Ostomy Topics

My surgery was very difficult. 80 days in the hospital. I am doing OK as far as changing bags and handling an occasional leak. I admit I'm struggling with my new normal: I drink 96 oz of water or Gatorade a day, but I am still very thirsty. I have to empty my bag 5 times a day and once at night.
I feel like the focus of every day is this d#$n bag. By mid-afternoon, I'm worn out. Zero energy an ...

Hi folks. I have had an ileostomy now coming up for two years in August, after emergency surgery for ulcerative colitis. I have just been given a date for proctocolectomy surgery. I opted out of a J-pouch after hearing some horror stories. I have a million questions, but the surgeon who is doing my surgery was difficult to understand and hear properly when he rang to give me the date.
I have d ...

Hello, I am new here, and so grateful to have found this forum.

I am 4 weeks in with my colostomy. Still coming to terms with the life change, and trying to remember it will get better.

I've had diverticulitis many years. The last flare up was the most painful I've ever had, and despite my fears, I knew it was time to have surgery. Despite intellectually knowing it was the right decision ...

Hey guys,
I'm 8 weeks post-op from ostomy surgery due to a bowel obstruction. I also have spina bifida, so I am in a wheelchair dealing with a colostomy. It's been going well so far, but I am still learning how it all works and trying to get a feel for if it will ever be on a normal schedule. Any tips or tricks? Thanks.

Spoke with my surgeon's PA. She said reconnect/reversal is worse surgery than the original colostomy surgery. Has anyone else been told that?

Hey everyone. I just felt like writing a post. I am waiting for my sleeping pill to kick in. Today I changed my bag and amazingly Marvin the stoma didn't poop on my hand! That has to be the first time in a very long time that it has behaved long enough for me to do a change. I am impressed, and grateful. I was wondering if anyone else has an emergency bag packed and stored near a door out of t ...

Hello, I am wondering if everyone "hides" their ostomy bag? I've had my ostomy for a few months now and I'm still not comfortable tucking it under a waistband. I've been letting it hang out the bottom of my shirts but recently I've had a few strangers ask why I don't tuck it away. I don't know if it'll change your response but I had a jejunostomy that is now an ileostomy recently, and I have t ...

I have a recurring dream: the pouch (ileostomy) is full and I'm hunting for a bathroom, but invariably the bathrooms are occupied or locked or not private or filthy! Sometimes I finally find a clean and quiet place and start the emptying process (which sometimes goes horribly wrong), but usually I wake up during the search, and take care of business. (And I'm relieved when I realize nothing ho ...

After almost 4 years of living with an ostomy I liken it to owning a dog. Our last dog lived for 17 years. For all those years we limited our travel, visits, and daily lifestyle to our beloved dog. I find the only difference is that on some occasions we had a family or friend who would dog sit if we planned an extended trip (cruise etc. where dogs were not permitted). Otherwise, our dog wa ...

If anyone is having trouble with skin irritation and breakdown with their ostomy, this is absolutely a lifesaver. I had severe skin breakdown over an 8-year period because my hospital stoma nurse never told me I needed to keep seeing a stoma nurse and never told me I needed to get my stoma remeasured after swelling went down. I wore a 1-1/2 inch wafer hole for 8 years and thought it was normal ...

I'm about 5 weeks post-op from bowel resection, fistula repair, and temporary ileostomy creation, thanks to aggressive Crohn's disease. I don't know the details of my ileostomy, which is my fault because I should have asked more about it. I don't know if it was a loop or what kind, and I don't even really know how much of my colon was removed, but I do still have my colon and other parts as fa ...

So the title says it all really.
I've been advised by my local ostomy supplier that Hollister 7730 adhesive spray is being discontinued. I promptly phoned the local Hollister agents and they confirmed that it's a global withdrawal by the manufacturer. They didn't know why, but it's presumably either due to material regulation or because it's not profitable. I'd be happy to pay double the price ...

I know whenever I ask here, people say they eat everything without any problems. That is not the way with me, though. I have an ileostomy, and it is very cranky. It spits out everything. It doesn't matter how much I chew. It just loves to act out. I have heard that seeds are not recommended for ileostomates, but I was just wondering, I mean, poppy seeds are very small. If I ate a poppy seed mu ...

Hi everyone, I just hit the 2-month mark. Sorry I haven't been as actively posting as I have been, but I'm a little on the gloomy side. I had a small bowel blockage last week and was in the hospital for four days. Thank God it passed and I did not need surgery. I feel like all was going good and I was doing well, and being in the hospital with the dreaded NG tube brought me down like a ton of ...