WHEN YOU SUFFER THE EXHAUSTING pain and misery that causes you to end up with an ostomy, it is not unnatural to find yourself questioning your place in the world. We’ve all been through that to one extent or another. Here’s how I dealt with it. I simply decided that I was not going to be intimidated by reality anymore. There were some small aspects of my life over which I had control. ...

She says she can fix the stoma, no problem, and will try to fix the parastomal hernia. We will see; I am hopeful. My surgery is outpatient, so I'll be home later today!

Hi to anyone who is interested, but I just got the call...!!!

Was walking into the front door with a bottle of vodka when the phone rang. My surgeon's nurse called with the outstanding news of a reversal date...April 1st...!

I questioned her about April Fools' Day, but she assured me it was no joke.

You have no idea what this means to me...I have been waiting for a long time (I have had ...

Hi guys,
While my skin is good under my current Hollister barrier, I figure now's the time to try different products, not when my skin is red, weepy, and screaming. So I ordered some ConvaTec Natura samples with some Eakin seals and gave it a go this morning. The barrier is interesting, with the moldable inner portion that forms a 'turtleneck' around your stoma. Sounds like a good idea, but as ...

Hello my friends, who provide me with support, prayers, and smiles.
I had my stoma revision and have been going day by day on the road to recovery, and... I had indigestion; it was horrible. I started throwing up bile (YUCK), white, yellow, sheesh green.
I called my home healthcare nurse, she called my surgeon, he called me; Ms. Seward, please come to the ER at your convenience.
I went at 6 PM ...

I recently got a sigmoid colectomy. It's been a week and I still feel kind of in the dark (knowledge-wise). Anyone that wouldn't mind being bothered by what may seem like dumb or annoying questions? I would like to make more friends through this as well. Thank you

I'd just like to get on a soapbox for a minute. I would like to encourage anyone and everyone who has an issue with their product (leakage, whatever) to please get the lot number and report it to the company. I think a lot of us have come to believe that all products will have issues, and why bother. But it is important, for you and for others. I recently had an issue with a Hollister bag, and ...

January after 5 years and a prior attempt that was unsuccessful due to the surgeon finding everything inflamed… my Crohn's was active, and I had no clue. Prior scans and blood work showed all was normal. Connected the small intestine to the rectum. It's been a learning curve. Something not used for 5 years is now performing double duty. I have urgency under control, but I still leave folded ...

I have found that if you put the skin protectant all around your skin where your wafer goes and not just around your stoma, your wafer will stick better to your skin. So if you have trouble getting your wafer to stick, try that out. Let the protectant dry a little and then apply the wafer. It will stick down better and give you a better seal.

So right after I posted my one-year check-in, I ended up in the ER with an obstruction that night. I was in excruciating pain and vomiting. Again, I escaped the NG tube, thank goodness, but the treating physician said that my CT scan showed that the obstruction was in the small intestine and most likely due to scar tissue. The location of the obstruction was where the small intestine got sucke ...

Hi!

I'm still new to having a colostomy bag and trying to figure out my life. I have stage 4 colon cancer and also breast cancer. I currently am feeling fairly normal and healthy, a little tired. Pre-surgery and diagnosis, I was pretty active. I love swimming and had just got this cool paddle board. While I'm still feeling good, I'd like to keep doing the things I love. Any advice? Any good ...