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What Effect Would A Wet Wipes Ban Have On Ostomates?

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You may have seen the news recently and the talk of the Government banning wet wipes.  With the current focus on the environment, recyclable products are much more in favour at the moment.  Wet wipes contain non-biodegradable plastics, are single use and cannot be recycled.  Despite warnings on the packet, they are still flushed down the toilet and account for over 90% of material sewage blockages according to Water UK*.  

Much of the focus in the media has been on parents – one of the biggest uses of wet wipes tend to be when changing a child’s nappy and cleaning mucky hands and faces.  But as an ostomate it made me wonder what we would do, should this ban come into fruition.  

Stoma Bag Changing Routine

I generally change my bag every evening when I have my shower.  Not all ostomates change this often but I get sore skin if I leave my bag on for too long.  My general routine involves:

  1. Cut my new bag to size and get out all the things I need
  2. Remove stoma bag using adhesive remover spray
  3. Clean the area with a wet wipe
  4. Use an adhesive remover wipe to remove any bits of the adhesive from the bag stuck on skin
  5. Clean the area again with a wet wipe to remove any fonal traces of output and adhesive remover
  6. Dry well with a dry wipe
  7. Spray ostomy barrier spray
  8. When dry, place clean bag over stoma and press down firmly
  9. Attach baseplate extenders if required

Check out mine and Ste’s STOMA BAG CHANGE RACE on YouTube

Using Wet Wipes During A Bag Change

The wet wipes I use during a bag change are provided by my delivery company, Bullens.  I have also used baby wipes before, although some people don’t suggest this.  My wipes are not flushed down the toilet, I dispose of them in the rubbish bag with the rest of my waste. 

I recently ran a poll on Twitter to see what other people used to clean their stoma during a bag change.

Just over half of all the ostomates who responded to my poll use some form of wet wipe – either a baby wipe or one of the complimentary wet wipes provided by their stoma su[pplies delivery company.

   

There were some great points made relating to the poll including:

  • Baby wipes aren’t always ideal for use around the stoma site as they can leave residue
  • Different things affect people’s skin differently and what wiorks for one may not work for another
  • Check the wipes you are using are meant for the skin and not bathroom surfaces – many of these contain bleach
  • Trio Heathcare recommended using their adhesive remover wipes over baby wipes.  Order your sample here

So What Can We Use Instead?

Luckily there are lots of different things we can use to clean our stoma area.

Dry Wipes

I use dry wipes to dry the area around my stoma after cleaning.  These can also be used damp to clean the area.  As there are no chemicals used, this can help prevent sore skin and residue that means your bag will not stick properly

Adhesive Remover Wipes

Use these to help remove any sticky residue from the bag baseplate without having to scrub which can irritate the skin.  You could also use the adhesive remover spray with a dry wipe if preferred

Reusable Soft Cloths

I found these cloths in Primark and they were really inexpensive.  I use them to wash my face and to remove my makeup.  They are super soft though and could be used damp to clean your stoma area, before being placed in the wash to reduce waste.

Shower

I like to remove my bag before I shower so I can give my skin some bag free time.  Rather than cleaning the area before you get ihn, you can use the shower to clean the area around your stoma.  Warm water is recommended as it does not contain anything which could irritate your skin.  Do not use any shower gels too close to your stoma, as this may cause irritation or prevent the bag from sticking due to the residue they leaves behind.

No Need To Panic!

The media are very accomplished at causing panic but I really don’t think there needs to be one about this!  For both ostomates and parents there are many alternatives, and it would be great for companies to start coming up with more environmentally friendly options for us all, this may give them the push they need.  

I hope you enjoyed reading my post and the alternatives to wet wipes will be useful to you.  I would love to hear what you use in the comments and if there is anything I should add to my list

You can see more of my posts over on my blog – The Spoonie Mummy

*Reference – https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/wet-wipe-ban-uk-opportunity-end-flushaway-culture/

 

The post What Effect Would A Wet Wipes Ban Have On Ostomates? appeared first on talkhealth Blog.

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What would count as a “cure” for eczema?

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A commenter on my most recent post took me to task for being too pessimistic about the possibility of a cure for eczema appearing in my lifetime. (For the record, I’m 41, so that means within the next 40 years.)

This raises a good question: what qualifies as a “cure”? And who cares?

You know if you care. You’re an adult who lives with severe eczema, or the parent of a severely affected child.

I propose that a cure be defined as a therapy that doesn’t take that long to apply and relieves the symptoms to less than a quarter of what they were to begin with. (Take your pick of how to measure it; how about SCORAD?)

A cure would take less than 10 minutes out of your day, and you could wear a swimsuit to the beach.

Most likely a cure would take the form of a drug or biotherapy (e.g. antibody) administered as a pill, cream, or injection. It would be OK if the cure took a whole day to administer, as long as you only had to do it once a year. That would work out to about 10 minutes per day.

Intense, complicated therapy like the National Jewish Health regimen—moisturizing, wet wraps, special diet, and a team dedicated to your personal health, may work for a small number of people for a limited time, but is too expensive and impractical to count as a cure.

What about “partial” cures? Eczema is a complex disease with many aspects that affect each other: skin barrier, allergies, itch, psychology. What if we discover an agent that relieves allergies or turns off itch? Would that count as a cure?

I think it would—if it took a patient less than 10 minutes a day to apply, and they could wear a swimsuit to the beach.

In following posts, I will explore why such a cure will likely NOT happen within the next 40 years—and then I will explain why it COULD happen in the next 40 years.
End Eczema

Would you call these healthy food choices?

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A couple of weeks ago, my 6 year old daughter brought a letter home from school.  It was one of those promotional letters that so often make it into school bags.  This time it was a Department of Health leaflet promoting healthy eating via their ‘Change 4 Life’ campaign.  Now although we do have lots of treats in our house, food is something that we take quite seriously, as we have a history of severe eczema and food allergies.  So when Miss T asked if she could send off the form at the bottom of the leaflet, I was very proud of the fact that she was taking an interest in what foods she should be eating to stay healthy.

The idea behind this particular promotion is to make it easier for your family to choose healthier options.  They send out money off vouchers so that you can start swapping your unhealthy food habits for more healthy alternatives.

A week later Miss T was very excited when she got back from school and found a letter personally addressed to her.  Ripping it open she pulled out the letter and the attached money off vouchers.  As she can read quite well now I asked her to tell me what they had sent us.

Looking a little puzzled she said, “Mummy I think they have sent us the wrong things!”

Our money off vouchers

Wondering what she was talking about I took a look at the vouchers.  Here is the list of ‘healthy alternatives’ that we received money off vouchers for:

  • 600ml of Pepsi Max
  • Uncle Ben’s microwave in the pot snacks
  • Robinson’s Fruit Squash
  • Flora Light margarine
  • A tin of sweet corn

Ingredients for Pepsi Max:

U.K Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Colour (Caramel E150d), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Phosphoric Acid, Flavourings (Including Caffeine), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Citric Acid.Contains a source of Phenylalanine.

Now I realise that they are trying to promote a diet with a lower sugar and fat content but REALLY?!!!  This is such a dumbing down of a ‘healthy’ diet it makes me very sad.  How can they honestly promote Pepsi Max as a healthy choice?  Why is there no money off fresh foods with maybe a link to a quick and easy recipe?  Aiming this promotion at primary school children and their families and then implying that these are healthy choices just seems absolutely bizarre.

To be honest I’m not that keen on a ‘low fat’ option anyway, especially when it’s aimed at children.  Admittedly there are good fats and bad fats, but the fat in food makes you feel fuller and so it takes you longer before you are hungry again.  Certain fats are important for everything from making hormones to absorbing fat-soluble vitamins.  When manufacturers strip fat from foods to make them ‘low fat’ they are usually left with quite a tasteless product.  So what do they do?  They add more sugar so that the food is palatable.  So in fact many low fat foods actually end up containing the same, if not more calories than the ‘normal’ version.

I do really appreciate that this promotion is aimed at families who may not be making the right food choices, which can be for many reasons – from lack of money to time constraints and that these vouchers are there to help us all make a step in the right direction towards making healthier choices.  It would have just been so much nicer to have seen this opportunity being taken to promoting fresh, REAL food.


 

 

 

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As a reader of eczema blogs, I wondered what you wanted to know most about my eczema journey. Is it about products? Is it about my diet? Is it my go tos for different types of eczema? Clothes? Feeling self-conscious?  There are so many aspects to eczema that it would be great to get your … Continue reading →
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