Hi all, just got my 2nd/3rd opinion today and really liked this doc a lot. She said if she were younger (like the 1st doc I saw) she too would say let's take this down tomorrow, but she is 20 years older and has been doing this awhile, so she is extremely cautious with cancer patients. She even had one that had no evidence of disease, did the reversal, and cancer showed up. Reversals are prett ...

I'm a fairly new ostomate and have been practicing a lot with changing my bags. I've been using Hollister one-piece bags for about 4-5 months but I have a hernia which makes the adhesive wrinkle and it doesn't last as long as I would like. I tried using a sample of the convex Sensura bag but it already leaked after the first day. Looking for recommendations about which bags seem to be the best ...

This is a great site, and I really have had some great positive feedback. However, living with a colostomy is very different than living with a urostomy. I myself have a urostomy due to bladder cancer and I find most of the discussions on here are geared more towards colostomy...and that's fine. I just think that it would be more user friendly if the site could maybe separate the two issues ...

I was wondering, my former ostomy nurse told me that I need a lot of protein with an ostomy. So every once in a while, I use protein powder in a shake. I also eat Quest Protein chips about once a week. The spicy ones aren't bad. I do not really eat red meat. Sometimes I eat chicken, but it doesn't digest very well, so I don't know how much is absorbed. I was just wondering what others here do ...

So stepping out into brilliant sunshine on my break, I look up at a cloudless sky, cigarette in hand, basking in the heat…
And my phone starts ringing…
Hello…
Hi, could I speak to Thomas, please?…
Speaking…
It's … from the Northern General Hospital, we'd like to book you in for your surgery…
Ooh shit… (pun intended)
So now I have four weeks until my action man bum surgery. Shit ...

I have double ostomies. I started pole a year ago, and I've just started aerial. For 16 years, I did nothing. I'm due for my 35th operation in October, but I'm not allowing it to stop me anymore. Thank you to those who believe in me every day, even though I don't. I'm so lucky to have a supportive partner who also has an ileostomy. Be bold, believe, and fly

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.

Hi all, this is my first post. A lady posted about using a Dixie cup while showering to keep the bag dry. Is this a brand? Also, any suggestions for added support for playing tennis? Thanks, Jackie.

Since we can't be like "able-anal-ed" folks and "take a dump," we need a saying of our own. "Draining the bag" just doesn't cut it. Some candidates to consider:
Trapshooting. Has a nice ring to it. Imagine: "Hey Sally, back in a jiffy... gotta do a little trapshooting."
Turboturd. For the ostomate in a hurry.
Dash-of-splash. Similar to turboturd, but with some recoil.
Easysqueeze. When you kno ...

I have been using a bandeau (tube top), but the company changed their design and I could not find a replacement until now. It is called a tummy sleeve found in maternity shops. It is longer than the bandeau I was using and covers my bag completely. It is just what I want.

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. ...