Popular Forum Topics

So my partner of 15 years told me he wishes I never had a bag and finds it hard to be intimate. This killed me on the inside and made me feel so insecure. I just want to be far away from him because if I'm going to be unhappy and feel alone, I might as well be by myself.

It's completely normal to have concerns about: body image, lifestyle changes, dating and intimacy, managing the stoma/appliance, and fear of judgment. But many people find that after some adjustment, they regain confidence and live full, active lives.

Hello everyone. I have had an ileostomy since 2008 and just 9 weeks ago had to have my ostomy moved due to infected hernia mesh. I feel like a brand new ostomate! I am having an issue with my belly burning right at the edge of my pouch. I use Coloplast and also use Convatec. I'm not sure why, as my skin is not red.
Also, I use a barrier ring. I used Hollister products for many years up until n ...

Greetings..
Having spoken to Kas, we both have decided to purge our inventory of unused, mostly expired, donated from others, ostomy supplies.
She and I will be listing our inventory for you to decide if you'd like some spare supplies for those "oh shizt" moments you run out or can't stop leaking.
It pays to have extra supplies.
There should be no issue with expired supplies. Some...not all wi ...

Hi, is there a sharp tool to cut the hole in the flange? I have an oval stoma. I have used scissors for years, but I want something more accurate.

Hi! Let me introduce myself. I’m Aly from ND USA. I just got my colostomy on 5/28/25. I’m looking for some new friends with ostomies to just share experiences with and just be ourselves. Feels like no one understands what I am going through.

It has been a little over a month now since I had my hernia surgery. I am doing better very day. I can finally ride my exercise bike for 21 to 22 minutes at a time. I can walk for 30 minutes at a time. I get pain at the end of the day mostly that is when it hits me. After being busy all day. I am going to be doing some volunteer work next month. So that will keep me busy too. The pain during ...

I am going to be starting some exercise with weights very slowly in July. I am not going to overdo it. I am not going to go too fast or too hard and I am going to try not to get another hernia. I want to work on strengthening my core though. My doctor say it is ok to do so after 4 weeks of recovery. I will be at 6 weeks of recovery by July 1. Has anyone got any suggestions? I want to do the ma ...

BACK IN THE DAY when I had a motorcycle, I had a black leather jacket too. I wish I still had the Triumph cycle, but the jacket, which disappeared somewhere along the way, wouldn’t fit me now anyway. Leather jackets kind of go with a motorcycle, not just for the look but for the protection in case of a fall. These days I notice that many men and women wear leather just for the look. If t ...

Hi :) I was curious about how to stop the pain. I'm going to surgery at the end of the month because the hernia is huge and dangerous, I guess. Has anyone gone through that? I could really use some advice. My hospital is a 4-hour drive. I'm so tired all the time. I'm only 3 months out, but I can't believe how big it is. It's a third of my stomach. I can hardly walk or sleep. Thank you, everyon ...

What do the ladies think of this dress?
Good bag concealment option?

I would really like to find a friend who I can share with and listen to. I live on Long Island, New York, and would love to meet someone I can support and share my journey with. I have an ileostomy and struggle with high output and the usual ostomy issues. I've tried a support group in West Islip that meets on Saturdays once a month, but I found it hard to relate to some of the members. If any ...

Hi there! I recently found this site and decided to make a profile. I got my first ostomy about two years ago, it was a loop colostomy which was made permanent with barbie butt surgery late last year! Due to colonic inertia, I have surgery scheduled next week to get my colon removed and colostomy revised to an ileostomy.

I've lived in Massachusetts my whole life but went to boarding academy ...

Hi, guys, I had my colostomy in October 2024. It works great, but it's really bulging out, seems to be getting worse, and looks like half a baseball under my skin. Researching it, it looks like it's a hernia. Has anybody on here gone through this, and did anybody have it fixed?

INSECTS DRIVE ME CRAZY. Barking dogs drive me crazy. Bigots drive me crazy. The smell of cigarette smoke drives me crazy. Politicians drive me crazy. “Some people,” said Charles Bukowski, “never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.” We all have our pet peeves, those things that we are compelled to encounter in life that cause our mental equilibrium to boil over. ...

How do you handle going out of the house to a friend's or out for more than a couple of hours? I can't imagine having to empty the bag or, even worse, have a leak while out. It all terrifies me.

Had a surgical review today. They talked about surgery as they are not happy with how small my stoma is and couldn't even get his finger in to feel for anything. They are talking about feeding tubes to bypass things to get me stronger for surgery. I'm not looking forward to it all, but needs must before I get any more malnourished. Having this site for support really helps. Thanks.

Does anyone suffer with Low cortisol,

I do and it’s only recently been picked up I have my first appointment tomorrow with the endocrinologist just wondering if anyone else has had this

Sooooo, I've been dealing with this for a while and trying all sorts of things. The latest has been the Eakins circle thingie; I forget what it's called. I tried the marathon stuff, and it didn't really help and also created a very uneven surface by coating the injured skin and not coating the uninjured skin. It also did sting for me. I tried the flow assist thing, and that helped some, but mo ...

I've had my ileostomy since January and have been adjusting just fine.

I started to get a lot of itching about 3 weeks ago and soreness. I saw my surgeon, and she advised antifungal powder. I've been using that and the ostomy powder and forming a crust. It's not really getting better. For some reason, I started having leaks last week and just had another tonight. Thankfully, both times I wa ...

I finally started eating a regular meal once a day. Well, today I decided to try one little sour gummy. I chewed but accidentally swallowed it. Mind you, it's the size of a pea, if not smaller, and I'm freaking out. I don't want a blockage, and I do drink plenty of fluids. Any advice? I'm 2 months out.

I saw a video, and now I can't find it! The woman in the video used a hot glue gun to cover the outside filter, but also the inside filter. I want to try it, as I don't like the filter leaking onto my clothes!

A PLANET CIRCLING A HUGE BALL of hydrogen and helium, held together by its own gravity, has just the right atmospheric makeup to support life. Thousands of various species exist upon this unusual planet but, unfortunately, many of them are dying off gradually as a result of multiple depredations practiced against them as larger, more powerful species move into their territory and take it over ...

Has there been any situation where muscle control can help with output? I feel like if I clench some muscles in the skin around my stoma, I can control the flow of output. This is useful when changing the bag after a shower.

Hi everyone - I dress very casually for work. That means a zip sweatshirt almost all year. Summer comes around and it's impossible to wear that. I looked for big and loose sun protection tops that are lightweight, breathe, are short sleeved, have a zipper and pockets. I'm quite demanding but that's what I need. Why? Because with my :doesn't need surgery but is obvious hernia" everything sticks ...

Got phone call for appointment with mr Clark who did my surgery on 17th camera on 19th and then gastro appointment on 26th very busy this month but cant wait to get some answers pain is horrendous still and really feeling hungry all the time now getting really fed up but looking brighter now got appointments xxx

I can't believe that this month I've had my ostomy for three years now. My permanent one was in January of 2024, but my original ostomy was in June of 2022. Barbie butt surgery was the most painful surgery I have ever had in my life. Getting a wound in your buttock is not easy to heal either. So far, with my ostomy, I've had two blockages, which resulted in getting an NG tube. I just think you ...

I'm seeking comments from anyone with experience taking OTC Imodium (loperamide) to reduce wateriness of stool. How well does it work? Does it thicken output too much? How much and how often do you take it? Any side effects? My goal would be to reduce the prospect of dehydration from losing so much liquid in discharge. Appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

Question: I wonder if people with a colostomy have a better time with more solid output or more liquid output? I have just rinsed my bag out for the 2nd day in a row because it just seems to stick to the bag instead of falling out. The only time my output is more solid is when I eat steak; nothing else seems to make any difference. I can load up on crackers, and it stays the same. If I eat a b ...