I need to say thank you to every one of you who answers all the questions I have regarding my ileostomy. I have learned so much about 1 vs 2 piece, changing oneself, how often to change appliances. I'm 58 years old and disabled due to a spinal accident 2 1/2 years ago. I played a lot of amateur golf and a lot of basketball. Those days have ended. I'm retired and have many health issues due to my accident. Learning about my stoma has come from all the people here who've answered my many help questions. To those of you I say a big thank you for your directness and brutal honesty. I wish you all great health and healing!
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iMacG5
When I found this web site, I didn't think its name had anything to do with actually meeting an ostomate but I later learned there were some folks who did meet and develop relationships. How good is that? That wasn't my intention. I definitely didn't want anyone to meet me. I felt broken and wasn't prepared to express those feelings. I thought it was a place where ostomates wrote about themselves, posed questions, shared thoughts, told jokes and, sometimes, just vented. I thought of it as a community of folks with similar interests and various degrees of experience. Mostly I found some of the most caring, selfless, wise and understanding people I ever imagined. I was so impressed with some of the writings; not because of their literary value but the way in which they addressed such a very complex environment. I read hundreds of exchanges and admired the way folks cared for each other. I became hopeful with my own situation and looked forward to the next day's offerings. Certainly some contributors stood out with their experience or particular skills in addressing some things but it seemed like a total effort with synergistic results. I felt blessed to have found this site. I still do.
Mike

