Hi gang,
Just wanted to share some info on a book I found that is incredibly useful if you have any issues with the skin around your stoma. I've attached a pic, so hopefully it uploads. It's basically a picture book of all the things that can go wrong with the skin around your stoma, what the condition is called, how it's treated, etc. Makes it much easier for your doc or dermatologist if you can point them in the right direction. Now normally this book is only bought by medical libraries, etc., but there's now a newer second edition that came out recently, so you can find used copies really cheap if you search the web. I think it originally cost $250 but I've got both my copies for a buck apiece and $5 or $6 shipping........from AbeBooks.com. I just checked today and found two more copies for a buck each and they're on their way to me from the UK. So I now have 4 copies and would gratefully share two of them with you guys if you're having an issue and need it now. I need one copy for myself to have on hand and I'm giving one copy to a friend of mine I work with who had his colon removed last year and now has a bag.
So my advice is to get yourself a copy, and if you're having skin issues and need it now, just shoot me a message with your address and I'll get a copy right out to you. If you're not in the States and postage is stupid you may have to help me a bit, but I'll ship it as economically and quickly as you'd like. I did borrow a second edition through the Library of Congress earlier this year and compared it to the first edition I have. There are some more/different pics in the second edition, but none of the info in the first edition is wrong, it's just been added to a bit. So I don't see the need to fork over a few hundred bucks for the second edition, but if you want one I think there are a couple on AbeBooks if you have a wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket.
Just so we're clear, we're working off the honor system here. So you can hang onto the book as long as you like, but if someone else messages me and wants to see a copy you'll need to send it on to them. Or maybe someone could upload the book to this site, although I don't know if this site can support such a thing. I guess we'll figure that out down the road. I expect my new 2 copies from the UK in about a week, so I'll be able to send them as soon as I get them. In summary, I think it's a cool book (that can be very hard to look at), but if it helps anyone with an issue it's an invaluable resource. Oh, the ISBN-10 for the first edition is 1853178969 and the ISBN-13 is 978-1853178962.
Regards,
Bob