Hi all,
Being a gay ostomate, I met a really sweet guy. We got on so well together, lots of fun and laughter, plus we had a lot in common. Five weeks into our relationship, I told him I had an ileostomy since I was 13 years old and told him why I had to have it. Since I told him, I haven't heard from him since. I now feel stupid for telling him and really, really hurt. Having an ileostomy for 32 years, it doesn't get any easier, and the hurt of rejection is still there after all these years. I really hate having an ileo at the moment, but I guess time is a great healer.
Sad and down,
Mickey....

This is a remarkable community of 40,903 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.
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