"I live in Wichita, Kansas, and there are no doctors in my network who actually take care of patients with feeding tubes, so this journey has been tough. I've had to figure it out on my own, and there has been a lot of trial and error.
I have extremely sensitive skin, which has made finding products I can use very difficult. I'm allergic to adhesives, so I can't use any tapes—even those made for sensitive skin. I have a J-tube, and it leaks consistently. I was having to do a minimum of two dressing changes a day. I tried many barrier creams and films, and I had a reaction to every single one.
I tried a test patch of the StomaEase™ BarrierBalm on my arm, and I had no reaction! I was super happy about that.
I applied the StomaEase™ BarrierBalm every evening when I changed my dressing. Before, I had to do this twice a day, but with the StomaEase™ powder and BarrierBalm combined, I only needed it once a day. Huge win in my book.
The slight irritation I had is gone. It also eliminated the slight smell that goes along with a leaking stoma. It's much better than the creams I've used in the past. I have not broken out at all with this, where every other barrier cream or film I've tried caused bright red skin, hives, or blisters within the first hour.
After the first 24 hours and no skin reaction, I actually cried from relief. I've tried so many things, and my skin would just not allow it.
I no longer need to treat granulation tissue. I had to use silver nitrate sticks once a week and deal with constant pain and slight bleeding. About a month into using the powder, I no longer needed to use the silver nitrate sticks. I have had zero granulation tissue since then. Even with increased activity—training and riding horses again—I'm not developing granulation tissue. Your products work!
A full work week plus this weekend I was at the rescue training and riding. It’s working great! So, it was sweat tested for sure, and I still only applied it every 24hrs. I was outside for 10 hrs each Sat and Sun working with some abused horses. Not once did I even feel like I needed to check on it.
Thank you and the entire team for caring about the tubie community and giving us products that make our lives easier! I can't wait until StomaEase™ BarrierBalm is available for purchase. It's hard for me to find products that my skin doesn't react to, so I'm super happy this formula works."
Kimi Wahl
