Ostomy Topics

Just saw this mentioned in someone's reply to a question. Had never heard of a "plug". It sounds like it would be advantageous for intimacy.
Comments?

I'm just wondering if anyone can direct me to some good information on what to do about infection under the flange. I have had an open sore, oozing pus, about 1.5 cm from my stoma for about a week and a half. I went to the ET nurse and she gave me silver wound dressing and Duoderm, which I have changed twice since last Monday. Both times the wound was larger and there was more pus than the las ...

Hello my Osteomate friends,
I am scheduled for reversal surgery on May 2nd. Has anyone here had the reversal surgery? I have an appointment with my surgeon on Monday, lots of questions to ask, but would like to hear some personal stories from anyone that has been through a reversal surgery.
I had my initial surgery on December 29th, 2023. So just 4 months in. My surgeon always said she thought ...

Is anybody else always tired? I feel so drained. I'm 3 months post-op, and I feel like I could sleep for days at a time. I have zero energy, it feels like, and I'm not doing anything to overexert myself, but damn, I could hibernate like a bear in the winter.

I have had my colostomy for just over a month. Once my output stabilized, I started having my bowel movements for the first two hours each morning, with only minor outputs the rest of the day, until yesterday that is.
Yesterday, my output was limited to a single, small and very firm stool. Today, nothing yet except for tiny amounts of mucus/liquid and air. It's possible this is related to havi ...

Edit: Seeing some of your replies, I want to point out a few key facts; I am based in the UK, so this may be different or not possible to get this product in your country (I didn't know this until seeing the responses, and I feel so bad for any ostomates/country you cannot get this product from). The product is from a company called "CliniMed" and not Coloplast (again, I want to be 100% clear ...

Hello my Osteomates! I am scheduled for a colonoscopy on Monday. No bowel prep needed, but I have to do an enema through the rectum in the morning. Has anyone had to do one with the bag? I did chat with the NP at my doc's office as to what to expect. She indicated the liquid would likely just expel out and I may feel like I need to have a bowel movement. Kind of nervous about this... Hoping so ...

Ever since my ileostomy on Jan 1, 2024, I've been experiencing the embarrassing problem of dribbling from my bladder. As soon as they took the catheter out, I no longer felt the urge to pee but still leaked on a regular basis.
I have recently started doing Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles in case the surgery has affected them. Because the surgeon took out basically all of ...

This weekend I will be at a spa with my girlfriend. I have my first massage scheduled in 7 years with a colostomy. I was too shy before (at the ripe old age of 64!) to go. No longer! Also, I have access to anything in the spa: sauna, steam, etc. (COVID safe).
I am looking for any advice, etc. regarding these things. I seem to recall that the sauna (an old favorite of mine) isn't good for the a ...

Was called for jury duty early May.
I have had my colostomy since August 2023. Still not comfortable leaving the house for more than 3 hours at a time. Will go longer if at a close friend's place or a relative. Basically, people that understand my bathroom needs.
Output can be all over the place (literally) anytime, all the time, sometimes.
The idea of jury duty at this point is frightening. I ...

I have been told to wear an ostomy support belt 24 hours a day for my temporary colostomy except for showers and such.
My question is about the slight pooching that appears around my stoma... Is this normal? For context, I have seen many pictures of stoma hernias, and this is nothing like that. It's just a minor bulging that makes me question if this indicates risk of a hernia or other complic ...

Just curious, what are the worries or concerns when going out to eat at a restaurant or a party? My biggest worry now with my condition is eating something that doesn't agree with me and having an accident. So, I stick with safe foods, but sometimes that misfires! My condition now is SCI with neurogenic (flaccid) bowel with a possible future elected colostomy. Thanks

Hi all,
Just looking for some reassurance really. I had loop ileostomy surgery around 11 days ago. I had a j-pouch which was strictured, so we decided to defunction it to allow my bowel to rest. The past 3 nights I've had a lot of discharge coming from my bum. It's brown watery discharge, with tiny bits of dried black stuff (blood maybe from the surgery?). I know discharge is normal, but is th ...

Hi Baggies,
I had a colostomy reversal two weeks ago, and now have a loop ileostomy temporarily. After my surgery, I began to pass rectal mucus after two days. It was brownish-red at the start, then cleared to putty-colored, all normal.
BUT THEN, this morning I woke up with a much more urgent feeling, and when I passed what I expected to be mucus, it felt very firm. On examination, it really s ...