Hi there. I had a life-saving colostomy in December 2024. We went to London to see a carol concert, and I ended up in Guy's Hospital Westminster with a torn bowel that had turned into a hole they could not repair! They were wonderful. I was in there for a month but have been in the local hospital a lot, so more in the hospital than at home this year. I am 80 in November, so put my age here as 80. Now I have been given (after measuring) support panties. I developed two hernias within 4 months. Well, I tried them on, and I HATE them. I am still getting used to the pains I am having all the time, and these just make me feel strangulated. I think I will ditch that idea. At my age, I am of the mind I should feel comfortable! I have had the days of a slim figure; I am only 7 stone 8 now, losing two stone with this operation. Any input from other older members?
MeetAnOstoMate is a remarkable community of 41,411 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.”
Angelica- As usual, you've written another interesting post. February 5th, 2019, was my reversal surgery after having an ileo for 6 months. I'm one of those fortunate success stories. Of course, things are different now, and I still have to be careful about what and how much I eat, as I don't have a colon. At first, I was afraid to leave the house. My biggest fear was having to use a public bathroom and have the toilet not flush! Even now, when I know that I'll be in someone else's home, I won't eat anything beforehand. I read other people's stories and sometimes feel guilty for having had it so easy, not to mention that I have a significant other who is 100 percent supportive. I've gotten so much out of this website and truly feel for those of you who have it so much worse than I. But I feel it necessary to let folks hear about the success stories.
Learn more about ostomy accessories, and when to use them.


