I light matches when things get too smelly in the bathroom or keep a candle nearby and burn it while I'm doing my business. I find most artificial deodorizes emphasize the stuff you're trying to...
It's probably still healing and a little blood is normal. I mean, if you were bleeding like a stuck pig, then it's possible the wafer cut into the stoma. It can be a tricky thing to keep the skin...
I swear by convex wafers. They're very good for me, especially when in bed because I'm a side-sleeper. A flat wafer would just lead to more leaks....
Yeah, it's easy to get irritated skin if things are still adjusting. The stoma's still shifting in size and shape, so not every wafer opening will fit as securely as you'd like. This leads to the...
I remember the rod. I had it with my loop ostomy when it was first created. It terrified me when I first went to change the bag, but the nurse showed me I can just slide it back and forth as I need...
It looks just like a tiny stoma, puckered opening and everything. I wasn't able to call today -- been dealing with a stray cat all day -- but I'll probably phone Monday. My stoma is only about two...
About a month ago, I noticed Kratos (stoma) had developed a 'buddy': essentially, a smaller version of himself, on the right side. I'd never noticed it was active until tonight while I was dealing...
I hate 12 inch bags and only use the 10 inchers. I haven't done it with this bag yet, but if I wanted it to not show as much, I'd curl the tail under the leg of my underwear (I wear the bag over...
I've turned the j-pouch down every time it's been offered to me. So no, whenever I was reconnected it was directly to the anus. It was terrible....
I was actually able to maintain a stable weight when I had my loop. It took a little while, but it happened. Once things slow down for you it should be easier. I didn't start regaining weight with my...
I didn't have any problems on 4+ hour flights. I was worried about cabin pressure as well, but nope. Perfectly fine. I'd be more worried about deep sea diving....
I create a pad of TP by folding it over a couple times, then pressing the opening between it to squeeze out the excess, then roll up the pad into a tube and swish it around the opening to get the...
My very first ostomy was so big on me, the wafer ended up covering the center scar as it healed. I was given no information after I left the hospital (I was also twelve at the time) nor was I told...
I was so weak from everything, I needed all the help I could get. My sister took a week off work after my first surgery to make sure I was okay. I'm very glad she did! But everyone is different....
This might make you feel better: I had my previous ostomy for fifteen years and in that time, I had many meaningful relationships. I even had my first time with the bag! It didn't matter to any of...
Towards the end of my time with my loop, I was having a lot of problems with leaks and smells and it was that that really made me cry enough. The stoma was also very close to my skin so that probably...
Silent: Oh gods, yes. My entire mindset changed towards it once I realized what a shitshow (literally) dealing with being connected was. After that, emptying a bag every now and again is a cakewalk....
So many of you have stuck it out, I'm amazed. I lasted three months before I was crying out to have the bag again....
Misery is subjective. It's not fair to compare yours to another's and thus belittle your own struggle. You're not being selfish. Do what you have to do to get through this....
I'd always do chewables and seemed fine with that. I know liquid is best, but I can't abide from the flavor half of the time....
Things like OJ and vinegar can help reduce fecal odors. I haven't horribly offended myself yet since drinking OJ in the morning and eating a fair bit of vinegary foods. Also, matches are better than...
I had my entire large intestine removed when I was 12 and had an ileostomy for about a year and half after that. Before I got sick again in '99, I can remember spending a lot of time in the bathroom...
You could request that they be treated with silver nitrate. That'll 'burn' away the bumps and allow the skin to heal. Make sure his appliance fits well and borders the stoma snugly without cutting...
If you went in sick, your recovery is gonna take a bit longer. If your body wants to sleep, then sleep. You probably won't have a refreshing sleep until your body really begins to heal. It took me a...
I tried jogging a few years back with my previous ostomy and didn't really experience any issues. I wore tight pants and believe I tucked my clip into the leg elastic of my underwear to keep it from...
Tha Brava strips kept them from forming below my old stoma....
It's very effective. Stings a little, but it's over quickly....
I understand your concern, his as well, but the changes in size and shape -are- normal. And no, the stoma cannot fall back into the body without some serious force applied first. My previous stoma...
Welcome! Just know that if things don't improve for you, you can always go back! I do hope they improve for you, though, if only so you don't continue living in doubt of your decision. Worst feeling...
Just keep telling yourself it'll be over before you know it. It's how I handle potentially long waits. :)...
When I was suffering from my very temporary reversal (I went back to the bag three months later) the nurse recommended Calmoseptine for the burning. I was also using a lot of Vaseline to treat the...
I'd call your doctor just in case. It might be normal since my doctor said those wounds are tricky to heal properly. Good luck!...
The bulb tubes are called JPs, for Jackson-Pratt, the dude who invented them I'm assuming. Anyway, I had one after my surgery and while it was in me, I had the helluva time peeing. There was pain, so...
Mind, those moments of despair happened to me more in my twenties than my thirties. As I got older I began to shrug it off, as I, too, had a lot of other weird things happening to me. David: The...
I'm in the states and use Liberator Medical. They accept Medicare without any issue and don't harass you when bills get neglected for some reason or another. They can also do speed deliveries in case...
A quick Google search reveals that the small intestine chiefly absorbs calcium, though we can still have issues, especially if our output it excessively liquidy. Vitamin K is absorbed in the large...
They'd have to check out his current internal anatomy before making that call. But even if things look okay, the result could still backfire. I had my previous ileostomy for fifteen years before...
I haven't, but I don't see why your doctor couldn't do it during your surgery....
Marin: I use a two piece. I've never done the bagless shower thing, but I don't see how it could be impossible. I'd just be worried about water pushing past the seal and causing leaks when I was...
I don't use any kind if skin preps, though I probably should. I do use barriers to protect my skin, but not the powders or whatever. I think I tried it once and I must have to put on too much because...
I think you can usually tell when it's time. For me, it's when the wafer begins to feel not so secure, like it wiggles on my skin a bit more than usual. Generally, if I change on a Monday, I can hold...
You'd be surprised how many general physicians know/remember next to nothing about ostomies. I've had everyone from doctors to nurses and all points inbetween ask me, 'What's an ileostomy?'. Ostomy...
Do they have you on anything that might contribute to water retention? It's been about two decades, if not longer, since I had my large intestine removed so I don't really remember a lot of what...
Jordan: It depends on what I've been doing. I feel like my appliances are lasting a day or two longer on the left than when it was on the right. It could also just be because the skin on the left...
NCOT: My first surgeon was a horrible woman. Her idiot staff put one of those old solid wafers over my incision, which caused it to open in the middle when I went to get the staples out. The surgeon...
Jordan: Hm, I've never had that happen. Maybe you have a higher body temp than I do, which can contribute to the wafer loosening. But hey, if you're more comfortable in loose clothing, I say continue...
SL: I hear you on the glass and razors. When I was reconnected for three months, it was like everything I ate might as well have turned into swords for how much it hurt. I went through so many rolls...
Speaking for myself, I had a total colectomy without my doctors removing my rectum and sewing it up. Even when I got my permanent ileo they opted out of this, saying it just made the recovery harder...
NCOT: Oh, I didn't have UC at the time. They cut that clean out of me when I was 12 and got my first ostomy. What made it hell was frequency and with frequency came a lot of pain, irritated and...
Jordan: I also wear mostly loose and flowy clothing, more for comfort than concealment, though. Sometimes when I'm wearing my tighter skirts I'll put on some tights under it or some capri leggings....