Surviving the 'Scary' Olden Days of Ostomy

Back in the "Olden Days".

I've had my ostomy since I was 15, and that's more than 40+ years ago. I'm 62 now, so you guys can do the math.

Some people asked what it was like back then... The best word I can give you is "SCARY". Especially to a frightened 15-year-old, who had been in the hospital for nearly a year.

The first thing the doctor brought in was the appliance. It was black and resembled a bike tire. It had a clear plastic bag attached to it, and when I saw it, I started screaming as only a teenager can. The "thing was bigger than I was" and I refused to even look at it.

Within days, my doctor scheduled Ostomy visitors to visit me in the hospital. There were no stoma nurses then. It was really the student nurses and I, as well as the interns and residents who experimented with / and on me, to see what worked. I went home from the hospital with a disposable paper flange attached to a plastic pouch, one-piece appliance. I had to use a special "glue" to paste it on my body.....and a remover to get it off. But not to worry...it didn't stay on more than a few hours at a time.....

More "olden times to follow.....

I have a great aunt who went through similar times. She won't talk about it - or maybe never had anyone to listen.

Thank you for sharing - I am ready for the next installment when you are. I want to know. I think others do too.

Carol 'dawneagle'

Added questions - What was your original cause for surgery?

Where did you live then? Did you have help available?

Hello Immarsh,

Thank you for your post. It is indeed very interesting and salutary for those of us that are new to this experience.

I too look forward to the next installment

Best wishes

Bill

HI Immarsh, OK you got us hooked, its something " I've always wanted to know but was afraid to ask". But I do believe it must have been quite a burden on a young woman. Today, mostly, we can get almost anything we want and if the shoe don't fit, well you know what I mean. We will be looking forward to your next installment, Ed

Hi immarch, sounds like you can remember the old rubber bags. I am 58 years old and had my urostomy when I was about 2 years old. When I first had my bag, it was a brown colored one with a screw top on the side for the night tube connection and a black tap at the bottom. Oh happy days! Tell me more about your bags when you were young.
Oh happy days. Take care. Sherl (Mike)

I have had my ileo for 31 years. I was fortunate to have an ostomy nurse who also had an ileo. She was a wealth of information and basically drew an "X" on my abdomen where the doctor was to place the stoma. My first appliance was a hard rubber gray plate (I had 2 of them). You washed them in hot soapy Clorox water to clean each time you changed and hung them up to dry. The bags were a white vinyl material and you re-used them, they were NOT disposable. Again, each time you changed the bag you washed it in hot soapy Clorox water and hoped you were successful in removing some of the odor that permeated the material. After a while you had to toss the bags and use new ones, but they were expensive.

To apply the appliance you had a pliable wafer that you cut the inner circle to your stoma size. Then you rubbed water on the top side and adhered the hard rubber appliance. Once that was secure, you rubbed water on the bottom side and placed the wafer/appliance to your skin, positioning the center hole over your stoma. THEN you taped it well to your skin for added security. The bag fit over a flange on the appliance and was secured with an elastic band that you tightened with a small bead to hold it tight. Needless to say, this was never a quick change.

I was ecstatic when, in the early 1990s, they introduced me to the 2 piece "Tupperware" flanges and disposable bags by Convatec. It now takes me 5 minutes to do a change. I am very lucky in that I have no skin issues and am able to wear a flange for 14 days, changing bags as needed.

I am a huge fan of this site and have learned so much. I hope we hear more "back in the day" stories.

Hey there sweet Immarsh.... I sooooo much know how you are feeling..... :/ I will turn age 45 this month, and I got my ostomy at the age of 10.... when I was in the hospital and woke up from that first surgery, I, too, was screaming.... literally.... screaming and crying when the nurse told me that was my intestine hanging out my tummy........ TRAUMATIC....... reading what you wrote brought tears to my eyes...... my heart and soul SO much understands.....

..... it's weird how having an ostomy can be such an emotional and physical roller coaster ride, but I've never allowed it to stop me from doing anything I've ever wanted to do... but that darn Crohn's Disease sure can stop me at times..... I'm battling through another flare currently and am trying to make the big BIG decision if I will go back on Remicade or not..... I was on it for nearly 3 years, but now have been off it for nearly 3 years, therefore that very risky med puts me in a higher risk group of severe toxic reactions and death now that I've been off it for over 16 months...... not sure what to do...... I've been reflecting on the 'osty olden days' as well....... wow osty sis, we've been through a LOT eh? We have tooooo many years of osty life to reflect on.......... sigh........... I hope you post more of your memories and experiences dear...... many of us have osties for different reasons, but we're all in this together xoxo

I am so grateful for your responses - all of you. I realize we must have it so much easier than it was for some of you in the beginning. Please keep sharing. It helps me be appreciative of what I have. I believe it may help many of us.

Some time ago someone posted an ostomy history. I need to find it or perhaps someone could post again. This is a lifesaving - life giving procedure - not a sentence to misery. An adjustment.

Dawneagle.

Reading these responses, it's amazing to me how many of us have had our ostomies for most of our lives. I had mine in 1978, so it will be 33 years on October 16th (but who's counting!) I guess 1978 was the post-black rubber bag era and the lighter more modern appliances were available, but I can remember meeting a man at one of our get togethers and he still swore by the older appliances which were applied with a brush-on adhesive if I recall. I guess we pretty much stick with (no pun intended) what we're comfortable with. I've been using the Convatec Sur-Fit for as long as I can recall, with very few changes to my routine. I gave up skin-prep a few years ago when I ran out and found out I didn't really need it. But applying skin-prep was a step that my stoma nurse taught me in the hospital and, except for the fact that I ran out of it, I would probably still be using it.

I guess we tend to stay with what works and what we're comfortable with. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Oh wow! Skin Prep!!! .....I was initially taught by my nurse in the hospital to use that as well......I don't use it anymore but I do remember it gave a bit of a sting to the skin....I had to fan it dry and wince a bit at first lol ....but sometimes I wonder if that made the tape stick better.....there was a time I stopped using it, then picked up a box again and it didn't seem made quite the same as I had remembered, .......for those who are unfamiliar with it,.... it used to be sold in a green box and within it were the little green individual packets, they looked like "handy wipes" ......it seems I still have some around here somewhere, now I am curious and need to check lol.......you are bringing back memories   nbsp;It did seem to help prepare and protect the skin......there was less skin irritation while using that before applying a new pouch...........

Doe, I totally forgot about the stinging when you applied skin-prep. It hurt like a.....well, it hurt! I used to keep a big piece of cardboard nearby so I could fan it dry right away. As soon as it dried, the stinging would stop. That's funny. There aren't too many people I can share that with.

When we look 'back' over the past 30-40 years, we can see enormous progress in the treatment of Crohn's and UC, as well as cancer. We have all benefited from better meds, better surgeries, better appliances, and better public awareness. Let's also remember, however, to look 'forward' to all the medical miracles to be discovered in 20-30 years' time. Some of us will not be around to benefit from them, but we can all feel positive that the physical and emotional impact of these diseases, especially on our young people, will be considerably less traumatic than what has been described in this thread.

Although, my experience with the whole process is less than 4 years old, I can certainly

empathize with those of you who have had "the bag" for so long. Compared to some

I have had it good, a reversal one year later and nothing but good times since. I am

lucky. I wish only the best for all of you and admire your courage and ability to tolerate

this deplorable situation.

One thing I remember about the "good ole days" is Saturday nights and the "it's time for the

old cleaning out routine." A dose of black draught, castor oil, or sometimes calamel, which

had a taste like wintergreen. I still get ill when I smell wintergreen.

LOL....Yes, it hurt.....it stung bad enough to make eyes water and make a person stand up off the toilet WOOOooooooweeee lmao...............A piece of cardboard, that is funny, you crack me up lol...Yeah, I always used my new pouch to wave it frantically like a fan over my skin before I put that new pouch on.

You are so right.    

Try Topicort Gel - it was like a miracle solution for me.

I have also had my urostomy since I was 2 years old and I am now 51. I remember a pouch that my mother would have to put on me that looked like an old hot water bottle. It was a pinkish color and very thick rubber with a spout at the end! It was held on with this plaster stuff and when my mother had to change the appliance it ripped my skin off. Fun, huh?!!!
Thank God things have improved. I think that is where some of the other scars on my belly came from her taking the stupid appliance off. I remember her crying as much as me when it was time to change it!
Glad we are not alone in this! It is great to have so many people to talk to.
Can't wait for more of your story!!!

After reading some of these replys I feel a little reluctant to tell my story as I did not suffer through some of the diseases that a lot of you went through to land up with the pouch and flange, I suppose I was fortunate in the fact I got sick overnight and within two days and two operations i woke up ten days later with my new stoma and fer sure a new state of mind. But, yes, I remember that Skin Prep, and using a piece of cardboard while doing a little dance and all the while using my vocabulary that always came on when I rubbed that %^ * ^% skin prep, this is what I was told to do in the hospital and a year or so later one of the gals at Hollister told me I wasn't supposed to use that stuff with their products, Oh happy days. Ed

I'd like to thank the sadistic little bugger that invented Fryer's Balsam and Tinc Benzoine. Mum used to chase me around the house with cotton wool and these bottles from hell.

Mind you, I can staple my bags on now.

Lmao!! .........