Reply to Anonymous
The guy was just a jerk, a judgmental jerk, and totally immature. There are plenty of men and women who are accepting of our pouches. Unfortunately, this fella sounds like he was just an immature idiot with no compassion.
And there are lots of groups online for people such as ourselves. When I received my ileostomy and I was going to help beforehand, it was these groups that helped me get through it and know that there are people like us out there. There are other Facebook groups that are dating sites for us in this situation, and Instagram is full of people with our similar issues.
Regarding your leaking issues, I would look at the products that you were using because there are good products out there that can really make sure your bag does not leak as much as you are experiencing at this time. With myself, there is the main flange, the square piece that the bag sits on top of, and then I have extenders that sit just on the rim of the flange to prevent further leaking. Also, around your stoma, what is really helpful is if you have what is called an ekin ring. This prevents leakage of your stool under the flange.
Do you have an ostomy nurse who can help you and give advice?
If you wish, you can reach out to me to discuss your issues and I can give feedback.
My name is Frank and I'm new on here.