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 ...

Well, mostly. For the pool, I was so afraid of leaks that I bought a swim bottom meant for menstruating women, labeled as “waterproof.” I know! For swimming! Ha. I wear them under my longer boy short bottoms with a loose tank top.
I haven't had leaks, but I feel more confident.

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 from New Zealand. I had an ileostomy 10 weeks ago, due to ulcerative colitis not responding to any drugs.
Within about 4 weeks after surgery, I started to suffer joint pain, knees, wrists, thumb joints.
I asked the doctor and he believes because I still have an anal stub, the joint pain is from what UC is left within the anus and rectum.
Has anyone experienced this and if so, how did you ...

Saw the website showing August in Florida.
Might be a good idea for meet and greets... and grits?
Anyone interested in attending?
These conventions are eye-openers. It would be my first.
Thoughts?

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've been on here. It's good to see some familiar names and faces. I hope you're all doing really well. I miss you guys.
I wanted to come on and mention something I read yesterday that I had never heard about when I had my colostomy and ileostomy: the ostomy irrigation and ostomy cap. I think it's geared towards colostomies from what I gathered. But appare ...

I have used, from the get-go, a baggie to cover the clipped end of the appliance. Even with a really good clip, those "fluids" can be tenacious. So I slip a plain old baggie (no zip lock) over the clip end. I worked as a legal secretary/assistant for 40 years in the rarefied environment of the law firm and never experienced a leak that was not contained. Give it a try. It worked and still work ...

Hi everyone. My name is Andrés, and I'm 33 years old. I had emergency surgery for acute diverticulitis, resulting in a closed colostomy. The prognosis for a reversal procedure is positive. I'd like to hear your opinions on whether it's the best option. According to the surgeon, I only had a small amount of my bowel removed, approximately 15 cm of my bowel. I'm healthy and active, and everythi ...

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.

Hi all! I'm 27 and looking for other young ostomates. I'm in the United States, Georgia to be specific. I'm looking for both local and virtual connections with others in the young adult stage. I have a great local support group, but everyone is over 50 and relatively inactive. When I go through members here local to me, I don't find anyone in my age group. Does anyone have tips on meeting youn ...