Hi!

I'm a newbie who got a colostomy only 8 weeks ago.

I probably have a bunch of questions, but the ones bothering me right now are,

1) I'm scared each time I change a bag that I'm going to put the
new one on wrong.

For example, the instructions or what I was told at the hospital said
the hole in the part that touches the skin had to be A) big enough
not to touch the stoma, but B) small enough not let my output touch
my skin. I live alone and do this myself**. I don't see how I can
do them both perfectly. Which is more important, A or B? How
much bigger than the stoma should the hole be? If it can be, say,
a quarter inch bigger all around, without my feces ruining that
amount of my skin, why can't the hole be even bigger? **With the
help of the mirror that was in the kit.

2) What determines how long I can wear one bag before I have to
change it. They sent me home from the hospital with 2 boxes of one
piece bags. The visiting nurse said they had to be changed every 3
to 5 days. The Hollister "product use advisor" said every 5 to 7
days. And the surgeon said I could go up to 9 days.

What is the determining factor? When do I know I have to change
it? I get the feeling that it is mostly when the pink, cloth,
outer adhesive ring starts to detach from my skin. I don't mean when
a millimeter or two is detached -- that can happen within a day --
but when at some point on the circumference, the whole width of it is
detached, (all the way up to the "rubber" part***). I have to change
the bag before that happens, right? Or is there an earlier sign that
means it must be changed? Or is it based on time? ***which
sticks pretty well.

3) The instructions from Hollister said that I could take a bath
with the bag on!!! Really? A bath so deep the bag is under
water? After reading that and thinking about it for a few days, I
did let water get on the bag when I took a shower, and the result
seemed to be that the pink cloth outer adhesive ring started coming
unstuck from my skin earlier than usual. The same thing had
happened with previous bags, even when I didn't get anything wet, at
and near my belly-button, even after I shaved the area near the belly
button. The pink cloth didn't and doesn't seem to stick well where
it has to bend or stretch to get into my belly button. Is it all
right to use additional tape to tape the pink ring to my skin, so
that the bag stays on until the 5 or 7 or 9 days are up? If so,
what kind of tape works? I bought Nexcare "Absolute Waterproof
Tape" and it worked at first, but in following weeks, it didn't stick
more than 6 hours.


Thanks a lot for reading my post. I will really appreciate any help
you can give me.

Mike