Ostomy Topics

I remember reading how someone got more than one use out of each vial. Any suggestions? And where do you buy it? Tried Amazon, but only business accounts can order.

Hi. Newbie here! I had my ileostomy in November, so it's still very new to me. While I was still in the hospital, I noticed a small hole between my stoma and skin where one of the stitches had been. I spoke to the stoma nurse at the time, who said it was normal. Now the hole has grown a bit; I'd say it's about 0.5 cm long. Is this still considered normal, or should I be concerned and get it lo ...

How do you handle it? I am drinking electrolyte drinks and my urine is a good color. But I feel I must be spilling a lot of nutrients.

I am 9 weeks post-op, and this morning I woke up with my stoma flush to my skin. I'm panicking as I haven't had many issues with my stoma thus far. I did do a fair amount of walking yesterday. The output is the same and no pain. I do have a call into stoma care, but they usually take a day or two to get back to me.

How do you keep your pouch dry when showering? I tried a shower cap, but it falls off. I have heard of wrapping it in cling wrap. Does it work, and how do you do it?

I just had an idea and it works, 3M makes a product called Scotchguard. Spray the outside of your bag before you shower and the water just runs off, and it's dry after your shower. Give it a go. Regards, IGGIE

Hi, me again with another question! Has anyone had small amounts of blood on the wafer of the appliance? I try to cut the wafer to the size of the stoma; all has been good until now. My stoma changes sizes all the time (is this normal?), and sometimes it's flush with my skin, and sometimes it pops out. Ugh, it's never the same. On the last two bag changes, I noticed there is blood on the rim o ...

Hello, my name is Daniel and I had an emergency ileostomy on September 26, 2023, because of a perforated bowel from diverticulitis.
I am waiting for a call from the booking department for my reversal date and am extremely anxious. It has been a very long and hard road to get to where I am right now physically and mentally, but I feel a lot better now and am getting along pretty well for the mo ...

One thing you can almost guarantee with American television is that any given hospital scene depicting a critically ill patient is going to be largely without a basis in reality. However, I have been recently watching an AMC series on AcornTV called "The Killing". In the first season, a protagonist is shot and left paralyzed from the waist down. While the depiction of his intubation wasn't qui ...

Hi, I've just had a reversal and I am navigating some unexpected problems. The open wound came as a shock as I assumed I would be stitched up after surgery. Was this a surprise for anyone else? Thanks, Hayley

So I seem to have a wound or something that is bleeding near my stoma. It's not the stoma itself but rather some sort of cut or something that keeps bleeding. Since it is under the appliance (I use a Hollister 2-piece system), I am worried about it getting infected but cannot figure out what to do. Put some Neosporin on it? Not sure how long that would last or how good it would work.
Any ideas ...

Hi, has anyone experienced small white bumps on the bottom edge of their stoma? If so, what did you use to heal them?
Thanks

I have an ileostomy with a fairly mild parastomal hernia. Since I got the hernia, the top part of my stoma has developed a pretty large prolapse. It's moved the exit hole down to the bottom of my stoma and makes for a complicated fit for my 2-piece system. Skin irritation occasionally develops without a really good fit. Has anyone here had any type of surgical procedure to fix a prolapsed stom ...

Everything I eat, even protein drinks, comes out very quickly into my bag, like it's not being digested for the past 2 or 3 days. I take 4 mg loperamide three times a day. Maybe it's no longer working, and I need another medication like Lomotil or codeine or something else. I am currently sipping "Liquid I.V. - Hydration Multiplier" in an effort to ward off dehydration. Thank you so much for y ...

I noticed some sores on my stoma this morning. Not sure what to do. The surgeon is in KC. I can't drive that far (a little over 100 miles). Last time I went to the ER here, in bad pain, shortly after getting the stoma, the doctor there sent me home and said, "Take your pain meds." Turns out, I had an infection in my bowel stump. Had to be taken by ambulance to KC. What to do about the sores, p ...