uc better than......

 ve come to the realization that uc is better than many other sickness out there.   even though uc is not easy but anyways i have a few questions for anyone that can answer me. 1.) when you wear a colostomy bag on the outside how does that work? can other people see the bag? how often do you change it after every bowel-movement or what?2.) if you use a colostomy bag do you still sit in the tiolet or not?3.) j-pouch, how does this work? since its an internal bag does this hurt? do you have to change it after everybowel-movement as well? or is this a replacement for the colon or rectum and the stool just passes through and lands in the tiolet?? is there any risks of rejection from the body or infection?4.)are these methods like changing a diaper or does it feel like "before" when you used the bathroom??? also if you fart how does this "work"? 

 

i would really appreciate answers from anyone

thanks!!! i could ask my gastrointeroligst but what better answers than from people that are living this!!!

suebear how discreate excatly is the bag? do you hide it under your clothes? and you say you empty  it 4-6xs a day but dont you have to rinse it out as well????also j-pouch, i understand this know so wich is better?

Noone will see your ostomy bag, i have had mine for almost 3 years and only the people who i told know. In fact some of hte people that i saw just about everyday, even changed clothes in front of, never knew, until i told them.
I wear mine under my clothes, tucked under my panties. Some people choose to wear it hanging over their undies and under their pants,and some choose to wear it over their pants and under their shirts.
Some people do rinse their bags out when they empty, i dont. I just change the whole thing every 4-5 days.

i just had the bag for 3-4 months, but yeah, no one could see it as i wore it under my clothes. it didn't smell to other people, only when i had a problem with the bag & it leaked, but that didn't happen often......like 2 times, just make sure to change it every 3-5 days.

Prinncess, have a look at www.ostomates.org/gallery/index.php?cat=5 They're pics of ostomates. Bet you can't tell they have a bag :)

When I was younger (I had my surgery when I was 10 years old) I was shy about it and rarely told anyone but now I'm older I'll tell anyone who will listen. I like to spread the word about ostomies and dispel all those myths about them that are out there.

Whether you tell anyone or not is entirely up to you. They're not going to be able to tell by looking at you. The odds are that you've met many ostomates in your day to day life (even people you think you know well) - you just didn't know it :) I know ostomates who haven't even told their immediate family that they had surgery.

Did you know that the Queen Mother (Queen Elizabeth's mum) had a colostomy for nearly 60 years before she died? Bob Hope, John Wayne, Marvin Bush (ex Pres Bush's brother), Fred Astaire, Barbara Barrie (she played the Nana in the TV Series, "Suddenly Susan" and wrote a wonderful book called "Colostomy and Other Adventures", Tip O'Neil, Red Skelton, Ed Sullivan,
Loretta Young, Al Geiberger and Rolf Benirschke (he played 7 seasons for the San Diego Chargers with his ileostomy and also wrote a great book about his life with UC and an ileostomy called "Alive and Kicking") all have/had ostomies. Ostomates are in great company :)

As for intimacy, I guarantee you will be more self-conscious about your bag than your partner will be :) Usually, they're just greatful you're alive and well and able to be with them. Nowhere in personal ads have I ever seen "must be tidy, non-smoker and poop via rectum and anus". How you poop is simply not a criteria most people base a relationship on - and if they do, do you really want someone that shallow anyway?

I empty my bag approx 4 - 6 times a day (I usually pee at the same time so it's no extra trips to the loo) and change it once a week (wear time does vary from person to person though). To empty, I just sit on the loo and undo my bag and empty it into the loo. Wipe the tail end of my bag with toilet paper, do my bag up and I'm finished. Takes no more than a couple of minutes.