The beginning of June '16, my intestines burst, and I had an emergency surgery with a power wash, as the doctor put it. I woke up with a colostomy and a wound vac for the long slice down my stomach. I am happy to be alive, and I made it to my daughter's high school graduation before this fiasco, so that keeps me grateful every day. But educated on this, I am not. They sent me home with the Hollister snap-on bag that has a wafer. I usually warm up the wafer a little with the hair dryer, and that makes it stick so I can leave the base on for a week and change the bag every couple of days. Since it snaps off, it's easy to clean or empty if not super pasty stuff. I have seen people write about liners and deodorant that I would be interested to learn more about. I see there are a lot of companies. I'm challenged with wearing pants because it's right at belly button height. I'm just trying to figure out what it's all about. The doctor said in 6-8 months they could do a reversal, but that it is a bigger operation than the first because of scar tissue, etc. I'm just focusing on healing from this wound. Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and thanks for all the posts and your honesty on such a subject!

Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 40,127 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.
40,127 members
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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.