Hi all. I'm going through an interesting time and am wondering if anyone can relate. I know most of us still carry a lot of the trauma caused by our health-related experiences. I know I do, but I've been fortunate to be able to put it aside and be there for my friends and family through their medical challenges. I've visited them in the hospital and volunteered in my local one for six years, ab...

Hi mates, haven't been on site for a few years.. I walked into the grocery store today and looked around at the people doing their shopping, cringing at the prices, checking their lists, just doing the routine they do to live.  I wonder how many individuals I walked past who have a bag like me .????? How many have gone thru the surgeries, and pain ,and if they feel different from others. We don...

Out driving today in Upstate New York where they're tapping trees for maple syrup. They collect the syrup in clear plastic bags hanging off the tree with the liquid at the bottom of the bag. In my mind's eye all I can see is that they all have ileostomy bags hanging from them. Can't undo seeing them and I'll never look at them in the same way again! Gotta laugh!

So I was conversing with someone early this morning and that person used the term…thumbs-upping. Anyone ever hear of this term before or have personally used it? I never knew the term existed.

Hello Friends,

     I’m sitting in the calm of a sleeping house all prepped and ready for surgery. It’s currently 1am here in Washington state. We’re a tad behind the rest of the world.

     I’m not sure if a bowel prep is better with or without an ostomy. I had the grand pleasure of putting 2 Liters of soapy (go figure ‍️) water into my stoma. I have a loop ileostomy, so t...

I just had a new patch made and had it sewn on my jacket,it says   OSTOMY RIDERS
Im hopeing to start a nationwide awareness that just because we have a bag we cant still do the things we like.I'll be out there advertising everyday.I know of a few riders here on this site and Im sure it will raise awareness.Theres no dues Im sure we have already paid with our lives.
takecare
bikerboy greg

Evening all, I’m from upstate New York and winter is coming!!  Just got an ostomy bag a week ago and was wondering if anyone has hiked in cold weather with their bag. I mean cold, like 30 degrees below zero!  Worried it may freeze?

For over 17 year’s I had a ileostomy that over time I developed a parastomal hernia that in turn caused me not to enjoy the finer things in life. After all that time I changed to a colostomy and had my hernia taken care of. Yesterday March 4th I did something that I would never have done with my ileostomy. I went to our local air force museum and they had a c-130 that you could step on and se...

Was just chatting with an old high school mate about the opening bars of which songs that used to make us go YEAHHHHHH, AWWWRIGHT and get up on the dance floor!

These were ours (and remember, it was the early 80's, LOL!)



and of course....

LAST FALL, I TURNED EIGHTY.  I find that it has changed my life for the better.  First of all, as many of you can attest, getting old takes getting used to, like an obnoxious relative.  It’s not something that creeps up on you over the years; it shows up suddenly, a rather brutal realization that hits you upside the head in the dead of night and knocks you senseless.  Up till then, you se...

It’s national dog day, let’s see your better half. You foreigners can join in too.

ON A RECENT TRIP THROUGH TOWN, I think that I caught every red light there was to catch.  That has always been my cross to bear.  It’s as if the traffic signal sees me coming.  If I was a QAnon bozo, I’d likely think that the government managed to embed a chip inside me that signals the light as I approach it to turn red, here he comes!  Maybe it permeated my epidermis when I entered th...

ONE SUMMER WE WERE DRIVING in the Appalachians, enjoying the rural atmosphere and the beauty of the curvy roads through green hills, when we ended up behind a medium-sized flatbed truck loaded with cages, all strapped down and secured.  The cages were filled with live chickens and the speed of the truck was enough to cause thousands of white feathers to come flying out of the cages, filling th...

I would say some pretty good advice. ️

Done, I am now an ostomate. I am home with very little pain. I am walking but do tire quickly. Not much of an appetite, but try to eat in small snippets.


Prior to surgery my wife talked to surgeon about preserving the prostate nerves so we could hopefully have near normal sex going forward. He did but he cautioned us after surgery it cost him time and me blood. The loss of blood took me comple...

                       ODE TO AGING

 

This aging business isn’t fun; it’s weighty;

It hits me upside the head today, as I turn eighty.

The aches and pains, the medicines; I once felt fine

Back in my recent youth, when I was seventy-nine.

 

One knee is weak, my chronic kidneys balk.

At young attractive women I no longer gawk.

My doctor tells me how I’m doing great;

...

OK, so Naked Running.

Apparently this means running without GPS, music and any other technology.

I wish I knew this an hour ago...

Boogity, boogity

Well, last night after letting my surgeon have it for listening but not hearing me I felt two very sharp pains a few inches to my left of the ileostomy. They went away and I thought nothing more of it.

I have alarms set overnight to remind me that I’m on TPN and need to empty usually 3 times overnight. Last night I only had to empty once. The alarms still went off I just wasn’t having any ...

Wondering if there have been any thoughts about this group having say a special gathering for example a cruise? We could actually meet eachother in person to share life experiences and get to know eachother on a different  level. Should be able to find a cruise line /travel agency for discount rates. I don't know, just crossed my mind

I think we all agree this is a pretty awesome forum.  And I bet we all have one post stuck in our heads that is what you think of first when you think of this place.  The one topic that hit home and you can't forget.  I'm curious to hear which post it was for you.  

For me I actually have 2.........a serious one and a funny one.  The one that drew me to this forum.......or maybe I should...

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone out there. 
Love yourself and accept who you are and how you are and love will be with you forever. 
open your mind and it will open your heart and find happiness.

Enjoy your special day …everyday.

Ritz

We saw some pretty cute dogs on here recently so I thought it might be fun to show our pets.

I’ve been to the hospital a lot as we all have.

My question is this, if you have a roommate when you watch television do you wear headphones or keep it at a low volume so as not to disturb your neighbor? I do or don’t watch tv. On the GI surgical floor those are the rules, printed and everything.

I’m on what’s called the medical floor and it has just opened up, it’s not new or swank...

My friend and caretaker Rick wants to get out of the house, I do too honestly. 
Taking a medium sized (for me) road trip to Worcester to see the “Woo Sox” AAA baseball game and bundling up since its close to fall in New England. It’s a nice one year old ballpark, Polar Park. When I was feeling better in summer of 21, I was able to take my niece to a game and we had a great time!

Easier t...

Welp today marks a year since I have had an ileo..

Here it is, all my wisdom wrapped up in 1 simple statement….This ostomy thingy you got has either saved your life or made it better in some form. You’re not buried in dirt and hopefully you’re feeling better, enjoy each and every day. It’s not that bad in the big scheme of things. So, put your cape on and have a good Monday. 

This site is a godsend. As a newbie (colostomy on Nov 8,'21), I look at it every day for a number of reasons. Reading what people are going through makes me grateful that my elective surgery because of a severe case of IBS-C is nothing compared to what they have been  through and are still  living with.

I don't have to go the hospital for anything related to my ostomy. I feel sorry for those...

I have so much to share about my personal experience and it begins here. I've been home from the hospital for 3 weeks and am still wrapping my head around exactly what happened. I have increasingly had food tolerances over the last 20 years or so. I've never been diagnosed with any digestive disorder or any food allergy. I've always had issues with regularity/constipation but never to the point...

Dec 17th I flew to calgary to get to Palm Springs. Going through security they pulled me over. I showed them the ileostomy card. They looked at mr like I robbed a bank. Pasted me down,lifted up my shit and tested my hands. Then in my carry-on they took out my stoma powder.  

I get to calgary go through security.  Same dam thing.    

Going home from Palm Springs  I forgot my card, which...

How many people here suffer from Depression, since receiving their ostomy. A lot of people told me he that you should be happy you’re still alive, which in some ways I am in other ways I am not. People also say it’s a give-and-take all gave me some of my life back, but it took away more than I thought it was going to. I always liked having someone in my life and so far this ostomy has cost ...

I just took a shower with my bag on since I changed it this morning. I always use a tiny binder clip at the velcro closure for added protection. I took the clip off so that I could unravel the bottom and dry it off. In the meantime, my phone rang. As I went to answer it, I let go of the bottom of my bag - I must have forgotten that it wasn't closed while multi-tasking - and heard (and felt ) a ...

Today I was trying to decide what my 2 favorite albums are and what my 2 favorite live concerts were...

I finally decided that my current favorite albums are: U2 - Achtung Baby and Sting - Fields of Gold.

My 2 favorite concerts were both in Houston:    The Eagles and Tom Petty

 

What are your favorites??????

I haven't been out dancing since I started my ostomy journey (Nov 2019 started chemo, radiation, surgery, recovery) and I used to love to dance!   There is a dance next Saturday I want to go to so I was doing some searches to make sure all is ok for that type of activity. 

I also want to learn belly dancing and found this very inspirational interview.  Thought I would share. ️

SOMETIMES IT IS HARD TO PUT SOMETHING INTO WORDS.  When asked to define pornography, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart couldn’t do it, but claimed “I know it when I see it.”  Similarly, the great American composer Aaron Copland, on the subject of music, once offered this gem:  “The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, ‘Is there a meaning to music?’ My answer wou...

ON SOME SUBJECTS, A DICTIONARY barely touches the surface.  Morals, my dictionary says, are a person’s standards of behavior, while ethics are said to be moral principles that govern behavior.  Sounds kind of the same, but in common usage they have come to be distinguishable.  Neither have any particular relationship with religion.  Some of the most ethical and moral people I’ve met are...

Anyone who drives has had them, in spades.  This is a fairly recent phenomenon that I have observed, over the last few years.  I can't figure it out and hope that someone on this site will be able to enlighten me!  I started noticing a lot of drivers leaving huge gaps between themselves and the car in front of them.  I'm talking about at stop lights, stop signs, courtesy corners, etc.  I m...

Intimacy between two ostinates at first at least for us was just getting past the shyness of showing your body with your ostomy appliance attached.  

Although I am no longer and a relationship with this man it had nothing to do with our ostomies as a matter of fact because of our ostomies we thought that we were more compatible than we actually were

The first step is showing your partner yo...

OK, so what is everyone's fave Halloween candy? I'll go first....Twix 

Just need to vent a little: Going to hear some music down by a river town, which I love. Earlier, at home getting ready, I was just kind of thinking out loud, something along the lines of, “I hope our friends are staking a spot near the bathrooms.” My husband said, “Well, I don’t know, ask them to move. What’s the big deal?” It really is so NOT a big deal, just one of those times wh...

So we're all here one way or the other likely in relation to waste. So in response to that what's some of those ways you make it that you probably shouldn't? Talking those late night cravings, those lunchtime splurges or the midday snack, maybe a comfort food that takes you back ( :D I made a rhyme), or that adult beverage you resort to after one of those kind of days.

For me popcorn always fi...

Good morning my fellow ostomates

I know socializing in our society/culture is all about food... we meet for coffee, we go out to lunch, we go out to dinner, etc. But as a new ostomate I'm uncomfortable doing that with new people (coffee is ok I guess). So when someone asks me to lunch or dinner, how can I say politely that I don't want to and what can I suggest as an alternative event? And I ...

Just before my stumpy arrived I got into wood laser burning and finially after about 4 months getting back into it. I missed it and the little cash flow it occasionally brought.... my 1st piece was yesterday my example is in honor of my parents....please share urs and pics if ya got them...

Hey there everyone!

Super bowl is this Sunday. And for the first time in a while, I’ll be able to enjoy some of the foods. I do hope that others are able to enjoy the food and game this Sunday. Have a great week and weekend stay safe.

I had an ileostomy placed in 2021 and since then, my 15 year relatonship has ended.  I'm now comfortable enough with my physical condition to start dating again but having some trouble getting started.  I'm thinking that looking to meet a woman with an ostomy also may be a good idea because we already have at least one thing in common, lol.  I'm kind of shy at first, so any input on how to g...

Anyone willing to recommend a good book they’ve read recently? I’m open to most genres. 

Some one posted about what everyone here has for a hobby.  .

Mine is film!  I was a projectionist highschool into college and worked in 2 theater's... I have a 35mm projector that was built during WW2....and still throws a picture better now then it did way back then.... I also have 16mm as well....lots of features in both formats.... I also have a Christe LX 700 LCD projector...for DVDs....

DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY WEAR PAJAMAS ANY MORE?  Especially with an ostomy, I don’t want any potential obstructions, like a waistline, while I’m sleeping.  I wear night shirts.  I have some flannel for winter, and some light cotton for summer.  Even after I’ve discarded that, once I’ve made my way into my day, I will often shun pants in favor of a kaftan, which I will frequently wear th...

Anyone out there play pickleball?

I started in May 2022 and can't get enough.  The weather in Pennsylvania has been pretty mild so far.  Come on spring time!!!!!!!!

First let me apologize for naming Queen Elizabeth II as an ostimate apparently I was wrong my source was an ostomy nurse (now deceased) who was a mentor of mine.  So I thought it might be fun to investigate the subject again.  For reasons that should be obvious it is difficult to find out much about anyone famous who has an ostomy as their privacy is paramount as long as they are alive.  In ...

Find the 6 hidden words in the picture…..