Ostomy Support Forum

I am an avid golfer who is looking for advice on what support belt I should purchase to keep the colostomy system I have in place while making full swings with my golf shots.
I have a two-piece Convatec bag system. I had the bag installed on March 6, 2025.
Thanks for any suggestions people have from personal experience and success.
Jay

I recently did a 10 day trek in Nepal and have had my Ileostomy for a year. I learned a few things that I wanted to share with the group..
Make sure you have stoma guard to protect your stoma! I had one but did not attach it to my bag cause its a pain to empty. After a few days of hiking 10+ miles a day, i did my first bag change and my stoma was 4x its normal size and had a mushroom ...

Is anyone going to attend the United Assoc. of America convention in Orlando, Florida, this year?
August 14th to 16th?

Hi, question here. What is it called when you flush your colon with water daily, instead of wearing a bag? Does anyone here do that? What's it like?

thanks

Hey fellow Ostomates. I have had my ileostomy for about 6 months now, and I am maintaining and learning to live with this new body pretty well. What I am struggling with is appetite. I just am not hungry most of the time, and it is starting to show with weight loss. Pre-surgery, I was about 245. Post-surgery, I was about 230 (lost 15 pounds of "guts" in the surgery), but now I am 222 lbs and c ...

Today I cleaned my stoma (loop ileostomy), and it was a bit bigger. I assume it's some blockage since I have been introducing some fiber back. No big deal, I thought, just drink plenty of water and dial down some of the fiber.
But then I see some part of the stoma is black and hard. I don't know if that's normal or if I should consult a surgeon. Then I found a string on the underside, which I ...

Hello everyone, and I'm trying to figure out a few things and just ask a few questions first! Is that okay?
How's everyone feeling? I'm never here, but I came in to say hello to everyone, and maybe we can text and chat about a couple of things on my mind!
1. Does anyone do protein shakes? What do you use? What is your diet? I have issues with everything I eat, and I'm not new; I just haven't ...

Trial and error has led me to a system of emptying and cleaning my pouch that makes everything feel better. I saw another post about using warm water in the pouch after emptying to wash it out. I will say it takes several times of doing this (put water in, holding the pouch up, swish it around, then empty) to get it clean. I do this until the water runs clear when coming out. I also use a deod ...

About 3 months after my ileostomy and ureter repair surgery, I had to start working again and could not do anything strenuous. So, I took on a job working the midnight shift in retail (no customers), bathroom accessible any time I needed, light duty work (mostly). With that said, I'd been there over a year and took on a high volume, high stress position, thinking about higher pay and such. We ...

My friends and I are planning a 3-4 day horse ride in the Snowy Mountains of Australia. We will probably be staying in cabins at night with bathrooms and toilets. Phew!
My question is... how do I manage my ileostomy while riding all day through the bush with no toilets? Do I take a small shovel and dig holes?
I wonder if anyone has other ideas. Thanks.

Just reading the latest Ostomy Australia magazine and noticed a letter from Iggie - well done, mate!
A PDF copy of the mag is below for those interested:
https://australianstoma.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Ostomy-Australia-April2025.pdf
and Iggie's letter (might be too small to read, but it's on page 7 of the issue):