Emptying Appliance

• By HappyS (Inactive)
• Reply 3369137
• September 12, 2012 at 11:55 am
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Hi Holly,

To an extent it depends on the type of bag. I tried one where the ends were of an uneven length and had the problem you describe. I use Convatec Natura unroll the tail "Milk" the contents of the bag down and out the tail - milk that to make sure it's empty then use a piece of toilet paper to clean the end roll up and wash hands. I'm sure others have variations on this. Some stand, others sit. At home I sit - out I stand but put paper in first to stop the splashes.

*By Milk I mean squeeze between fingers to expel the contents.

• By hrcamacho
• Reply 3369150
• September 12, 2012 at 11:59 am
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That's what I've been doing. Seems like I just make a huge mess. As somewhat of a germaphob, I'm having real issues with stuff on my hands. Using gloves everytime is not financially an option or practical. I guess I just need more practice.

• By ileovicky (Inactive)
• Reply 3369183
• September 12, 2012 at 12:13 pm
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Hey,. First thing is to stand with the bag hanging freely and let the contents drop. Manpulate if you must.. If your'e using the clip closure try cuffing it. Roll it as far back as it is clean. Then let the contents out. Milking if necessary as above. Some have mentioned putting oil in the fresh bag to allow free movement. I carry a small water bottle (dysani) to rinse out the residue, that kinda cleans the tail, Then Tissue dry the inside of tail , et voila. Hope you find the way that best suits you soon. :)

• By ileovicky (Inactive)
• Reply 3369191
• September 12, 2012 at 12:15 pm
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oh, And the external tail wipe,.. Fold 2-3 layers of tissue in a square. Lay the wet tail Half way on it, Fold over and Squeeze pull. That wipes the outside and sort of squeegies out the excess fluid before you tissue dry the inside flap. :) ..

• By Whzbang
• Reply 3369357
• September 12, 2012 at 1:19 pm
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Something I did early on was purchase a couple of Simply Human brand motion sensor soap dispensers for my bathrooms. Not cheap, but very worth it to me, as it made clean up more efficient. I always seemed to have a little poo under fingernails or one hand after cleanup, so not having to touch the soap dispenser is nice.

• By Jandersonmom2
• Reply 3370224
• September 12, 2012 at 7:53 pm
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I keep a bottle of water, unroll bag, empty out contents, put some water in the bag and pour this out while sitting on toilet. Then I use baby wipesonend of bag to cleaned. When I tried just toilet paper I made huge messes and it took me forever to clean it out. This works for me very well and I haven't had issues with bag being damaged from the water. Hope this helps.
Joanna

• By dollyme (Inactive)
• Reply 3370310
• September 12, 2012 at 8:31 pm
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You said you were some what of a germophobic Holly! You should see me I look like I am dealing with a flesh eating disease. I have rubber gloves mounds of toilet paper spray for the smell. I do not wear scrubs. lol
It is the hard part for me emptying the bag I love to change it. So nice to have a nice clean bag on. Then mounds of poo come to ruin it. lol
I am 11 months out of surgery and it is still hard to deal with the mess.
God bless
Dolly

• By alan41241
• Reply 3371203
• September 13, 2012 at 8:10 am
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I don't quite understand what you guys are talking about, actually. I kneel in front of the toilet, open the end of the pouch, let contents out into the toilet, squeeze the pouch to get the last bit out, roll end back up, make sure the velcro has worked properly, flush. That's it. No mess, no problem. Do I get some on my hands sometimes? Yes, but I see it as just a part of me. No big deal.
Blessings,
Alan

• By debleerl
• Reply 3371244
• September 13, 2012 at 8:26 am
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Holly,

Do as Happy and Vicky say. You will get the hang of it eventually and not get messy hands anymore (at least not very often). I've been doing this for so many years that I can do it in the dark. I hate turning on the light when I get up during the night; when I do I can't get back to sleep.

I think you are doing remarkably well for a beginner. Keep up the good work and good attitude.

Hugs,
Debbie

• By JZDad
• Reply 3371289
• September 13, 2012 at 8:43 am
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I tried the drainable pouches and had the same mind set about emptying. My solution was to give up and go to the disposables. Started with the 9 inch and progressed down to the 7 inch. Good days I can just take off and dump on bad days I just throw out because it is yuck and put a new one on. My insurance covers 60 pouches a month and 10 wafers.

Hope this helps.

• By Marjorie-Ann
• Reply 3371992
• September 13, 2012 at 12:21 pm
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JZDAD, What kind of pouches are you using?

• By JZDad
• Reply 3372334
• September 13, 2012 at 2:18 pm
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Hi Marjorie-Ann

I am currently using the Hollister 2 1/4 inch product number 18393. My situation made the drainables not a viable option.

• By Marjorie-Ann
• Reply 3372426
• September 13, 2012 at 2:56 pm
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Thanks. I use Coloplast closed pouch. I find that some good days I can use one bag for several days depending on how my output is. Otherwise, if I am out and about, I just throw them away in the little blue bag that comes with the pouches. Sometimes I would like to see if their are better options!

• By JZDad
• Reply 3372521
• September 13, 2012 at 3:34 pm
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I hear you and also waiting for that magic answer. My routine sounds very similar to yours. At least its nice to know I'm not the only one believes there is a better way. Those good days it is not even really a bother but those bad days I believe there has to be something easier/cleaner.

• By illeocaregiver
• Reply 3373825
• September 14, 2012 at 12:53 am
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When i drain my husbands pouch im right-handed so i use one glove. I started using gloves on both hands but found out i dont need one on my left hand. Its always my right hand that gets messy. Before i close the end, i put one LARGE cottonball in, put a couple drops of water on it, and roll it back and forth across the opening and it absorbs all the residue at the end. It is really fast and cleans better than toilet paper. Try it, youll like it.
Carey

• By holsworthy
• Reply 3374218
• September 14, 2012 at 8:13 am
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I had trouble keeping things clean until I discovered that kneeling in front of the toilet with the bag actualy over the bowl was the answer for me. I am 76 and have an artificial knee so it makes things a little more difficult, but for comfort I purchased a kneeling pad from my garden centre. I carry in my emergency bag, which I take on any journey, a cut down version so that I can kneel in a public toilet if necessary. The problem that I still have and no one seems to know the answer, is why is it that I can go three or four days without needing to change my base plate and then for no reason I have to change it at least once a day for several days before it goes back to normal. Nothing to do with diet as I eat the same (boring) food all the time, which I have learnt to trust. Roger

• By herbsgal70
• Reply 3374245
• September 14, 2012 at 8:22 am
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I use the Convatec with the velcro end closing. I keep a container of flushable wipes on the back of the toilet and pull one out before starting to empty. I stand up facing the toilet - with the seat still down in case of splashing up, get about 4 sheets of toilet paper ready to drop in the bowl to keep down splashing after I undo the velcro - holding it up to keep from emptying before I am ready. After draining the pouch - milking it like suggested above - I wrap the flushable wipe over the end and squeeze out any mess close to the end. Then I open it and either use the wipe, or a couple of sheets of folded toilet paper to clean out the end and as far down as I can reach. This leaves it clean to roll up and fasten the end again. I don't get any on my hands, except for an occasional just spot, which I clean off immediately with toilet paper. All done, and I use a nail brush to scrub my hands and nails, just in case. I follow all up with a spray of Febreze to get rid of any odor that may linger in the bathroom. My husband is usually in bed before I get through with my nightly bedtime routine, and he told me that the odor travels all the way to the bed if I don't spray! After a while I hardly notice it myself, so I am glad he told me. Hugs from Marge

• By barbqman
• Reply 3378864
• September 15, 2012 at 10:36 pm
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I fold paper towels into squares. I then fold 1 more time. I keep some on the top of toilet and carry 3 or 4 in pocket. I pull and double about 3 feet oft. And lay in toilet for splashing. I then drain bag milking as necessary. Then I sandwich with folded paper towel. I then make 2 folds with same paper towel. I insert end of pt and wipe in one direction then insert the other end and wipe the opposite way. Works good. Email me for more info or conversation. shuumaan1@yahoo.com