I talked to the nurse about an ACE stopper to put in the belly button to help to prevent the hole from closing.
There are a couple of different sizes, the diameter is the diameter of the catheter you are using (10 Fr) and the length is in mm. It comes in 15mm, 30mm, 60mm.
They recommended the 30 or the 60. But when I went to the store they only had the 15mm (or I could go up or down diameter, which I didn't want to do).
The 10/15 size doesn't sit in that well, I've used it a couple of times and it falls out. I'm hoping that when the 10/30 size comes in, we won't have that problem (and the 10/60 size she said might irritate him).
They gave us a bunch at the hospital, and I think you can buy them at the store.
It lets us keep the stoma from closing, it stays in place.
This is what it looks like underneath the bandage. And then the bandage keeps the top against the skin. Nick has started to get some irritation from the dressing. So I'm keep an eye on that.
Nick can move around and it doesn't both him. It is made from silicone and move around.
**since I wrote this post we have been having issues with granulation tissue. I think the origin of the granulation tissue was cause by the ACE stopper rubbing against the skin, because it didn't sit flat against the skin. I'm not sure if this is an issue that all ACE stoppers in the belly button or just the way that Nick's belly is.
So we are no longer using an ACE stopper overnight, but I will use it to 'catheterize' the stoma in the morning because it is small and easy to use and clean instead of using the catheter.**
