Help......

Hi Michelle.

First of all,try not to panic,it's early days for you yet and things will get better.You are not alone,there are many people that have an ostomy for one reason or another.I have had an Ileostomy since Jan 2003,because meds nolonger worked for my Ulcerative colitis.
You can take a bath or shower with your bag on or off,just make sure that you dry everything realy well afterwards.I find i prefer to leave the bag on for a bath,but i very often remove it for a shower,and then i feel realy clean afterwards as i put a fresh new bag on.
I am very fortunate that i don't hardly ever have a problem with gas,but i know there are those that do,so hopefuly they will be a long to advise you with that.
Emptying and changing the bag of course is going to make a certain amount of smell,and there are lots of things on the market to help with this.I use a spray called OstoMist,and it is realy good.Ask your stoma nurse for advice on how to get somthing like it.
I use Coloplast Assura one piece,and although i have had 5 days wear from it,i don't feel clean unless i change every other day,but everyone is different and you will find what suits you.
I don't know how many others do this,but to change my bag,i stand in front of the toilet,so that any output that decides to apear at just the wrong moment,should just drop in to the toilet.I find this method the best for me,but just remember to make sure that you have everything you need to hand before you start.
You will get your life back,just give yourself time to adjust.

All the best

Sue

Hi Michelle,
You are still recovering from the shock, not only to your body, but to your mind set of what you have to deal with, give it time and take it as slow as you can.
I too have Cronhns/Colitus and after 19 years of suffering with it I had a colostomy done last March and it was the best thing I have done for myself in a long time.
Even with knowing going into the surgery and having a great ET nurse it was still a shock and it has taken some ajusting to get used to.
here is how I do things.

I use one piece cut to fit pouches from convatec.

I empty my bag when it is 1/3 full. I get a few folded pieces of toilet paper ready and place them on the top of the toilet tank, I prefer to kneel on one knee in front of the toilet, I remove the clip, fold the bottom of the bag up and squeeze the bag from top to bottom to empty it into bowl, take the toilet paper to clean the bottom of pouch, If it needs rinsed out, I go to the sink flush it with warm water, spray in a couple of squrts of cleaner, unfold the bottom and put the clip back on.

I change my pouch once a week.

As far as a shower, I take one real long full shower once a week which is when I also change my pouch. The rest of the week I do a sponge bath and one quicky shower during which I try to get as little water around my ostomy area as possable. I use one of those massage hand held showers so I am able to aim it where I want to. and when it is the change day, after taking long shower, I remove the bag, fold it up and put it in a plastic grocery bag that I put on top of the shower door rails to make it easy to grab. I toss the bags in the bath sink for now and use the handheld shower on low pressure and a wash cloth ( I have "special" wash cloths I bought just for this they are plain white so they can be washed in hot water with bleach) to clean the area around the stoma and to flush all the waste down the drain. Some may think this is gross, but it is going in the same pipes the toilet is conneted to anyway. After I get out of the shower I dry the area real good and let it sit form a few minutes to make sure it is dry all the way, keeping the wash cloth close, so I can grab it to avoid an accident in case my bowels deside they wanna get atic at that moment) I put the used bag in another plastic bag abd toss it into the trash. I use power prep, and the spray prep around the stoma, let it dry and attach the pouch. And then finish the rest of my post shower activities.

I am one of those that have gas no matter what I eat, I tried eliminating this then that but still had the gas problem and it is a pain to "burp" the bag, I found a vent that you can attach to any type of pouch that you open and release the gas and then just close back up. I do go outside to do this, cept when I am getting even with a nasty or mean person, then I use it to pay em back, hee hee. I also tried bags that had a charcol filter and they work good but only last for 2 days before they start allowing the smell to pass too. So I am saving them for when I go to ride roller coasters, this was a worry for me, I was having visions of waiting in line for long time to get on ride only to have to release gas to get on it, hee hee. So far I havent tried any of the deoderants that you can put in the bags, but prob will some day.

Take me words for what they are, mine, cause what works for some may not work for others, we each have to find or own way to do all things. Trail and error is one of the few truths they are in life, that and death and taxes, but I think heard that shipping and handling is being added to that list, lol.

Most of all I try to find humor in everything (as you may have noticed by now), it is the only thing that keeps me sane.

Have you seen an ET nurse (Ostomy / wound nurse) yet?
Try and find a support group in your area.
Keep posting here, we arnt as active as other but there are alot of good people here!
If you want we can also trade emails.

AL

Hi Michelle, I had an ileostomy for almost 2 years and just recently been connected (2 weeks).  I know at first I was horrified and very grossed out when changing/cleaning my bag but over time it will get better and you will develop your own routine and it won't gross you out anymore.  When I drained my bag I sat on the toilet and just let it drain in between my legs.  I would flip up the end of the pouch and use TP to clean the end as much as possible and then flip down the rest of the pouch and clip it.  As for bathing.  I LOVE BATHS. and have one everyday!  It was easiest with the bag on and I just bathed normally.  WHen I changed my bag I would remove my bag and jump in the bath.  I would keep the water level low just incase I started pooping.  I also kept a roll of toilet paper with me and if I started to poop I would catch it with the TP and throw it into the toilet.  THis may sound gross but I usually knew when I was going to poop and was able to keep my water clean.  It was also nice to have clean my stoma with water and feel free.  It will take time but you will find your own way....just keep your spirits up!!

i've enjoyed reading everyones posts.....one thing i have learned is coffee filters are cheap and of you put an ice cube in one and tie it with a twisty  bread wrapper and lay it on your stoma just for a few seconds it will stop the worse of diahrea allowing you to clean dry and get your bag ready.