BCIR Advocate Living with the Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservoir
This will seem like common sense, but for whatever reason, it took me a good 5 years or so to see the value in stocking up on undies. Maybe it’s a guy thing, but I’ve always felt programmed to hold on to those 7 pairs of underwear with a few holes and worn to perfection.
However, now having a BCIR, I found that I will put on a fresh pair of undies 2-3 times a day. Now, it’s not because of accidents, but with the stoma there is some moisture especially near the time you need to use the bathroom. The more I eat, the more moisture I will get as the pouch is just filling more often. The moisture isn’t a big deal, but if you forget to put a stoma pad on or folded up tissue paper, then your undies are the only thing catching the moisture; any yeah it’s uncomfortable. It’s not often I forget to add some tissue paper over the stoma, but a portion of the day there will be no moisture because I haven’t eaten yet, and so there’s no need for tissue at the moment.
But then there’s days where I will just forget, and will need to switch out my undies. I found it’s easier not to try and ration my undies, but instead buying so many that I never worry about running out before laundry day. This practice will also keep your stoma more dry and I will have a less chance of irritation. Moral of the story: buy a ton of underwear, change as often as you want, and stack them to the ceiling!
