EVERYONE WITH AN OSTOMY should fletcherize. Don’t look it up; you won’t find it. My handy-dandy book of word origins says it means (or, I suppose, meant, back in the early 20th C.) “to masticate food thoroughly.” A nutritionist named Horace Fletcher (1849-1919) advocated cutting out regular meals and eating only when hungry, consuming small amounts of food at one time, and chewi ...

I had my colonoscopy on Thursday, and the doctor said I am on track for my 6-month reversal, which is in January. She was very happy with my general surgeon who did the emergency surgery and said that he left her plenty to work with.
I'm very excited about the opportunity to return to a “normal” life. But I have so many emotions. I'm nervous. I'm scared. I'm excited. And I also feel bad th ...

The most difficult decision I have ever made! I have a colostomy resulting from diverticulitis with bowel perforation and removal of 15 cm of sigmoid colon in Oct 2024. As a nurse, I feel I have had a bit of an advantage in accepting the colostomy compared to others who probably have never even seen a colostomy before. It's a shocking and traumatic experience for most. Initially, it was part o ...

EXAMPLES OF ALTRUISM 1. (GIFTING)
It isn’t very hard to tell
when altruism is done well,
for altruists will have a need
that never will be based on greed.
It matters not, if rich or poor,
the altruist, you can be sure
will find a way to help someone
before their working day is done.
As I began to look around,
the first example that I found
was where the authors of a book
invited me to tak ...

It took me 20 years to realize that I could empty my one-piece appliance WITHOUT tearing it off and replacing it wholesale. For some reason, when I tell people that story, they think I’m joking! I’m forced into showing them boxes full of receipts and how I was going through $1500 worth of ostomy appliances per month. Long story short, I saved myself a TON of time and money when I realized ...

Morning all, hope you are all well. Just a quick update. I didn't post anything here for quite a while. So I had my full panproctocolectomy on the 17th of July this year due to ulcerative colitis. My recovery went well, 5 weeks later I was back to driving, 6 weeks later I am pretty much where my old self was, and now my bottom wound is almost completely healed. Results of the removed intestine ...

The other day I forgot to use a ring. I was not going to change it then but just see how it works. I only got 2 days; with a ring in place, I often get 10+ days. Rings really do work. I will not make that mistake again. One can only hope.

This is Jennifer. I had an ileostomy for 7 years and then changed to a colostomy 6 years ago. I had perianal cancer from a very rare skin cancer. I had the removal of the cancer and reconstructive surgery, which involved many skin grafts. The surgery took ten and a half hours, and I was not allowed to lay on my back or walk for two weeks. I could only move from one side to the other with assis ...

IMHO, it is nothing short of a miracle deodorant! I've seen many recommend M9 as the de facto ostomy deodorant. I finally bit, and not quite for a week of use yet. I'm convinced it works! It doesn't have any smell, so it's not a cover-up. This got me wondering how this is working so well. So, I asked the intertubes what the ingredients are doing.
Here's a summary of what is known (and what is ...

I'm due for reversal in 5 days. My luck, I developed a fungal infection. My nurse recommended Flonase sprayed on the skin for the itch and inflammation, miconazole powder, and skin barrier wipes. I think I will change my bag every day in hopes that it will clear up before Monday. Keep your fingers crossed for me, please. If you have any other suggestions, don't hesitate to chime in. Have a won ...

I found out this morning that on October 8th I will be admitted to the hospital for my sigmoid loop colostomy reversal! I am very excited and extremely nervous. This is definitely what I've wanted since getting the colostomy, but now I'm scared. What if it doesn't go well and I have problems with incontinence? That is my worst nightmare! I'd rather have a stoma and a pouch than poop my pants. ...