Help! My dad is in pain!

[ConcernedDaughter147]

Hello! Hopefully there will be someone out there that can help!

After going through hell a number of times, and nearly loosing my father every time, he received an ileostomy. He's finally able to eat and pass food again, which is a blessing! and the surgery has actually stuck to a certain degree (he keeps getting hernias even though he uses a hernia belt and they keep having to put him through surgery to fix it, but otherwise the surgeries are successes).

The problem is this: his skin is even more sensitive than mine. We're what I affectionately call "White Irish". To put it simply, even a shower with the wrong soap can make us break out in hives. I'm sure you can see where I’m going with this...

The skin under the thing that attaches the bag to him is red, sore, and constantly painful. Even though he's trying to treat the sore skin with creams after he removes it and before re replaces it, it's still a constant irritation and there are days where he is in such pain it's hard to watch. I've suggested to him to maybe try looking for a barrier type thing to put on his skin instead of the paste, but he's sceptical.

Is there anything out there that would help with the situation? I almost want to say to him to put on some of that "second skin" or "liquid bandage" stuff, or try to find a patch that has similar adhesive to those little things that they stick on you to give you an ECGs in hospitals (those things stick like nothing else, and I’ve had to leave them on for over a week and the only irritation I got was from the outside plastic rubbing occasionally).

He's only tried whatever it is his ET nurse has given him (honestly I don’t think she's that great because he's complained to her over the last year how much the skin hurts, but she hasn't provided a solution yet), and currently he is using a two piece system.

If anyone can also possibly provide help on what to do about the recurring hernias and the occasional stomach pains he gets when eating certain foods (he fears it wont pass, he uses fibre and sometimes laxatives, but I fear that using these things over the dozen years before he got the ostomy to pass food has made his body almost immune to them), would be very appreciated.

Thanks so much and hopefully someone out there can help!

[ConcernedDaughter147]

Thank you so very much! I really appreciate your suggestions and I'll be sure to pass them on to my dad! There are some really good people on here and I'm so grateful for all of you!

[mammo]

It's imperative that no stomach acid touch your fathers skin, because it is just that...acid and will eat the skin immediately.  The pad that connects his bag must fit snuggly, and also he must protect the skin during changes.  It's best to go to a local medical supply store where they have so much knowledge with this and can recommend what will help him.  If he tries something and it doesn't work he can return it and try something else.  But they are his best resource for this.  Your father should have no problems with passing stool, and if so I would suggest a stool softener.  I don't know anything about the hernias, but had two sons with colostomies and we went thru this until we learned how important it is to not allow a single drop of stomach acid to touch the skin.  Good luck to you both and take care.

[ggreg]

Here is a website that should perhaps explain how come your father's skin isn't doing too well where the ileostomy bandage is placed.
http://www.drugs.com/cg/ileostomy-care-aftercare-instructions.html

The things at that site that pertain to you father are how close the opening on the bandage should be to his ileostomy, and also how laxatives can create problems with the kind of waste that is going thu there, and then how often the bandage should be changed.

I got real sensitive skin, too, I have Scottish background, I have to wear pajamas inside out, that sort of thing.  I use Dove soap, Lubriderm lotion, and sometimes some baby powder.  Hydrocortisone cream at the drugstore overnight heals and reduces pain from any rashes I wind up with, I just try to keep it away from my eyes.

I cannot address the hernia issues he has.  But do a search of this community with the word "hernia" and see if anything related pops up.  And as for food, I believe the website I directed you to should have links to proper diet, sorry I didn't pull up one for you here.