Tuesday, April 24, 2012

ConvaTec has Perfected Moldable

The Edmonton Ostomy Association recently had its “suppliers” night. It is an evening where the suppliers (in this case, Hollister, ConvaTec and Coloplast) present their products to those of us who are un-familiar with what they offer. I became intrigued with some of the major differences between the big three and with some gentle nudging from my friend Angie, decided to grab the telephone numbers for the 2 brands I have yet to try, ConvaTec and Coloplast.

Last week I phoned ConvaTec (1-800-465-6302) and spoke to the most delightful, helpful woman on the planet. Cindy asked me all the pertinent questions and because I was able to speak with a rep on supplier’s night, I knew what I wanted. I asked for the Sur-Fit Natura, Moldable skin barrier. The thought of a moldable flange struck me as extraordinary.

Yesterday afternoon my package from ConvaTec arrived. It contained two convexity (Oscar need’s some convex love on the right side) Sur-Fit Natura, Moldable skin barriers and 16 Natura fabric pouches. It seemed like Christmas as I impatiently ripped open the box. I marvelled what I found inside and giddily showed my husband (who was very un-impressed at being disturbed during hockey play-off season) the differences between my current Hollister flange/Eakin Seal (not a Hollister brand)/pouch and what ConvaTec had sent.

As it was a naked Oscar change day (full flange change), I wasted no time jumping on the ConvaTec bandwagon and did the change in about 2 minutes flat. I was amazed at how simple and MESS free having a moldable flange was. I was also dismayed at how hard I needed to press the pouch onto the flange in order to complete the two piece system. I am over 2 years post-surgery and am not comfortable at all with how much pressure I needed to put around Oscar. First tick against ConvaTec.

In the package I was sent, it contained 16 little sticker thingies (not the official wording) which I had no idea what to do with. Their use became apparent when I awoke this morning to a spot of poop on my underwear directly where the filter is. The sticker thingies are meant to be placed on the pouch over the filter to prevent poop from leaking out. A sticker???? Second tick against ConvaTec.

Today is house cleaning/laundry day and I have spent the last 5 hours doing just that. All to the rustle of a plastic bag every time I move. The ConvaTec pouches aren’t very quiet and for the first time since I awoke with my new little friend, I am VERY aware that I am wearing an Ostomy appliance. Third and final tick against ConvaTec.

I will finish off the week with the current flange/pouches for my skin’s sake but unless ConvaTec can or has addressed these issues I won’t be dabbling in their products any time soon because really, Oscar and I are all for adventures but besides the moldable barriers (BEST IDEA EVER CONVATEC!!!) we didn’t find anything worth switching for.

7 comments:

  1. Just stumbled upon your blog via Charis' Facebook page...
    I used and loved the Convatec moldable barrier for the months with my temporary ileostomy. I had similar complaints about the leakiness of the filter (just give me a bag without the filter! No brand I tried had a filter that actually worked). I didn't notice the noisiness of the bag.
    Hope you find the products that work best for you. They do exist!

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  2. I love ConvaTec! Thet have the best service and I also love the moldable flange! Why don't you call and ask for non filter bags? I know they exist in some sizes. I don't think you need to wear the sticker for the filter unless you are ta,ing a shower... Did you leak at night? That's when it usually happens and I need to wear a non filter bag for that.

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  3. The non-filtered bags have clips.
    I really like the clipless bags.
    But like you I dispise the rattling of the pouches.
    I have started wearing the holliser pouch with the convetec flange. Its tricky the first time you attach because they don't fit easily together.
    Now I have heard from covetec that they are redesigning the pouches.
    I hope they come soon!

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  4. I was at that meeting last year with Angie! I tried all the products out there from all 3 companies. I found convatec to be very bulky and heavy duty but it felt secure. The little stickers are for when you shower. Coloplast have the same thing for their filters on their bags. The problems I had with Convatec were I hated how the bag rolled up, and it was hard to remove when it was time to change it and my skin reacted badly to it. So far I still prefer Hollister but I hate their bags.

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  5. Try Salts products - they kick the butt of everyone else :)

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  6. This is an interesting article! Some of the highest quality Ostomy products on the market today are made by convatec. Its a great brand and their prices are reasonable. I highly recommend Convatec!

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