The word OSTOMY has a derivation, just like other words. Many objects are named after the inventors: Louis Daguerre the daguerreotype, Rev. Sylvester Graham the graham cracker, the Earl of Sandwich for the common luncheon favorite, and Bill Gore for Gore-Tex, to give just a few examples. But I’m guessing that most of you were unaware that the ostomy was the invention of the once infamous French surgeon Dr. Emile Ostomé. Having emigrated from France to England after botching several abdominal operations in Paris, the good doctor managed to resurrect his reputation in London when he avoided yet another tragedy while operating on a patient with appendicitis. His scalpel slipped and he severely damaged the patient’s colon, but was able to recover nicely by excising the damaged portion and temporarily sewing the end of the small intestine through the abdominal wall to form a small outlet for fecal matter. Little known fact: he named the external bit after his despised ex-wife, Stoma. Two nice takeaways from this incident: first, giving your stoma a name is redundant, since it is already a name; and second, the patient, who later had what became known as an ostomé (later anglicized as ostomy) successfully reversed, went on to become the model for the character Emory Smith-Gurney in the novel GREAT PERFORATIONS by Charles Dickens.

Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 40,159 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.
🔒 Privacy is very important - your profile is not visible to the outside world.
40,159 members
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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
We sat down with two influential people in the ostomy community, to find out how they cope during challenging times.
Read what they had to say.
Read what they had to say.