We’d like to introduce Pauline this month, who has had her stoma for 3 ½ years. Pauline struggled with the products she was given as they were making her skin sore due to how often she needed to change her bag. Eventually she found Trio products and her skin problems were a thing of the past!

“I have had a stoma bag for 3 and a half years. At first, I was given the standard adhesive spray that the hospital provides (Niltac). My output has always been quite variable and my bag can require replacing just morning and night or anything up to 5 or 6 times a day.  As you can imagine, the more often I change it, the sorer my skin becomes. The Niltac spray was not kind to my skin and it got very sore at times.

I was advised by other ostomates to get any and all available free samples from the Tidings magazine and that’s what led me to try Trio products. The adhesive spray is very efficient (it does 31 bag changes per spray can) and generally does not make my skin sore. It’s also very easy to wipe away with a wet wipe. Although my skin does still get a bit sore if I need to change bags too often, I had also got a free sample of the skin barrier spray which I tried and it does a great job. If I have had a bad changing day, I put the skin barrier over the stoma and around the area covered by my base plate and by morning, my skin is back to normal – every time!

I had also had some leaks so was advised to try the Trio flange extenders which are great when I go swimming or if I am out for a long day. The usual flange extenders either don’t stick to me or work loose causing leaks. The silicone extenders stick wonderfully well to my skin and never let me down. They also peel off easily when I’m changing my bag without leaving sticky residue.

Our local CCG has been trying to get everyone on to what they perceive to be the best value for money stoma care items. These are not value for money – they are just cheap! I tried several different adhesive removers and found that Salts (the preferred option for the CCG) did 19 changes, whereas both Trio’s Elite and Convatec’s Niltac sprays did 31 changes – a third more! Add to that the better skin care from Trio and there is no argument about which items are better value – 3 spray cans per month average rather than 4 is a no brainer. They also said they wanted everyone to pay for flange removers and anything else so I asked my Stoma nurses to provide me with a list of monthly stoma requirements and since then I have had no problems with getting the Trio items I need and want.”

Published: 26th July 2019