MOST PEOPLE GO THROUGH LIFE dreading that something bad will happen to them. You and I have had our trauma, and that belly attachment that we wear won’t ever allow us to forget it. We deal with it, since we have no choice. We do battle with the shock of it at first, some kind of foreign creature that has fastened upon us like a barnacle on a turtle’s shell. It may have saved our life, but it did so in a rude, abrasive way, leaving us to figure out an unfamiliar new way of life, something so unthinkable, even unimaginable, that it can take a long number of months for recovery to set us on an even keel again. We bring all our available strength to bear on regaining some sense of normality, to rejoining the human race that, at first, we were afraid that we’d left. We develop a technique, two techniques, actually: one, the physical necessity of tending to our new need; the other, the psychological machinations we go through to insure survival with some acceptable level of dignity. Finally, we arrive at that point where we become acceptable to the one observer who most needs that acceptance: ourselves. Then we realize that we’re going to be okay, that the creature has been tamed, put on a leash, domesticated. The trauma has been overcome, mundane needs reassert themselves, routine regains its rightful place. Life goes on.

Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 39,208 members. No medical professionals get involved, just straight-up talk between people who know what they're talking about.
But, it's not all about ostomy. We talk about everything.
Many come here for advice or to give advice, others have found good friends, and some have even built long-lasting relationships. Most importantly, people here are honest and genuinely care.
Privacy is very important - there are many features only visible to members.
39,208 members
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Returning to work after ostomy surgery should not be rushed.
Check out our 4 necessities before getting back on the job, and our other workplace tips.
Check out our 4 necessities before getting back on the job, and our other workplace tips.