WHEN YOU HAVE AN OSTOMY, your focus is different than people with regular plumbing. I rarely end a meal without immediately heading for the bathroom. When we eat out, which is usually once a week, I typically will visit the men’s room before we leave the restaurant. Like other ostomates, I have the toilet homing ability of an incontinent rock dove. Despite my negative feelings for public bathrooms, I have no more control over peristalsis than Hoyt Wilhelm had over his knuckleball. When I go to the dentist for a cleaning, I always ask them to keep me as elevated as possible. “Oh, a bad back, huh?” they say. I don’t bother to mention my ostomy flow need for gravitational confederacy. Whenever I go out for a good walk, I wear the special underwear that has an inner sleeve to support the ostomy bag. Depending upon the time of day or when I last had a meal, it could play an important role in keeping me secure till I get back home. For this reason, I usually walk in the early morning prior to eating breakfast to minimize the prospect of filling up as I wander the neighborhood. Nothing like a belly bulge to slow the speed of even the most determined walker. Walker erectus can swiftly deteriorate into shuffler bagfillius.

Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 40,142 members.
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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.
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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.