So there has been a lot of excitement surrounding the launch of the new Salts Confident BE ostomy bags and I was really looking forward to trying them out. I use Salts bags anyway, so was really hoping to find out whether these would be an ‘upgrade’ to the ones I currently use and love. Most of the hype was around the colour of the bags, which are available in black, stone or white. I think this is such a fantastic idea. They look much less clinical, you can match them with your outfit and I am sure people with darker skin tones will be happy that they may have a bag colour that suits them better too.
Both me and Ste have tried them out and on receiving them we were really pleased to see they had kept the petal base-plate. This means the base-plate is much more flexible and goes over lumps and bumps much easier. The material is lovely, really soft and less likely to ‘fray’ than the current Salts bags I am using, This isn’t a major problem and doesn’t affect how it performs, but can look a bit dodgy! It also seems less likely to rustle than other bags. The colours are really fantastic and I definitely think Salts are onto a winner by introducing them.
Cutting the base-plate was a little more tricky, they have made the starter hole not round so Ste struggled a little as his scissors are quite big. He is in hospital at the moment though and only has one pair with him so will be able to use smaller ones once he is home. My bag went on easily enough and it felt comfortable and secure. I decided to not put my Brava Protective Sheet on under the bag as I wanted to see how it performed on it’s own and how it was on my skin. It looked great, Ste tried the black and I tried the white.
Salts have also changed the opening at the bottom of the bag and I really like it. It tucks up, out the way, inside the bottom of the bag so it looks neat. I normally tuck the bottom of my bag away during the day but at night I don’t, mainly to give it that bit of extra filling space so I don’t need to get up and empty it as much. Ste generally leaves his untucked all the time so he wasn’t too sure about this feature. He has quite a high output stoma so likes the extra room it gives. The bags do come in a larger size than the ones we sampled so he said he would just be ordering the bigger size of bags to compensate for this. I like how easy the end is to clean after emptying, the fact the front is slightly shorter than the back of the opening really makes a difference. I have heard some people aren’t fond of the opening and have had issues with it popping open but I never had an issue and at no point did it not feel secure.
Another of the new features is the anti-sag design. When full, especially when your output is very watery, a bag will sag and pull down on your tummy and stoma which can be uncomfortable. I tested this out by letting my bag fill up and took a couple of pictures. It didn’t not sag at all but it is definitely better than the current Salts bag I use which almost folds in on itself at the top and pulls down quite a bit. A great idea for when you are out and about and might not have chance to empty as much, you won’t be left feeling as uncomfortable and it will be less noticeable.
I left the bag on for two days. I generally change mine every night after my shower but I wanted to see how it held up when on for longer. The only issue I had was with the adhesive going hard. The edges of my base-plate always start to come up after a day and generally they just get a bit of fluff stuck to them from my clothes but don’t cause any issues. The adhesive on the new bags dried and went really hard, so I found myself picking bits off. For me this normally wouldn’t be an issue as I change every day and the odd time I don’t it isn’t a massive problem that would put me off the bags, but I know many people leave their bags on for much longer than I do. A simple way to remedy this is to use flange extenders and if I knew I wasn’t going to be changing my bag the following evening as normal, I would probably use these just to keep the edges stuck down and prevent the adhesive drying out.
The bag dried much more quickly with this new material being much more water repellant. I would be interested to see how it performs in the warmer months and whether this also makes it less prone to making me sweat underneath the bag which can happen when it is really warm and the bag is pressed against my skin. The filter seems great too, I like the positioning of it and didn’t have any issues with odour or pancaking. My bag still filled with air at night time and even when it was full to bursting when I woke up and the edge had lifted up, the main part of the base-plate was still stuck fast and I was able to just re stick it once I had emptied the bag. Very impressive!
Overall, I am super happy with this new bag. I love the Salts bag I currently use and this is definitely a step up for them. There isn’t a convex version available yet but I hear they are working on it, so I will keep an eye out and let you know when that comes out. I can’t wait to get my next delivery now and start co-ordinating my bag with my outfits! Ste is also going to be using them and has already placed his order. Well done Salts! Big thumbs up!
To find out more about the bag and order your samples click here to visit the Salts Healthcare website
The Spoonie Mummy 
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