I have had a colostomy for 6 years with no chance of undoing it. After a while, I figured I was on a 6-day patch and pouch change cycle. Now we are all used to a 7-day week that ends up on the same day every week, but when you go to a 6-day change cycle, the day to change will become blurred because it will fall on different days. I used to wonder, is this the day or not. Here is my crazy answer to all of that and it has served me very well for years now and does not cost much. In fact, you probably have the stuff around the house.
You will need a small board, small nails, magic marker, hammer, paint (if you want to get fancy), and some sort of small ring.
You put seven small nails in the board, put the weekdays on top of the nails, and put the ring on the day you changed your patch and pouch. That way, you know when you need to change. Example: If I change on a Sunday, I look at my board and see I need to change it the next Saturday, etc, etc, etc. This way, I also know not to eat for 12 hours before I change. Anyway, here is a pic of my board and excuse my Tuesday abbreviation, I was in a hurry that day. It hangs in my bathroom. Of course, you can also use it if your change cycle is different also.
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First off, this is a pretty cool site with 33,097 members. Get inside and you will see.
We're not all about ostomy. Everything is being discussed in the forums.
It's a very special community, embracing all ages and backgrounds. People are honest and truly care.
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Create an account and you will be amazed.
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Check out our travel tips on diet and fitness.
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Read our tips to help you prepare for air, ground, or cruise travel with a stoma.