Reasons why to use an ostomy seal | eakin freeseal®

When you type the word stoma into a search engine, a multitude of examples pop up. It’s overwhelming if you haven’t been aware of them previously. You have the different shapes, sizes and terminology of the different types to contend with. It’s a minefield! I had my second stoma surgery in 2020, and had been caring for my little boy (also an ostomate) for 5 years. I thought I would be 100% prepared and accustomed to stoma life, having changed his bag everyday and having one of my own early on in life. I was very wrong! I found myself needing to try different accessory products to combat my not so text book stoma. It wasn’t until I looked down and saw my own in horror as it was sinking back inside my stomach, that I realised it wouldn’t be a case of finding the right bag and skipping off into my every day life again. I had stupidly compared my own to my sons. His was beautiful, the perfect rose bud stoma, not sticking out a lot but enough to function properly.

It was necessary to have my stoma refashioned 5 weeks after the initial surgery, something which hadn’t been discussed prior to the planned surgery. You can imagine my surprise being an ostomates carer, thinking I had it all figured out, being told I had to have my surgery re done 5 weeks later. My scar tissue affected how my stoma site was healing, with not enough support internally to let it sit right and function properly. It needed moving and forming again, costing me more time before I could look to start recovery properly again. From my surgeries as a young child and having a baby, my stoma was never going to be straight forward, which is where the use of a seal was necessary. I did the classic newbie move of ordering lots of samples online from different companies, and as a result found it quite overwhelming. On reflection, it would have been more efficient to read reviews, ask fellow ostomate friends, and do some thorough research to choose a few samples to try instead of being left with too many options.

eakin freeseal^® (available through Pelican) was recommended to me by a friend, and it was the shear thinness of the product that struck me first. How would a 1.8mm seal be able to do the job of fellow seals that were so much thicker? The seal absorbs output, preventing leaks, and preventing skin damage which from my stoma prior to the refashioned one was awful. The soreness was something I was not prepared for, and no bag alone was ever going to come close to protecting my peristomal skin. I had tried powders and barrier wipes, but none were enough for my badly eroded skin. Pastes can be a useful tool to fill in any dips and creases around the peristomal skin which can encourage leaks to form, finding a track to follow for your output. The benefits of a seal however, is it creates a flat surface for your bag to adhere to, minimising the impact your bag showing through your clothes.

Seals are a product that are not necessary for all ostomates. Stoma nurses would use the general rule of less is more. Indeed it is for your storage of products, the impact of cost to the NHS, and the sheer practicality of changing your bag, reducing the number of steps needed and thereby reducing the time taken. If, however, you find yourself needing one from the advice of your stoma nurse, finding the right one for you may take some trial and error. The eakin freeseal^® is extremely quick and easy to use, with its greatest strength (in my opinion) being its mouldability. I start by cutting the seal to provide a clean break, then start to stretch the seal bigger, slow and steadily with my fingers, to enable it to wrap fully around the outside of my stoma. The skin must be bone dry to encourage the seal to adhere to the skin properly. When in place, the bag sits neatly directly on top providing a flush and flat finish.

Use the hashtag ‘#freeseal’ on Instagram and you will see many ostomates demonstrating how they use the seal, which for me is a great form of research seeing first hand how others use them. I encourage you to see the seal in action before you request samples to see if it is the right fit for you. Head to the eakin freeseal^® page to order your sample now and enjoy the benefits of a super thin seal with the comfort of being leak free!

Until next time,
Rach (@gutsy.mum) x