Ostomy Topics

Karaya powder. Edgepark does not carry this. What is the replacement? My bottle was about 4 years old and almost empty.

Under went symptoms of a blockage this evening, started my usual blockage protocol but then I slipped in a new trick up my sleeve, Hopped on my vibration plate and assumed some positions that encourage small bowel movement took about 10min and things seem to be moving. Whew will keep this in the old play book.

I'm hoping that I might be able to get some advice. My wife has a high-output ileostomy, and wears an "overnight" bag all the time. She still has to empty it multiple times through the day and night, and every time she does, there's a moderate chance of stuff splashing out of the toilet. The splash range is more than 24"/60 cm, and I'm finding it almost every night when I go to shower: floor, ...

I started having severe waves of abdominal pain today with decreased output... never happened before... something I ate, like candy-coated malted balls, which I guess are high in fiber. I've been massaging my stomach and stoma, sipping liquids. I have a mass on my colon that hasn't been surgically removed yet. I also keep burping. I finally got some semisolid output of 300 ml. But whenever I s ...

I'm unsure of what foods I should eat that won't cause constipation. I've had less, and it hasn't caused a problem, but I read that lettuce can constipate you. I heard spinach, rice, and potatoes. I'm totally confused. Can somebody help me?

Trial and error has led me to a system of emptying and cleaning my pouch that makes everything feel better. I saw another post about using warm water in the pouch after emptying to wash it out. I will say it takes several times of doing this (put water in, holding the pouch up, swish it around, then empty) to get it clean. I do this until the water runs clear when coming out. I also use a deod ...

Hey all, just wondering how long does it take for food to show up in your bag? For example, I will eat and 1-2 hours later, it’s in the bag. Is this standard?

I do have a high output ileostomy. But a lot of food comes out whole, and it doesn’t seem like it’s in my body long enough to absorb any nutrients.

I put together a great stoma emptying device. Works great in my car, hiking, and flying. You all have seen this jar. As a patient, I have two. Hollister disposal bags fit perfectly. I shoved a few extra bags in the bottom. All you need are wipes for the pouch and hands.
Note the red circle. I drilled two tiny holes on either side with my Dremel, so the bag expands in the jar. Hope IGGIE reads ...

Drink something with beet juice in it. It will tell you how quickly things pass through your system and that liquid does come out in your ostomy bag. I drank a Bolthouse Farms energy drink made with pineapple juice, beet juice, and passion fruit juice, and within 3 hours there was the start of purple liquid in my bag, and by 5 hours there was a whole lot of purple liquid in my bag. And I only ...

Well, it has been four days since my stoma reversal surgery, and I came home on Saturday.
Surgery went well on May 21st; my surgeon said it took approximately 30 minutes.
My bowels ‘woke up' at 3:19 a.m. on May 22 with a very loud, smelly fart. At 5:29 a.m. the same morning, I rushed to the bathroom.
I had the choice to go home on Friday, but after my experience with a lot of pain and infect ...

Hi everyone. My name is Andrés, and I'm 33 years old. I had emergency surgery for acute diverticulitis, resulting in a closed colostomy. The prognosis for a reversal procedure is positive. I'd like to hear your opinions on whether it's the best option. According to the surgeon, I only had a small amount of my bowel removed, approximately 15 cm of my bowel. I'm healthy and active, and everythi ...

Hi all
This may seem long-winded, but I do need to talk to those who understand what I'm talking about.
My name is Sharon, and my friend I call "Moan-a."
I've had Moan-a since July last year when I was rushed to the hospital after passing out with a severe diverticula attack. I'd been having these for over 20 years, having been hospitalized 3 times prior. This time, however, they said they wou ...

I originally had an ileostomy for 3 years. Parastomal hernia and slight prolapsed stoma. Surgery to reverse, and now I have a colostomy. I am an avid golfer for 56 years. I wear a full belt while playing golf; however, I have another parastomal hernia. I use a Hollister convex wafer, and I have no leakage issues. My only problem is that it looks fair/bad. I know if I went back to my surgeon, h ...

Is anyone else planning to attend the UOAA Conference in Orlando this year?

Hi,
Just wondering how people feel less isolated living with ostomies? I don't have a lot of friends, and the ones I do have are far away, some very, very far away. I'm on a very limited income, and so I only really have my mum close by. I don't own a car, although I can drive.
There's not really any support groups close by either. I don't really feel comfortable with work colleagues; we get o ...