What's in a name? Would a stoma by any other name smell as...wait.

This is an excerpt from my blog at http://nomdenomphotos.blogspot.com about stoma names:

 

When I first learned that a lot of people name their stomas, I was really turned off by the idea. I didn't really understand why they would do such a thing, my bum didn’t have a proper name before my surgery, so why should my stoma?

 

Honestly, I still don't know why anyone else names their stoma, but after drama over pyoderma gangrenosum, I did decide to name mine: Veruca Salt, or just Veruca for short. Yes, the Veruca you might be thinking of from the wonderful mind of Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Why Veruca? One might ask. Well, because sometimes, when I look down at that little glistening pink rosette just southeast of my belly button I can almost hear it yelling out orders regarding its proclivities towards golden geese (or squirrels, if you prefer the Johnny Depp version) and bean feasts and whatnot. I can hear it telling all my friends and family what a disappointment I am for not giving it all the attention it so truly deserves. Thus, I decided on Veruca Salt; no cutesy stuff here. Nope, it’s named after the super cute but demanding little girl who was definitely a bad egg (nut). I'm not much for cutesy, anyway. Winky face, smiley face, exclamation point.

 

Does your stoma have a name? What is it?

 

If yours doesn't have a proper name, what do you call it? Even though mine does have a name, I've still be known to rant about my "abdominal a*hole" in times of extreme annoyance.

mine doesnt have a name, i kind of think its silly, its a part of me, i didnt name my arms or anything!
But when i talk about it i just usually say, my thing, lol. I dont really talk about it much.

Mine is named Harriet, cos that's the best name my 10 year old mind could come up with at the time :) Much better than calling her 'The Old Bag'.

The best names I've heard are: "The Stoma Formerly Known As Anus", "Vesuvius" (cos it erupts without warning) and "Oscar the Pouch".

Laurenne, I checked out your blog, and you are so not 'not creative'!

sorry to jump in the middle of this like that, but Allison, what do you mean grouch? does it make noises??

HELLO NOT CREATIVE I'VE HAD MY ILEOSTOMY FOR NEARLY 10 YEAR'S NOW AND I TOO THOUGHT GIVING MY STOMA ANAME WAS STUPID THEN about 3 YEARS AGO I GAVE IT A NAME (ROSE-BUD) AS TO ME IT RESEMBLES A ROSE PETAL BUT CERTAINLY DOESN'T SMELL LIKE ONE. LOL. HEHE. MAYBE IF YOU DO GIVE IT A NAME YOU CAN EXCEPT IT A LITTLE MORE. HOPE THIS HELP'S. I ALSO REALLY FEEL FOR YOU AS IT'S NOT EASY HAVING ONE.

 

REGARD'S.

 

BEVERLEY-DAMAGEDGOODS.

 

Mine is named bubbles and lives up to it's name grandly! It is a unique and special part of who I am. I needed to make friends with it because I didn't really like it at first.

hey glad you love him Allison :))) i'm going to have an ileostomy surgery, hopefully the begining of July. i once started a thread asking whether the stoma is noisy or not and i think you were among the ppl who answered and said it's usually not noisy???? well, so now i don't know, i'm confused..... :/ BTW everyone, i don't see a need to give the stoma a name, well at least not at this point. i think like summer, i also see it as part of me/of my body, and i agree, it's like drawing more attention to it and i don't see a point in that either. but i have a feeling i'm going to love him/her/it ;))

its noisy if you DONT eat and let yourself get hungry, and its noisy if you eat like a bunch of gassy foods, other than that not usually

well they are embarrasing to me, but so far only twice have what i thought were hugely loud noises been heard by anyone else!
What i do if its noisy is, take a square of cloth and fold it and put it on top of my bag, or if i am out and dont have that, i just fold up some tp and use it

Hodaya~Don't be scared!!! Mine rarely makes noise I eat 5-6 small meals a day (foods I know stick with me) and I don't have gassy problems anymore...I did in the beginning but by keeping track of how foods affect me and how often I should eat has helped!

You'll also be a little different from Allie since she has a Colostomy...Ileostomies definitely act differently!

NASCARon...you are hysterical

Oh, and mine has a name...Stanley...it just happened one day when I was changing my appliance...didn't plan on it!

oh thanks ohio for calming me down lol! you're right, there's a difference between a colostomy and an ileostomy. i also rarely have gas now, but there are some certain foods that would give me BAD gas, like citrus... OMG!!! this fruit is fatal for me. or peanuts/peanut butter and cheese. so as long as i stay away from those, i don't have gas. i guess that's what i'll have to keep doing after i have my ileostomy done.