I've had my ileostomy for about 15 years due to two perforations in my small colon. My surgeon was great but never explained anything to me. He left it up to my nurse, who only said I might get urges, and I didn't have any support until I found you. Three months ago, I had terrible urges for 4 days and could feel stool and gas wanting to come out of my rectum. On the 5th day, with bearing down, I passed a medium amount of stool. After that, no urges, gas, or discomfort. A month ago, I passed a very small amount with mucus. Yesterday was the same, and today, a liquid gas bubble mucus with a small amount of stool. There's no blood or pain. I feel better when it's done. Why doesn't anyone explain these issues, as at first I was really scared? Thank you for being here.

This is a remarkable community of 40,880 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.
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iMacG5
When I found this web site, I didn't think its name had anything to do with actually meeting an ostomate but I later learned there were some folks who did meet and develop relationships. How good is that? That wasn't my intention. I definitely didn't want anyone to meet me. I felt broken and wasn't prepared to express those feelings. I thought it was a place where ostomates wrote about themselves, posed questions, shared thoughts, told jokes and, sometimes, just vented. I thought of it as a community of folks with similar interests and various degrees of experience. Mostly I found some of the most caring, selfless, wise and understanding people I ever imagined. I was so impressed with some of the writings; not because of their literary value but the way in which they addressed such a very complex environment. I read hundreds of exchanges and admired the way folks cared for each other. I became hopeful with my own situation and looked forward to the next day's offerings. Certainly some contributors stood out with their experience or particular skills in addressing some things but it seemed like a total effort with synergistic results. I felt blessed to have found this site. I still do.
Mike