For those who have had a colostomy for a long time, they may get asked if they want to have a closed end pouch option. This is a pouch that is clipless and is an option for those who have colostomies. The goal of this is to have it removed and taken out when half full of stool, and you can then replace it with a pouch that’s fresh. But what’s good about this? There are advantages, minus offering the charcoal filter to allow gas to escape, and we’ll go over what each of these advantages are, and what they do for you.
About these Pouches
These pouches are the type that come in a range of differ sizes, ranging from a couple ounces to even holding a cup or almost two cups of stool. Those closed-end pouches also have a one-piece system option and may also offer a barrier. There are advantages to this, along with disadvantages, which we’ll touch on next.
The Pros
The biggest advantage of this is that it can be used to help make it easier to take out the bags and also you don’t have to just drain it into a pouch, offering a much faster change time for ostomates who have been dealing with routine care for long enough. Closed end pouches also help with making management of the environments and activities in life a whole lot easier for you too. Usually, you just take the pouch and then throw it in a bag, discarding it fully. It doesn’t need to be drained into a toilet with worry that the residue will get everywhere.
They also have a much larger range of sizes, that you can use as well, and usually, you can get one that has a predictable or unpredictable movement pattern. It is definitely beneficial. For those who get this, there is also the gas benefits too. While not all of them have the gas filters, there are some which offer a chance for you to get rid of gas, and that’s of course, done through adding the filter, where it releases this, and usually, it helps to prevent seepage too. These filters do vary, and you will need to make sure that you do get one that helps filter the gas easily.
The Drawbacks
The biggest drawback is cost. You’ll be using 1-2 pouches every single day, rather than that much a week. It may not be good for some people if they’re paying out of pocket for this, but if you aren’t, this can be good. If you want to use this, you can of course, talk to the ET to get the right funding for this as well. They also can get pretty expensive with the system, and usually, it doesn’t work as well for those who have stool that’s formed. Some ileostomies may also require this, and they can be good for those who struggle with clipped pouches. But the problem is that it can be a lot costlier.
It also may be a lot more annoying for travel too, since you need to make sure you take enough pouches for the time that you’re gone. However the pouch filters are definitely good, and it can save you some money. Lastly, the last downside is that you have a much thinner barrier than the drainable one, and you may have a problem with trying to tack this, so it does put you at risk for leakage, but it is more low profile, s it can be an option for those who want to just have one specific system for everything.
