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Ostomy bag at night
My mother in law had her bladder removed about a month ago and at night she has trouble sleeping because she uses a “bucket” rather than her ostomy bag. The drainage tube goes from her bag to the container so she can’t really roll over. It makes it very hard for her to get a good nights sleep. Also when she is laying down the bag does not see to drain well, but maybe that’s normal. Any tips?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Matt -
6 Replies
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My night bag is right about even with where my chest is when sleeping (it hangs from a leg on a bedside table).
I do sleep on my stomach. I have a built in void. My belly is bigger then needed.
My stormo is on my right side about 3″ below my belly button. What I do is prop a thin pillow under my right chest and the same under my right thigh-to-groin. So I have a slight stomach sleeping list. I sleep on the right side of the bed. So the tube actually goes over my back and my 9″ pouch sticks out the right side of my void. With my natural void and the pillow created space, I do not press on the stormo nor the bag. -
Please tell me that you don’t sleep on your stomach! I always use to do that before the RC, buut never since. I have read of one other person sleeping on their stomach but cannot fathom how.
My tube connects to the jug whichssets at floor level. Someone said to just get longer tubing if what comes with the bags isn’t long enough for you. I haven’t done that yet. some folks have said that their tube goes straight down the mattress between their legs to the end of the bed……..
George Holmes
Austin, Tx
I am two months since surgery with a bag.
What I do is start my sleep with out my pouch connected to the night hose (the hose is connected to a 2000 cc bag). Now the first time I wake up, I reach over for the hose and connect it to my pouch. I feel it drain and then form a slight suction seal. The rest of the night I just toss and turn as I always have. I never feel the tube tugging against my bag anymore.
It did take about a month and a half to get this smooth.Two tricks I use.
One – The night 2000cc bag is about 6″ below the top of my mattress. It does have to be lower to get the gravity thing to work. This also gives me a bit more tube length.
Two – I have worked the tube by pounding on it to make it softer. This allows easier movement with my nightly thrashing.Rick
Getting use to a night drainage container is the same as getting use to having a pouch. You just do it. For instance one can no longer easily lie on their stomach with the pouch can they? Left side, or right side, or flat on ones back. But after awhile it becomes second nature. I find it better thant having to get up to empty a pouch. Besides my pouch of preference(!) is the one piece Cymed. It doesn’t hold quite as much as the Convatec, for instance, but it is s real slim line thing. Hey. I need all the help I can get with my belly presenting itself more and more the older I get. (71)
I am the one who uses a gallon convatec bottle and I also put it in a waste basket to keep it form tipping over. One of the bottles lasts for 4 to 6 months. If any one likes I wil enter the model number so that they can order it for themselves to try out. It is a stiff sided bottle unlike the hospital floppy drainage bags. I just rinse it out well each morning, and once a week let it soak with vinegar and water all day. sometimes I’ll soak it with an anti-bacterial soap as well. Never a problem with this.
Let me know how it goes. I am interested.
George in Texas :)
George Holmes
Austin, Tx
Hi
I am not totaly sure what you mean but suspect that you mum is using a night bag and putting that in a bucket.I was told to do that at the start.I can sympathise with her I found it impossable to sleep so strapped up being the terrable wriggler that I am.
What works for me is just wearing my normal bag and getting up in the night to empty it.Much like I used to have to getup to go to the bathroom anyway.When I first started I set the alarm to wake me but found I tended to wake when the bag needed emptying anyway it felt heavy and tugged on my tummy.It really feels no different I usually go to bed about 11.30pm and wake to empy my bag somewhere inbetween four thirty and five.Its not what most of the stoma nurses recommend but it works for me which is what all of this is about.We all have to learn to live with how are bodies now are and each one of us is very different.
If I can help at all please let me know.
Love Claire x
[quote author=mdwfolsom1 link=topic=1127.msg7641#msg7641 date=1187749848]
My mother in law had her bladder removed about a month ago and at night she has trouble sleeping because she uses a “bucket” rather than her ostomy bag.
[/quote]Hi,
Maybe you should join our email discussion group, perhaps this is a normal problem, with a learning curve attached. There are more people active there who have ostomies, recently this post was shared:
“At night I attach a Convatec gallon sized drainage bottle to the pouch with
the long hose and let it dangle from the side of the bed. It has never given
me problems. Except for an occasional failure to drain, in which case I just
straighten out the drain end of the pouch and it drains automatically. It’s
a matter of learning, over time, to pass ones hand over the pouch without
even thinking abut it and reacting when there is a need. It becomes second
nature.”The Convatec site also discusses night drainage systems, maybe you can get some ideas there. Otherwise, if possible your mother could get some guidance from an ET/ostomy nurse.
We have a list of “ostomate” resources here:
http://blcwebcafe.org/ostomyresources.aspTake care,
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