Has anyone had a colostomy because you couldn't expel stool through the ano-rectal passage due to your pelvic floor muscles contracting rather than relaxing when you wanted to poop? If so, has it worked out for you? Any challenges or complications? Did you get it reversed at some point or do you hope to get it reversed? What are you doing to see if you can reverse it? I know it's a lot of ques ...

Hi everyone,

I'm almost four months post-ileostomy surgery, and I'm looking to start rebuilding my core strength. I haven't been able to exercise for years, so I'm starting from scratch and want to be really careful.

One of my biggest concerns is overdoing it and increasing my risk of a hernia. I know core strength is important, but I'm not sure what exercises are safe to begin with. ...

The Big Scare
At church today, Mrs. B suffered a terrible calamity. One that rendered her temporarily speechless. A church friend behind me reached over to wish me a happy Easter and shake my hand. I leaned over to bid him holiday wishes too. Mrs. B nudged my leg. She was pointing toward my pants zipper. Hmmmm. Did I forget to pull it up? Nooo.
Then she hissed, "Your thingy is showing." "Thin ...

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 ...

Tomorrow at 8am, I am having the ileostomy reversed. I had to come in and say thank you to everyone who has helped here along the way. I had some pretty low points on this journey and this community was so supportive and helpful. I appreciate everyone who has chimed in with advice & words of encouragement.

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 just had my ileostomy surgery, and I have never felt so overwhelmed like this in a long time. Talking to someone who has some tips, knowledge, and supportive advice would be a literal lifesaver.
Just to let this community know that I can get along with pretty much anyone.
May blessings come your way to all of you.🫂

New member/colostomy recipient (5/25/21) here. Hi!
My doc said that my remaining 4" of rectum would collect mucus. Shortly after I got home from the hospital, a blob of mucus landed in the toilet, but only that once.
Frequently, I have a powerful urge to eliminate normally from the rectum, but no means to do so. It feels like I'm going to soil my drawers, but nothing ever happens. Is this norm ...

GRATITUDE.
The worst of times has got to bewhen first you find your ostomy.You can no longer hide awayit’s on your side and there to stay.
It shakes you to the very coreand makes you feel that you deplorethe very thing that helped you toavoid the brink and then pull through.
In those early days you’re stressedand easily become depressed.After your stoma comes along you start to ...

Hello Ostomates:
(LONG POST AHEAD) I had my colostomy reversal surgery on February 21st and thought it would be helpful to share some of the details in case you have to prepare for similar procedures in the future. I added some “Lessons Learned” of what I'd do differently if I had to do it all again.
PREP: My surgery was scheduled for 7:30 AM on a Friday, and I had to be at the hospital by ...

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 ...