Do what? - stomas

DO WHAT? –(stomas)

Some of the many things we do
is sort our stomas and the pooh,
which goes from bags to down  the loo
and offers us a different view.

Most people’s pooh comes from their bum
but ours emerges from our tum,
so we do quite a lot it’s true
to cater to our stoma’s pooh.

It can be quite hard to adjust
and not treat stomas with disgust
thus, we must do this adjusting
just to help us with this thing.

Most toilets aren’t designed for us,
yet we’re expected not to fuss
and manage in whatever way
we do with pooh from day to day.

It’s just as well we have a bag
to catch our pooh and make it sag,
‘cos just imagine what we’d do
without a bag with wayward pooh.

Sometimes the bags will sag and leak
then what we do is take a peek
to see if we can salvage it
and so contain our wayward shit.

Changing bags can be a pain 
but it’s not often we complain
as this is something that we do
so management won’t go askew. 

Every day I irrigate
so I can circumnavigate
the many things that other’s do
to manage stomas and their pooh. 

                                                B. Withers 2024

This made me smile, thanks Bill.  It also brought up an important issue.  I've noticed since becoming an ostomate, that not all toilets are designed the same, not even close.  When we need to empty, some toilets have a terrible 'splash-back' effect, and others don't.  There must be subtle differences because many look nearly the same, but don't give the same splash action.  I consider myself very lucky as the new house we recently moved into has the best toilets I've ever encountered.  I can empty with abandon and don't need to worry about output splashing back.  I don't know why, but it's great.  Our new home seems to have been designed with ostomates in mind, although it was entirely accidental I'm sure!

Terry

Hello TerryLT.
thanks so much for both reading this rhyme and for your feedback comments.
You are right about different loos reacting differently to what we do. We have two loos in our house and they both react differently. fortunately, the one I use most is the better of the two.  
Needless to say, I have written several rhyme about toilet, so this gives me the opportunity of resurrecting at least one of those

Best wishes

Bill  

 

‘DOIT’ 
(Disabled, Ostomy, Incontinence Toilet)

I have a few impassioned pleas
on loos for disabilities.
For in my travels, I have found
loos are designed for wheelchair bound.

Now there is nothing wrong with this
and more of them won’t come amiss.
But wheelchairs aren’t the only thing
that disabilities can bring.

The problems of incontinence
loom large in terms of prominence.
So it’s essential that our loos
can cater to those wayward poos.

Here, I think I ought to mention
ostomies that need attention.
Incontinence and ostomies
are different disabilities.

Their needs are not the same as those
who within a wheelchair pose.
But nonetheless, their needs are there
so now I think it’s time to share.

Some sort of shower I could see
would clean a bum or ostomy.
And if a table was quite near
it would be handy for the gear.

We need a place to change our bags
or all those dirty inco-pads.
And what we need’s a proper bin
to put our non-flushables in.

Disposable gloves would be grand
if they were also close to hand.
These are some things that I would choose
if I designed ‘disabled’ loos.

                                    B. Withers 2012

  (In: My Ostomy World Trilogy 2014) 

 

Yeah, public bathrooms really aren't accommodating for me. But I saw a post on a blog recently that over in China, they have ostomy bathrooms. I was like, why don't we have that in the States? I also know someone who had their home bathroom adjusted so she has a utility sink that flushes, and she can stand straight up and empty into that, then flush away. And it had counter space and everything. I am so jealous; I wish my bathroom worked that way. I have had to adjust to the fact that even at home, I have had to adjust how I do things because "normal" bathrooms are not very user-friendly.

Lee

Interesting observation, Terry, concerning the loo design and how much better you are finding your new facilities. Are you able to say whether you empty onto the front slope, which may be wider with a more pronounced rim, thus shielding any potential splashback? For I imagine a shallower bowl is best for an ileostomist, which can at times be a semi-liquid output when one's system is out of balance.

 

Loo design must be a very important factor worth exploring.

 

Please note the brand and let us know.

 

Thank you.

 

Jayne

UK

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

The Chinese 'Ostomy Bathroom' sounds interesting - maybe even a version of a commercial male urinal, which could be mounted at the appropriate height for the ostomist user adjacent to or in a separate cubicalized part of the ensuite/bathroom maybe!

 

I think that such a specific design parameter could be an easy addition to one's home, so long as space allowed!

 

BW

 

Jayne

UK

I know in Japan they have ostomy specific public toilets and have done for many years.

On the below PDF (pages 6-8) is a story about an Australian ostomates holiday in Japan.

https://www.ostomynsw.org.au/docs/2019_Nov/Ostomy_Summer_2018.pdf

🔒 Login to see image

Amazing!

 

Looks rather heavily "disabled" though... I was also rethinking my own musings - perhaps the male urinal idea might not be too [visually] appealing in a private ensuite/bathroom!

 

Maybe wait and see the design of some of the preferred ordinary toilet bowls where splashbacks are minimized - I suspect it may be where there is a portion of the pan which is without the water pool and thus no plopping occurs!

... Just saying...

;-)

 

J

Fortunately in Australia we don't have the "high tide" water levels as I've noticed in other countries, just a small amount of water at the very bottom of the loo, so splash-back is rare.

We also have dual-flush toilets - it's all about water conservation down here.

Hello Jayne.
I do like the concept of our own 'own musings', because it conjures up that sort of thinking that can be shared without being taken too seriously.
My own musings on the concept of splashback from conventional toilets is along the lines that public toilets are unlikely to be changed en mass in the near future.
I would therefore turn to solutions that are closer to home and are of a DIY nature.
Because I irrigate, I use an irrigation sleeve, which is long enough to reach the water in the closet whilst I'm standing up. This does not produce any splashback at all. These irrigation sleeves are folded up at night time  to act as a 'bag' during sleeping hours.
If I had a splashback problem with public toilets, my simple solution would be to wear an irrigation sleeve as a bag during the day as well as at night.
Just a thought!

Best wishes

Bill

 
J🙂

 

A similar scenario here in the UK - all plumbers now plumb for a minimal flush, and indeed many modern cisterns have a dual flush option. Likewise, most toilet bowls have a small reservoir of water at the bottom - near to shield the U-bend and so prevent smells coming back from the stink pipe - so I guess the UK toilets are similar to your own part of the world. There are also specialist high-end toilets with a warm flush facility, but these are not the norm within the supply chain.

 

BW

Jayne

For the "splash-back" effect, I put five squares doubled over of toilet paper in the shallow end of the toilet and empty my bag. I have had no problems with splashing since.