They have clear plastic tubing..7/16" Exactly the same size as the connector piece that stretches out and lets the stems fall out. Yhey don't have spring clips. Bummer.

Ordering it from the supply company. 2 $ for 2 inches.

getting from home depot..$6 for 20 feet. That seems worth it..I can replace that more frequently.

I still may have to go for the duct tape!

sunshine604

What kind of night collection bag do you use? I had the plastic bottle the ostomy nurses recommended for quite awhile, and the tubing kept coming off and the bottle turning over. Now I use the normal hospital collection bag (Kendall) - it's much lighter and moves around with me when I roll over.
I don't tape the tubing, just wear underpants to bed and it seems to work well at keeping the bag/tube in place. I did pull it apart one night when I was having a dream - it's on really solid now!
Eileen

loonym

The ones I use are by Kendall, as seen here... http://www.healthproductsforyou.com/ProductImages/largeimage/19220081331620 8_L.gif

EG-NJMason

YUP I use the Kendall.

The convatec jug does fall over and has a breathing hole in the top.. That's a lovely design til it falls over and all the urine runs out ! I shelved that unit til I find another use for it (I did lash it to the bed frame and that worked but I also find it cumbersome and makes a lot of banging noises !

I think part of the issue might also be that the tubing sorta 'sticks' to skin. If I roll over and it's against my leg. It doesn't slide past, it gets pulled and that disconnects the tubing (I really need to videotape my sleeping since I'm really just guessing at what happens when I'm unconscious !) I will also try wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and see if that helps at all. the tubing might slide a littl ebetter and not get hung up.

It would be easier to switch sides of the bed ! The bag on the left and the punch on the right just complicates things no end, I'm sure ! BUt then neither of us would sleep for a week getting used to the wrong side of the bed,

mendo_man

EG,

First thing, l moved from the left side of the bed to the right,( since our bag is on that side). l hang my night bag on the side of the bed and strap a Dale Foley Catheter Holder 316 to my leg, attach the tubing, running OVER my leg. l swear by this thing. l turn side to side without any problems or "suprises". lf you're not for some reason able to get this model cath holder, l would be happy to send you one as l have a few. lf you're able to try this, l think lt'll help. Good luck

Blaine

mendo_man

EG,
Forgot to add, l use a Bard 154002 night drain bag. Comes with a hook for hanging. This system works great for me.

Blaine

EG-NJMason

HI Mendo. I use the leg strap as well. I'm pretty sure the issues boil down to 2 things:
the little tube that connects from the stoma bag to the night time tube gets stretched and loses friction. That allows the hollister connector to pull out.

Second, the log tube must snag on my leg since the nighttime bag is on the left side of the bed.

I purchased some cheap tubing last night and that held up well. I asked my wife about changing sides of the bed and she suggested some new acrobatics I could try on myself and something about the horse I rode in on.

I forgot to try the PJ bottoms, that;'ll be next.

THEN I'll try the duct tape. Road runner..what color do you suggest ?

stan1000

I had a problem when I first started because the tube kept getting twisted and would slow or stop the flow. After some experimentation, I found that if I place the tube between my legs, checked to make sure the bag didn't twist, all was well. I don't fasten the tube to my leg at all and it has never come apart.

EG-NJMason

I had tried it without the leg strap. I was able to twist and pull so hard that the bg looked like a tootsie roll wrapper !! twisted both ends.

By the way, keep in mind that this really isn't all that bad. it only happens once in a while. But it's so much fun waking up and saying, "Oh, honey, I wet the bed."

Gnomic

Knock on wood but I haven't had any difficulty with the night bag other than once forgetting to check if the bag drain was off. (yuk) I sleep on right side with foley strap on right leg and leave plenty of slack. (That may be part of your problem, don't know.) Have always been a restless sleeper so sometimes the tube twists around legs but so far no major problems. The conversion tube from urostomy bag to feeder tube always twists so before I sleep I make sure the tube is not going to twist which can constrict flow. Am always concerned about the tube disconnecting but not a problem for me as yet. You probably just need to experiment a little more. BILL

edclme0267

My urostomy is on my right side. I sleep on the right side of the bed (lying on my back, my right arm is closer to the edge than my left). I connect my 2 liter bag to the Hollister pouch using the little snap-on clip. I attach the plastic clip (with the rubber band on the drain bag tube) to my pj bottoms at mid-thigh making sure that the pouch lies flat and straight. (BTW, when the plastic clip breaks, as it will, I replace it with a binder clip.) The tube goes over my leg and over the side of the bed to the bag. I hook the bag to the inside edge of a plastic bucket (secondary containment) and go to sleep. I have trained myself to sleep on my back or right side so the tube does not kink or pull off. Hope this helps. Godspeed, Ed

EG-NJMason

HI

Yea.. sleeping on the right side of the bed would help. I suppose I could just put my my head at the feet and my feet toward the head. Wifey is NOT swapping sides :)

I will have to try the clip thing. I haven't used it yet. (I don't wear pj's but I will try that tonight)

I do thank all of you for your input !

Eric

stan1000

After reading all the replies you got, I decided that the best thing you can do is get in touch with the ostomy nurse who works with your surgeon. I have found that mine was able to better solve any problems that arose. I think you have a connection problem with the equipment. It sounds like you are using the Hollister connector with a bag that is of another brand. I thinki the Hollister connector only works well with their bag, which is what I use.

ABCA

Have been using the Kendall (mono-flo drainage bag) for three years and have not had a problem. I put the drainage bag in a plastic bag in a waste paper basket by my bed. Then I hook up the bag to my ostomy bag. I sleep on my back or on my left side. No tape - just let the tube cross my abdomen, and down into the bag. I use the Hollister New Image pouch and floating flange, and always get a good nights sleep. Hope this helps. Good luck! Nancy

cliffw

My problem is my daytime bag. It is the largest I could find. My cariologist has me on diuretics which cause me to generate more than usual quanities of urine, depending on my liquid consumption. Frequently I need to empty every hour. This is a problem while traveling, attending the theatre, a movie, church, etc.
I am looking to purchase a leg bag but am not certain which kind. Any advice? Don't like the feel of plastic against my skin, how do they empty, attach to thigh or calf, what kind of fasteners, any specific product/manufacturer recommendations? I have called a couple of suppliers but their service representatives were of no help.

Thanks

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