If you’ve followed my journey, you’re already aware of my experiences with an ileostomy on three separate occasions. I’ve always emptied in the same way. First, I tuck my top into my bra to keep it out of the way. I wonder how gents keep it out of the way. 🤔 Anyway, I sit on the toilet, shuffle backwards, and aim towards the front of the bowl, between my legs. Fortunately, my toilet has a strong flush. I hate when I find myself in a toilet that demands multiple flushes to rid it of any evidence of my visit! It never occurred to me that anyone would be doing it differently. That is, until someone mentioned on Twitter that their kneeling to empty their bag hurt their knees…

Initially, I was baffled and had to confirm if I understood correctly. I had. Someone was kneeling in front of the toilet to empty their bag, and they found it odd when I said I sat to empty mine.

“You’re doing it wrong!”

I felt this revelation needed further investigation. Had I been emptying my bag incorrectly all this time? Did the stoma nurse advise I do it “my way,” or did I just assume? I couldn’t remember! It wasn’t an area that was covered after my second and third stoma because they knew I’d had an ileostomy before. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember whether I’d been given instructions regarding emptying my bag.

Naturally, this sparked a poll on my Twitter and in the #IBDSuperHeroes Facebook group! On Twitter, 126 participants voted, with 48% opting to sit, 34% standing, and 18% kneeling (percentages rounded up). In the Facebook group, 77 members voted, with 36 sitting, 26 standing, and 13 kneeling. Additional answers included “any way I can do it” and “lying down”.

The notion of lying down has my mind boggled! I imagine someone doing the Superman with their bag dangling in the toilet bowl! 😅

Some respondents mentioned adjusting their method based on the surroundings. For instance, opting to sit on public toilets due to floor cleanliness concerns or discomfort. The idea of standing to empty the bag still astounds me, envisioning potential splashback issues!

I also hadn’t considered the challenges men might face while sitting due to anatomical differences – an observation graciously pointed out on Twitter.

Here are some of my favourite social media responses:

“I used to kneel… Until I realised I could sit”

“I face the loo so I look like a bloke having a wee” – posted by a female.

“I stand, but if it’s watery I tend to bend my knees so less distance to the bowl! Oh and to avoid splash back I always put some loo roll in the bowl first.”

“Standing. I found it difficult to aim sitting. I’m 6ft 5 so often have to kneel/crouch a little to avoid splash back if my output is more watery than usual.”

“Sitting if I need a wee at the same time, kneeling otherwise though.”

“Since receiving my ostomy, I have vowed to never spend another second sitting on a toilet seat.”

In conclusion

Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong way to empty your ostomy bag; it’s about finding what works best for you. Still, I’m interested to know, what’s your method? Have you experimented with different approaches, or do you stick with what you know?

Let me know!