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Hello I do eat salad it all depends if you like looking at what you pass.......lol..... but as for nut's, seeds, sweetcorn, pea's, it's a no no as it will block your stoma....my docotr told me that when I eat like apple or pear then I need to peal it and chew it very finely.... banana's they are very good for you... I eat mostly Fish, Chicken very little pork and beef if I do eat them it's once a week...I hope this is helpful to you if you like to know more I will sure try and help to answer your question's take care and all the best to you.... regards Baygal xxx

Hi thank you I stopped eating things with skin no salad I’m scared to eat stuff but anyway have a question is this the pain site for ostomatedating.com please help I paid for it and I got s cancelation idk what happen I’m going to call I guess yo that you Victoria NewlifeVictoria 

NewlifeVictoria,

  I'm not sure what you are asking but ostomatedating.com is in no way affiliated with this site.  This site is meetanostomate.org.  If you paid for a membership on ostomatedating.com, you should have a confirmation email.  I would suggest contacting the administrator of that site.

Bain

irrigation is a way to get your active lifestyle back. not everyone qualifies as you must have some decending colon left and it must be healthy. what type of ostomy do you have ? 

Hello Stillkicking. In answer to your question -- It's like most things in life, I do it because I want to! It frees me up to do many other things (I also want to do)  during the day without the restriction of having to wear a pouch/ bag/ appliance or whatever else we would like to call it.

Best wishes

Bill

Akuma,

  Yes, you can post anything here in the forums and everyone can see.  You should see a reply button at the bottom of the post.  It might be slightly different with the mobile format.

  I've not tried to upload a pic with my iPad or cell phone.  I've always done it from a PC.  And I'm not sure it's any different with an Android based tablet.

  If you have a PC, you can transfer pics to it from your tablet and then upload them from the PC.  I will have to dabble with my iPad to see if it works or not.  I'll keep you informed.

Bain

@ aj Bain  Yes, I think I know what you mean about the pics, I'll try that. Was at McMaster yesterday so wasn't on at all. Ty for your help.😉

It is also saying above Akuma...that this is not supported by format? This site is weird to figure out ?! 😞

Hello, I have taken liquid vitamins along with a monthly B-12 injection for years with good results.My system absorbs liquid vitamins much better than any other form of vitamins.I've had an ileostomy for 31 years.

Two years ago, I attended the UOAA meeting where they had a pharmacist speaking about this topic. I think Ewesful has the idea to take viatmins that will disolve quickly. I seem to recall the pharmacist saying that for us that have smaller intestines that it is best not to take anything that is time released.

However, I think it matters which intestine or colon we still have left. From my understanding, the large colon is only a way to process and prepare for the elimination of waste. Therefore, if we still have the small intestine, I think we would be better to support and process the vitamins, etc.

Vitamins are not the only pills that we need to consider. Supplements and medication would also have a similar idea of how we process them through our system.

I have also read many reports that even in normal people that vitamins are found to be useless because they all immediatley end up in our toilet through our urine.

As for myself, I have stopped taking a daily vitamin. I do take calcium with D3, Omega 3, Milk Thistle (for my liver), Bitoin and Vitamin C with Collagen for my hair, and Davrom and Nullo to control the odor. I don't know if they are doing any good, but I don't think they are doing any harm.

Hope this helps.

Hi how are you nice to meet you I’m Victoria and have ileostomy and taken liquid vitamins and what do you take ? Do you take b12 and what is Davrom? Please help please textvbsck ASAP thank you so much also thank I take zophan, promthoxin 12.5 and Bentyl and pain meds😭 

Hi Kai,

It's nice to know that there's research going on to update ostomy products.....but after checking out your project.....not so sure it's better than what's out there ( except for the patterns) 

I have my ostomy for over 50 years, and in the early years did some product testing for "new" & im-proved ostomy supplies for (United Surgical)

Zywie's post, pretty much said it all...   Also, be aware, that many people have their ostomy placed, below the waiste & belly button....as mine was.  Don't know what they're doing now. 

Rubber is old news.....vintage 1960's.....   it smells & holds odors...

Do not need a ( rubber ) spout...   Output is often not watery....and pouch spouch needs to be wiped out ( with tissue and use of fingers).  

Best I've used over the last 10 years....Moldable Convatec  wafers  & pouches./.2 piece system.....    I get more than a weeks wear....no rash, no itching...no leaking do not need a belt.   For extra security I use scanpoor tape, around the wafer's tape.....   Scanpoor, is like a second skin....can shower and it doesn't fall off......

Best for you to try wearing a pouch, and filling it up , to get the feel ...   If I can be of any help, please write.  

Hello Kai.  As previously stated, you've gotten most of the input from the others.  I've had my colostomy for 20+ years and over that time have used either Convatec or Hollister (currently using Hollister's 2-piece drainable).  Comments:

> output from colostomies runs the gamut from wet to dry normal stool (so the neck of the pouch MUST be cleanable);

> the pouch's material (which rests against your thigh) must NOT create a sweaty environment;

> your pix didn't explicitly illustrate how the pouch connects to the flange so I can't comment but my experience with the clicking (tuperware-like connectors) has been reasonably effective but not perfect;

> my experience with gas-relief gadgets has been abysmal ... they soak-up the moisture in the pouch and release the odour which their supposed to be filtering-out!!  Not to mention the fact that this moisture stains your clothes ...

Combined with the comments from the others, I think this is a fair representation.

It is amazing what people can overcome! Scars

inward or outward, we are strong and deal with life as handed to us! 

Nice reminder Angel! 

Puppyluv

Thanks Angelica for another poignant post. 

It does often help to hear about other people's struggles and their stories of overcoming adversity.  Coming to terms with yourself both inside and out is a key to contentment. However, I do like some of the more motivating cliches and quotations which point the way to a potentially brighter future. So, I leave you with "Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives".

Best wishes for all your tomorrows.

Bill

Bill.. thanks !

Hello Stillkicking.  Thanks for your post. It is good to hear from people who experiment with their food and find out what they can and cannot eat. 

At first I found lots of food that did not digest properly and some of it like currants and sweetcorn still come out just as they went in. However, I kept coming back to stuff that at first did not seem approriate and found that most of it I can now eat without any problems at all.  As many on here have saisd before. the trick is to chew-chew and chew again. If this is difficult, the a liquidiser can be helpful. My feeling is that we ought to be able to eat whatever we like and if that needs to be liquidised, then so be it.

Best wishes

Bill 

If I avoid certain foods and chew well it seems to be ok.Is nice to eat a good variety. I find if output gets too thick a large beer will help bring it back to a more easy consistency to empty bag etc. 

Thanks for replying.The main thing is I would like to avoid worrying about constipation. I had a lot of problems with my bowels before colostomy especially when ytavelling.

Hi Mohouser, First of all, good for you for asking for help with an issue that feels bigger than you can cope with alone. That took some courage. I can hear the heartbreak in your post, but I have to be honest - you are going to have to decide how hard you want to work on this. First, I wonder why your wife has been looking after your ostomy for 10 years. Perhaps she wants to help, and perhaps you appreciate the help as well as the imtimacy, but as long as she sees you as a "patient" who needs help (vulnerable, fragile, childlike) she is never going to see you as a partner, especially a sexual partner. You need to become independent in managing your stoma. You haven't mentioned a reason for her doing this, so I apologize if there is a disability that necessitates it that you haven't mentioned. Second, it sounds like there have been issues around sex before your stoma surgery. I think you are aware of that. Perhaps the stoma has just become a convenient excuse for something that has happened already. If that is the case, you and your wife are not going to be able to solve this yourselves - you will need to speak to a counsellor. I don't suggest you start with a sex therapist; you need to do some work on the relationship first. I don't think this is an unusual problem - a long marriage takes a lot of work from both partners, and lots of marriages don't survive. However, you are presenting this as a sexual problem that your wife has, and I think you need to be honest with yourself - it is much more complicated than that. As a married woman with an ostomy, I can attest to the challenges this presents in a marriage. And marriage is hard enough without an extra challenge!! Having an ostomy AND a sexlife requires both partners to want it to happen. It requires thinking outside the box - doing things differently than the same old, same old. But then, just being married for a long time and having a sex life requires that too, right? We all need to shake things up a little, otherwise, the boredom kills it. And it is more difficult to maintain a marriage that has no sex. Not impossible, just more difficult. I have had to think outside the box - radiation damage has made sex more difficult for me, but I know how it enriches my marriage, and how close my husband and I feel to each other. I am just not willing to give it up. But we have had to do some serious talking about it, and we both recognize the value of it, so we have had to find ways to be creative. However, this is in the context of a very strong marriage of 32 years, and we both recognize that our strength is talking to one another. Mohouser, I wish you the best of luck. This is not an easy fix - I wish it were. But, it is not impossible either.

HI, I here the same complaint from plenty of men ages 50and up that dont have ostomys. They complain that there wives dont want sex anymore. MENOPAUSE is a main culprit for lack of sex drive. We lose alot of hormones and we r no longer of child bearing years.Plus we dry out some what. I am not speeking for all women but many. So may be its not all because of your ostomy, She is probably very tired also.I have a colostomy but my husband cant keep his hands off me. And going through menopause has made me less interested. But i still love him and we work through it.

Widowed for for past 17 years, I've had some problems, but hey, to all of you giving advice, Bravo.  My marriage was so brief (nine years) thast things didnt have time to get stale or boring...when our daughter came along it was difficult to find time!  All the best to you to who worked things out...don't think I'll let my friends try to match me up. Better solo, I think.

Thank you.

Hello Freedancer. I am sure anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one will empathise with how you feel and what you are going thorugh. We all react differently to this this very deep and emotional experience. Mine happened nearly sixty years ago and I am still mourning, but in a much more postive way than I did at first. The tears and emotions still occasionally come flooding back and whilst they are superficially painful. I tend to welcome these things because they are a reminder of how deep that love was at the time and that it must still be there, deep inside. I certainly don't want to stop mourning my loss. However, I did eventually get on with my life, and nowadays my memories and mourning do not interfere too much with that.  Indeed, they help me to value those things in the here and now which I might otherwise take for granted.

Best wishes

Bill 

Thank you Bill. :)

Great song, great singer great music. Very enjoyable and easy listening

Bestg ewishes

Bill

Hi Dave and welcome to the right place.  We are not Doctors (some are), but the huge number of people on this site add up to a tremendous amount of experience. The four posts you received give great advice, as usual. As a woman, I cannot undertand your problem, but we can attest to your pain...physical and emotional.  It is incomprehensible to me that someone would post intimate details of anything, good or bad on social media,  That's what pornography si for.  Know that there are many women out there, but, if I may get hold of our physical problems before you go on.  I've yet to tell any man I have an ostomy (except my priest). And no one needs to know...until they do.  Keeps us posted, your other systoms are horrrible, as as Bill said, maybe quite reversable, or mabye just time will heal.  The human body is an amazing thing, it's need far more time to heal than we, in this superfast world of ours, are willing to wait.

I think my hands have been Chemo's today...better rest up before I post again. Hope you got the gist.

Hi Dave

Some people can be so very cruel....I have had ileostomy for 18 years and have been widowed for 9 years..I have had a couple of reationships but they never lasted..partly my own fault because of how I feel having a bag...

I hope you can get the proper medical care needed to help with your pain. Intercourse is painful for me too since having the surgery...I think the surgeon stitched me up too tight.  Anyway Dave...take care and all the best.

Angela

Yes! please let us know the outcome (or output). I have had bits of solid food that have remained intact and passed through without any problem so, I would presume that gum would do the same.

As two bags says - an interesting question!

Best wishes

Bill 

Assuming that you swallowed a normal size piece you should have no problem If, on the other hand, you swallowed an over-size wad then you might run into trouble.

Xerxes

I think a normal size piece of gum will be ok....good luck.

xnine.. I’m glad you liked it.

Mike crow... Great

One life live it!!! Get out there and live it. You will be surrpised no one will be the slighest bit bothered or make any nasty comments.  Naturism isn't for me but as I've read stories and seen bits and pieces about it on TV there the most unjuging people around and never judge anyone on there apperance 

thanks for the feedback guys defo giving me food for thought. since my op i have had a more you only live once attitude and feel like if i want do something i should just do it. 

I'm with all the supportive comments. My brother used to run a dress optional resort in NZ and nobody worried about what other people were wearing or not. A pouch would not have made any difference to their non-judgemental attitudes. 

Best wishes

Bill

AKUMA,

  I know you've tried using your tablet to upload pics.  Is it an iPad or Android based tablet?  Have you tried using a Mac or PC yet?

Bain

This has happened to me several times. This site is very finicky.

AKUMA,

  You could try to go to the site via the browser instead of using the mobile version.  Or, use a PC to upload the photos.  Just a thought.

Bain

Just after my ileostomy, I had ten teeth removed, and partial top and bottom dentures made. Before I had my new teeth, I had frequent blockages, from not chewing my good enough, mostly from vegetables and salad, I was so used to eating fast, and not chewing enough.  It took months to get used to my new dentures, now I can eat just about anything without a problem, just need to chew it really, really well. It can take me 30 mins to eat a meal, but that's better than a blockage.  I used to blend my food at first, in a blender, although it doesn't look very appetising, it's easy to digest.  I've had blockages from cold slaw, and shredded cabbage if I eat to much. I would suggest blending your food finer than the slaw like consistency, salad and veggies seem to not want to digest, comes out almost as it went in. Try getting used to your dentures, wearing them a little at a time. I started out using my dentures only for eating, then would have to take them out, it was to painful. Now I leave them in full time. 

Hello amj1468. When I first had my stoma I blended all my food and it was fine. after a while I gradually blended less and less until I was eating normally again. It just seemed like a good idea at the time.

Best wishes

Bill

I have upper dentures  and I eat anything I want. even nuts  I was on Warfrin and  greens were a no no,  but I have been off it since  Dec 19th and am enjoying my salads,  and greens again.  I think it is just up to the person and there system.  I have a colostomy.

You're right.  I have seen so many incompetent coworkers get placed into some of the better jobs.  It is frustrating when you work so hard and someone who lies on their paperwork and makes up visits with clients just to make their quota get praises left and right.  Thanks for your reply!

haven't been on site for long time, to update, she was found out after along time and was told to quite or be fired, love my new co-woker life is good now, and I dindn't retire having fun at work again!

I was a Supervisor for many years in a large Manufacturing plant. I was the same as you, told it like it is, good or bad, just facts. There were always people trying to make their way up the ladder and some think it is by taking out the competition but the smart ones make friends with the competition and learn all they can from them to become good enough for that next rung on the ladder! The ones that cause trouble, like yours will not last long in any workplace and only time will solve your dilemma. She will soon run out of steam because all will know her tactics she will not limit them to just you. As far as you DON, I had a boss that could not confront any behavioral issue with employees. I would tell her that she needed to confront them head on and not when they became an issue that HER boss would reflect on her performance. She was finally fired after working there of 25 years! I told her! Your quality of work speaks for itself! 

Gemd, time is your friend. For a year after my illestomy(in Aug., 2016), I was afraid to eat anything with seeds, a peeling, roughage of any sort. When I went in for my one year checkup, my surgeon said that I was free to eat anything I wanted, as long as I chewed well. I was so afraid of getting a blockage, but I slowly branched out and have never had a problem. Yes, broccoli, cabbage, beans, and fried foods make my bag expand, but I choose convenient times to eat those things. Don't get discouraged. Follow your doctor's advice and know that it does get better!! Good luck!!

Lulu

Hi Gemd,  I have had an Ileostomy for 5 years now...  Only foods i was told to avoid at all costs were Fresh Pineapple, Corn & Nuts.  Body took a few months to settle in but I pretty much eat anything I wasnt except the three mentioned.  I have found that Redwine fills my bag like really fast :-) eggs produce a liquid'ish output.  I have a salad and 80 grams of chillie flavour Tuna each work day for lunch and that gives me a semi liquid out put - but who cares eh!  Food tastes nice.  I have curries, pickles etc etc...

You don't say how new you are to this but it will settle.  Try foods one at a time and see what happens but there is a settling in period..  Good luck and enjoy food full bag just meas an empty required!  not a biggy 

Cheers

Hi, I can relate.  I have MS and have lesions on my spinal cord which make it impossible for me to open my rectum.  Unfortunately, I had a surgeon that thought she could reverse an ileostomy without checking with my neurologist.  Let's just say I was in a coma for about 3 weeks.  

Anyway, when I could I never wanted to eat salads and veggies.  Now, I crave them.  I have a diet of strictly bread, chicken or beef, pasta or rice, some cereals and some potatoes.  Not much.  Cause of the emergency ileostomy (almost died on the table = very septic} I have about a foot of small intestine.  Went through a year of waking up covered in crap.  Dwindled things down to the main food groups.  Usually, you have less choices with an ileostomy, it depends on how much intestine is in there.  Have a CT to check.  What I do now is have a binge night.  I will go to a restaurant and order whatever.  I get prepared before bed.  Have flange etc. in bathroom, tub is clean and opened up, and I put a green garbage bag on the bottom sheet and cover with large towel.  Usually have a leak but don't have to  start stripping the bed at 3 a.m., you know?  If you don't give yourself a little pleasure, you will get really frustrated.  I do that about once every 2 1/2 weeks.  Keeps me sane and not tripping out about having an ileostomy. With a colostomy, you should be able to eat more, but nuts are really a no no.  More bowel to hold waste.  Check in future about reversing ileostomy, once chemo and all that is done.  About a year and a half.  Make sure you get a good colorectal surgeon, and you should be able to go back to normal.  If not, just try to stay positive and treat yourself every once in a while.  Good luck, Judy

Oooooo politics... well it's not the holidays anymore right? I for one feel for both the people that haven't been paid and those that have suffered much more due to our broken immigration sytem. Yes Chuck and Nancy are very selfish for depriving Americans of the security they so richly deserve. We've got five or ten billion in the couch cushions of the House and Senate... Speaking of costly furniture remember those $50k curtains that the media thought Ambassador Haley had ordered? They dropped the coverage as soon as they figured out the curtains were brought into being by the previous administrations frivelous spending habits! 

Stomadare11... thanks for your input.

Oh, politics.  Always a dissenting voice, here I go. The first Federal paycheck was not untl Jan. 11, 2019.  Feds get paid every two weeks...what did they do last year after the holidays?  I didn't hear anyone complaining about money or paying their bills.  Few people who work for the federal government are living paycheck to paycheck, unless they want it that way.  My late uncle had a Federal job, money was never an issue, but rather would he keep his job as administraitons changed. Never lost his job, and my aunt had his pension for life. My late husband worked for a state agency, and hey, I'm in NEW YORK, a state that utilises the same pay schedule as the federal government and has the HIGHEST TAXES IN THE NATION.  There are a lot of liars out there, and in my lifetime I have lived through many government shutdowns...a misnomer, as the government is always 75% funded.  If federal employees miss another paycheck, they are eligible for unemployment, when the government reopens they get all their back pay, all of it.  My problem: why don't they do something positive instead of whining?   Every furloughed federal employee should be burning up the phone lines, social media, and making a nusiance of themselves in Washington...by contacting their Senators and Reps, all of whom have the power to compromise on promises made, but not kept during the last admisitration (know your history!).  Starkly phrased: don't blame the President.  He is doing exacly what he promised to do and what Pelousi and Schummer voted for during the last administration.  Do to peronal hatred, avarice and a hell-bound desperation to do ANYTHING to unseat our ELECTED Head of State, they don't care about putting the very people who put them in office--their CONSTITUENTS, IN HARMS WAY.  Finish what they voted for in the last admin, keep their promises to the people who put them there, and the government would reopen tomorrow...then what are they going to do?  Find something else to complain about...  dls, spoiled preppy bitch, who knows a hell of a lot about history vs. histronics.

PS: Voting records are in the public domain, so go to your local library, or online and find out how your Senators voted for, yes, A WALL and vast increases in spending for border security during the Obama Administration.  The stark truth may upset you but at least you'll be careful about in whom you place your trust.

Hello Angelicamarie. Two things struck me about this song:

1) It's really easy to listen to with that somewhat soothing beat

2)  I find the sentiment which expresses the concept of wondering whether someone is being reciprocal in the thinking process is an interesting one.   Without stepping too far into the unknown, many folks believe that thought transference is possible, especially when two peope have a special emotional bond. I once conducted a series of experiments with young people to test this theory and found that there may be some credibility to the notion. However, some participants were much better at it than others, so it may not be a universal phenomenon.

Best wishes

Bill 

Bill.. I appreciate your feedback.

I'm so sorry.  You have my condolences.

What you say does not matter. Your presence says it all. Be there to listen and offer to help in any way that you can. I have worked in hospice for many years and letting the family know you care is great for them. Being there to hold your friends hand makes all the difference in the world. 

I am so sorry for your friend, and for your loss. Please know that her family will still need you to stand by them and comfort them as they try to rebuild a life without her in it. Take care and God bless you all.

Thank k yo Bill.  I am looking forward to my life settling down soon.  Just too much stuff going on!

One day at a time one step at a time. You are strong. Prayers and strength being sent your way

Thank you!