Genii made our wishes come true
Over three-quarters of people using stoma bags experience skin irritation and allergies. Amy Packer speaks to one family who have found a solution
Spot Logan Fowler with his teddy, Buttony, and he looks like any other little boy playing with a toy. Look a little closer and you’ll spot that Buttony has a stoma bag – just like Logan’s.
The seven-year-old, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, first showed signs of health issues when he was just three months old. “We knew something was wrong – Logan had intolerances to baby milk and suffered with colic, reflux and severe constipation,” explains his mother, Kirsty, who works as a PA to a neuropsychologist.
“By the time he was three, Logan was experiencing pain no toddler should have to deal with. He was afraid to go to the toilet, which was affecting him at nursery, and going into hospital every couple of months having enemas, while being told the issue was psychological.
“Eventually we were referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital. We met a lovely consultant who agreed with us that this wasn’t a psychological problem. They carried out tests which determined that Logan’s bowels weren’t working properly – 25cm of his colon wasn’t contracting at all, meaning it was impossible for his body to naturally push waste out.”
After long discussions, it was decided Logan’s best chance of a normal life was to have a colostomy, an operation to divert one end of his colon (part of the bowel) through an opening in the tummy. “Logan was in hospital for a week and was discharged the day before his seventh birthday,” says Kirsty. “He’s done brilliantly well.”
But while the operation fixed the main issue, it brought problems of its own. “When Logan first came home from hospital we were given whatever stoma bags they had and he struggled with them. He had allergies to the adhesives and they just fell off or were so itchy he’d pull them off.”
Logan isn’t alone. There are over 190,000 people who use stoma bags in the UK (known as ostomates) and estimates suggest that over 80 per cent suffer from stoma-based skin complications. This is often a result of using products made from a 40-year-old material, hydrocolloid, which can be damaging to sensitive stoma skin and impact comfort, quality of life and mental wellbeing.
“I started doing some research when I realised there was a whole world of choice out there,” says Kirsty. “I knew it was going to take a bit of trial and error, so I ordered samples from several different suppliers until we found the Genii stoma bag from Trio.”
Chris Lane, CEO at Trio, explains, “Our stoma bag is the first in the world to use breathable silicone technology, which is gentler to ostomate skin and easier to apply. It provides secure adhesion and easy removal and offers a more comfortable fit. The gentler material prevents the uncomfortable side effects that come with traditional hydrocolloid-based products, such as skin irritation.
“They are also the first in the world to be available in a range of different skin tones.”
Kirsty and Logan have certainly seen the benefits of the bags, which are now available on the NHS. “Straight away, they made a positive impact,” says Kirsty. “We saw an immediate difference to the skin around Logan’s stoma – it’s been a game changer.
“The Genii seals stretch over his stoma really easily, so he can fix it himself without asking for help. He’s an active little boy, so he’s really tested them to the max, and has complete confidence they aren’t going to fall off. He has even been able to start swimming at school with the other children without having to worry about his stoma bag. I would recommend them to anyone.”