I went to the Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday and had to see a new doctor. I was a little scared because I didn't know if he could help me or not. You see, this will be my 39th operation in all, and 32 of those are hernias. But long story short, I had cancer in 1980, then radiation treatments, which they say killed all my tissues. I had 7 meshes removed in February of 2010; they were all diseased and had to be replaced. Well, they were, and it didn't hold. So that was with pig skin; the doctor said that it stretches, so no good for me. I now have 3 big hernias, one is under the stoma causing my stoma to go in, and that isn't too good. This new doctor is having me talk with a plastic surgeon; he wants him in the operating room with my colon doctor. He said he can help and that he will be doing a lot of pulling up, pulling down, sideways to get me some strong tissue. I could have cried because my colon doctor didn't think we could find someone to help me. He told me to email him if I have questions or just want to talk about this synthetic that he is going to use on me. I did tell him while you're in there and taking and pulling from everywhere, don't forget the rear end! He laughed and said we can do that! I might come out with a smaller body; that would be nice. Hahaha. I'm glad that I can laugh right now because last week I couldn't sleep. So all my buddies and friends on this site, please keep me in your prayers and remember me. I won't be having surgery until June, for he said (the doctor) has to see what all my insurance will cover and what the clinic will, so again cross your fingers that they will cover almost all of it. I do have good insurance but was told they don't want to pay for good mesh stuff anymore. So I'll go, and if anyone has something that can help me, please jump in. Love you all. SHERRYBEAR

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Hollister
Ostomy surgery is stressful both for the patient and the caregiver, and creates a major life change for both people in a relationship.
Learn how to care for your loved one, while still taking care of yourself.
Learn how to care for your loved one, while still taking care of yourself.
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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.