I was rushed into emergency surgery on Feb 23 this year. At first, I didn't think I could cope with the mess. I have found products that make it easier. At first, I cried constantly. Now I can shower without a tape covering.
I still hate the ostomy, but I'm not crying all the time. My family has been wonderful, helping with everything. The backup support is vital.

Three weeks ago, I started feeling very bad, with vomiting after every meal or drink. This was happening seven months after my colostomy surgery.
After a week of daily vomiting, I became so weak that I passed out just before entering the taxi that was going to take me to the ER. Thank God for my wife, who helped me through all that.
I entered the ER with hyponatremia (low sodium in the blood, ...

Tomorrow at 8 a.m., 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 and words of encouragement.

As providence would have it, my husband has also needed a bag of sorts (he's had a few bladder cancer procedures recently, requiring him to wear a catheter bag for several days in a row each time).
To see the two of us wandering around the house in our bathrobes, kissing each other goodnight - while bumping bags - has been a great source of mirth and merriment around here.
On a more serious ...

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 ...

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 ...

So I love to go swimming. Now that I have an ostomy I don't swim anymore. Tips recommendations, help me here open to all suggestions thanks!

I just suffered through a severe rash that came up all of a sudden and made it impossible to apply a flange. It's gone now, but I thought I'd pass along a suggestion... I keep pieces of my aloe plant in the freezer. When I could, I would take a piece out and rub it on the rash - very cooling and healing, and the rash healed very quickly. Aloe gel might work, but it also might sting due to othe ...

Underwent 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 10 minutes, and things seem to be moving. Whew, will keep this in the old playbook.

No sign of metastatic cancer! Now I'm hoping to hear from the surgeon about reversing my colostomy, but I guess it depends on how she reads the MRI and my scar tissue situation. But what a great birthday present! I do have to get back to my walking, though, so I'm in better shape. The other thing the PET scan showed was that when I fell a few weeks ago, I actually fractured my rib—no wonder ...

Howdy bagamigas and amigos, I haven't been here in a year or three, reintroducing myself.
I'm a middle-aged lady with a colostomy. My chocolate-smeared rosebud (the stoma, the ostomy) has been with me since 1997.
Fave products:
Convatec moldable Natura 45mm wafer - NOT the kind with the weird see-through accordion plastic on the ring (to make it easier to snap shut; those are stink factories; ...