Naming and Bonding with my Stoma - Am I Crazy?

I've called my stoma Winnie, after Winnie the Pooh. I think I must be a major crackpot as I refer to her as a third person, speak to her in the mornings when washing her (normally apologizing for the sag masala curry I had the night before), and even sing to it at times the Winnie the Pooh theme song.

I'm really attached to her now after a month, and I'm not really sure I want her to be reversed.

Does that make me insane?

Opinions please xxxx

No, we all do that, especially when it's acting up! Sometimes (to me) it almost seems like a pet. My first stoma was "Rosie" so this one had to be "Pinky".

Mine's just "wee rose"   and yes I talk to her too (particularly if she's playing up!).

Now that song brings back memories!     "Cuddly little tubby all stuffed with fluff"!    Classic.
My big brother used to upset me when I was little by calling him Winnie the sh*t!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGjB6Yakyrk

Hi, I'm glad to hear you laugh. My kids laugh too. They tell people I have a tummy bum since the doctors sewed up my a-hole. I laugh at my husband, telling him he's the only a-hole in the family. I wear a belt bag to hide my stoma. I cut a hole in the back of it. You'd be surprised how many people ask what I keep in it. Ha ha, it's always funny. I'd feel sorry for anyone trying to mug me, trying to grab my money belt. Ha, nothing but crap in there, buster... LOL. My stoma has a life of its own.

Hi Winnie, I had trouble getting on the chat. No buttons were doing anything for me, so I hope you get this. You made me smile this morning. Thank you. It's nice to know there are others who can laugh, be crazy, and manage. Cheers.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hi Lydia - no, you are not mad as I don't think I want mine reversed either - just think it might cause me a whole lot more trouble ........

Of course, we could both be mad!

They're coming to take us away ha ha, he he ........

Hello Lydia
Mine is called Krakatoa!!!

Hope you are adjusting well
Kindest regards
Angela

Lydia,
I am so glad to hear that you named your stoma...now I know I'm not the only one...
I named mine "Little H", and talk to him all the time. My husband passed away while I was in intensive care after my emergency surgery, and I have always felt he pulled me through as my guardian angel. They didn't think I was going to make it after being in ICU for ten days. The night he died, everything seemed to turn around for me and the doctors and nurses were thrilled, not knowing why all of a sudden my vitals were looking much better. Once we found out he passed away and what time, we were all convinced he was going to be my healer. We had an inside joke about his first name, which he never liked and always went by H. Albert, so I decided my stoma had to be Little H since he was the closest person to me for 45 years. I was supposed to go shopping with my daughter tonight, but unfortunately I developed diarrhea and had to back out...I'm sure it was because my husband hated shopping and decided "Little H" and I needed to stay home and watch TV... Becky

Grammybec - what a lovely story! And, I am totally confident that you are right to suspect that your husband pulled you through that tough time! I firmly believe that death is just another phase in life, and that it's more of a beginning than an end. While it's sad that you've lost a partner on this earth, isn't it great to know that you have someone watching over you, and waiting for you in a better place?

My first surgery, I had an ostomy done, and the stoma was named "Roma, the stoma". I just liked the whole rhyming factor. Then, after a year with her, I had to say goodbye to her because I had a second surgery to remove all of my colon, of which she was a part, and have an ileostomy done. Since I was attached, in more ways than one haha, to Roma, I hated to have to rename her, but also I couldn't keep the name since she was gone (yes, I personify my stoma as well lol). The new stoma, being an ileostomy, was of course made from the small intestine, so I just named my new stoma "RJ," which is short for Roma Jr. I had to keep the name, just couldn't let it go. She "talks" to me, and of course, I talk back lol. My husband has joined my looney farm and calls her RJ, or at times we slip and say Roma, but that's okay because she is a Roma too. It helps to deal with life as an ostomy if you can make light of the situation and just have a little fun. Who doesn't like naming things haha.

Totally agree when I had the first surgery for my ileostomy done, my STN actually asked, "What are you going to call your stoma?" Ugh, WTF! So I said, "It looks like a blank blank." I wasn't happy. Then I decided it looked like a cherry tomato, so I call her CHERRY. There is a website you can read all the names of stomas and what's the reason. Sorry, I have forgotten. It shouldn't be hard to look up. So Cherry is established. My friend rings and says, "Helloooo Cherry or Chezza." Lol, cheers, Mare = Mooza xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I call my stoma Rosebud... I too talk to her and tell her she is doing a great job! If it weren't for having this surgery, I would not be alive, and my stoma allows me to live a life that is second to none! I have found that a good sense of humor is the best medicine there is, why not have some fun?