This subject is something timely for me. I have always cleaned my bag, I use water to rinse and then I put a few drops of baby oil in to my bag, make sure it runs into the body of the bag. It cuts down on the messy aspect of the bag, the odor, and allows me to know how long it takes for something to pass through my system. Recently, I was going through a bag about every 12 hours which leads to a very sore stoma, (Gertrude) and accidents, which no one wants. I wrote to the company who sells our supplies, asking if the oil could weaken the strength of the bag. They replied "ask your physician". Made me mad. So, if anyone has had any results, pro or con, please respond. I have never had a bag last me a week, I usually go for 3 to 4 days with one. I think we all learn from this, kinda fly by the seat of our pants thing. I might be showing my age by that reference. I could care less. I consider this has allowed me to live much longer, sometimes when I've got a case of the "poor me". I count the blessings this has allowed me to experience. I can name several of them, grandchildren first, then great grandchildren, new car, new appliances, joy just busting out all over. Have you ever googled an ostomy? They've been around quite a while, we are lucky we weren't the first guinea pigs. So have a great day, love life, if you have anything to say, please say it. Bye, Rene Moon

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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
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