I am 14+ weeks post-surgery. 07/21/16 I woke up from surgery with a colostomy due to diverticulitis with an abscess. I'm on a couple of sites (besides MAO) that are focused on my "condition." What I have noticed (both on here and other sites) is that a lot of people "name" their stoma, and I decided that it was time that I named mine also.
A few days ago, I was reading a post about the "noises" these things make at the most inopportune moment. Mine is no exception --- I'll be sitting at my desk and off "she" goes ---- talking to the world --- no output --- just NOISE!!! (Some might call it "farting," but I would like to be a bit more PC and call it just "noise"... LOL)
That led me to the name I am giving my stoma.
Friends, meet ----- Francis the talking mule!!
Francis ---- meet my friends on MAO!!
MeetAnOstoMate is a remarkable community of 41,452 members.
“Every morning with my coffee, I read here and feel wrapped in warmth - I hardly post, but it still feels like family.”
“Our oncologist literally wrote down the link; they said more patients need this website.”
“This place pulled me out of the dark. I went from lurking to living again.”
“At 3am, someone’s awake somewhere in the world. I’m never alone here.”
Hubz had a regular checkup with the oncologist on Friday (his numbers are improving), and as they were asking how he's feeling since surgery, they became curious about how he's doing so well with his ostomy, both physically and mentally. He credited doing research online, trying different things, and especially the support from this group. They were asking because they see so many patients struggling to adjust.
We described this group as folks with every kind of ostomy, some for days while others for decades, but all willing to share what's worked for them with the caveat that every individual is different.
We described the most valuable element as feeling like you're not alone in this. That really piqued their interest, and they wrote down the link. It seems they had a few people in mind that might benefit from the community and thanked us for telling them about it.
You know, we can't remember exactly who we learned about this group from, but we're grateful for it every day! Thank you all! 🌻
Learn more about ostomy accessories, and when to use them.
I love it! I'm not going to name mine, so I'll soon be having my reversal, but I think I'd call it PITA because to me that's what it is. Nothing will make me happier than waking up with PITA home forever. I can't imagine living my life in this much pain forever. JMHO