HERE'S SOMETHING THAT EVERY OSTOMATE can understand. It is from Cormac McCarthy’s ‘No Country for Old Men.’ “You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” If it was bad luck that I got sick and ended up undergoing a proctocolectomy, it saved me from the worse luck of dying a shortened life in a hospital bed. I think we all recognize this painful truth. Having an ostomy may have its complications and nuisances, it may necessitate some life style alterations and some accommodations to a peculiar reality, but we’re still alive and kicking and learning and getting stronger. My surgery was in 1964 at the age of 21. That was sixty years ago. This morning I slapped on my waist belt, slipped into my walking shoes, and did two miles with a smile on my face. Life is good.

This is a remarkable community of 40,840 members.
You will get real advice from fellow ostomates who truly understand you - things you won't find in the books.
And it's not all about ostomy - there is friendship and relationships too.
Privacy is very important - your profile is not visible to the outside world.
Marjatta
This group has been my go-to during my loneliest hours whenever I've had a "bag blowout" at 3am and there was no one else in the world to talk to.
Because it's a global community, there's always someone here to lend an ear, provide advice, and just hold my hand if that's all I need.
Sure, there's also a lot of camaraderie, fun topics, and laughs, but the main reason I come here is for the total acceptance I get from the members. No one else on the planet could possibly "get" what I'm going through, not even my loving husband or supportive family.
The "Meet an Ostomate" forum is definitely a one-of-a-kind family, which I am very proud to belong to.
M
xo
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