The disappearing ink of my memory started fading some time ago. My pre-ostomy time is almost entirely gone. I was 21 when they did the surgery; I am 77 now. What it was like to be a person without this thing attached to my belly, I cannot recall. It is as lost as a spare coin. When you go back fifty years in your mind, rivers become tributaries, tributaries become trickles. That hard-working hippocampus, whose job it is to send out memories to the appropriate part of the cerebral hemisphere for long-term storage and then to retrieve them when necessary, has carelessly let his union card lapse. That is when that mischievous scamp imagination enters the picture. He will mess with your mind; he will cause you to wonder where that wavering, phantasmagoric line is between reality and fantasy. That bully ego begins to hang around too, bolstering, embroidering, exaggerating. Memory, after a long, long ride through time, develops carbuncles. Do you want to know what wonder is? Wonder is that startling, unsettling notion that occurs to you, long afterwards: Did I really do that?

Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 40,223 members.
But, it's not all about ostomy. We talk about everything.
Many come here for advice, others find lasting friendships, and some have even found love.
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Hollister
Talking about having an ostomy can be uncomfortable for most people. Still, it's something you can't always avoid.
Learn about some strategies that can make it easier to talk about your stoma.
Learn about some strategies that can make it easier to talk about your stoma.
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Hollister
Your stoma care nurse can be a valuable resource when you need help.
Learn about the common issues and symptoms that warrant a call for assistance.
Learn about the common issues and symptoms that warrant a call for assistance.