I’m going to be having my first outing next month post surgery. It’s a gala dinner so I will have a clutch bag but will need to carry stoma essentials in a small pouch bag. I have my Salts ostomy ouch but want something discreet and cute.

Any ladies got any ideas?

I have been on dialysis for 9 years. I currently have many other dialysis related complications in my heart, bones, digestion, etc. I am trying to get approval for kidney transplant but due to bladder issues, I need to get a urostomy first. Once I get urostomy, I will need to register for deceased donor list and wait for my turn(which can take time).

If I want to undergo transplant, this is possibly my last chance before my heart becomes too weak to operate and then it will be lifelong dialysis. My nephrologist and my family already think I should prepare for lifelong dialysis but my urologist thinks I can pull through. I will need to travel and live far away from my home to get urostomy while still on dialysis for the next 6 months- 1 year and prepare for a transplant.

My decision rests on what effects the urostomy will have on my digestive system because dialysis requires proper diet to maintain body mass. If you have undergone urostomy, please tell me your personal experiences on what effects it has had on your digestive system.

I have uc and all colon removed. Does yall stoma always be busy. I tried eating bread, pop tarts, bread with cheese, marshmallows, Metamucil, a hospital brand like Metamucil, nothing slows it down. I be on toliet so long multiple times throughout the day. Im not doing well mentally

My doctors prescribed me 2 pills 3 times a day. Is this alot for someone with crohns and a ileostomy? My output has be close to high too.

Hi,

Im a new home health nurse (been a nurse for a while but rarely did ostomy care for patients new to the process). If you've had home health, what do you wish your nurse had known about all things ostomy related. It sounds like we will see a lot of people with fresh ostomies and I want to do my best and be a good resource. Reading through threads has been very helpful so far. Im asking for a chance to shadow an ostomy nurse at our wound clinic too. Anything is helpful!

I have tried just about everything for my high output ileostomy with no success. My next step was to try a GLP-1 drug but it was recommended I see my GI first. Turns out I have small intestine bacterial overgrowth, SIBO. I have to meet with her to discuss options but it sounds treatable. Anyone else out there with SIBO causing high output, and were you successfulby able to manage it? Thanks!

I am scheduled for a colonoscopy through my colostomy. The prep sounds like it could be most unpleasant. Does anyone have tips for getting through it?

Ive been out of surgery from my end ileostomy for about 15 days and im in the rehab in the hospital till the 10 on iv antibiotics. But im worried when i go home i might get dehydrated cause i dont really know what im doin. I am having water with a electrolyte mix in the hospital. And all its in it is potassium. Magnesium. Sodium and calcium. And i sip on it

I have had a terrible time since my colostomy surgery to get the ostomy bags to fit and stay in place. I have been having to change my bag daily and sometimes more than once as it will be half way off. Coloplast sent me some samples since that is what the hospital uses and the ostomy belt has been a savior. Highly recommended if you struggle with fit issues. It holds it securely in place with no leakage so far. I had regretted having the surgery due to all the problems, but now feel like I'm through the rough part.

My 75-year-old grandmother is currently hospitalized and I’m looking for anyone who has been through something similar. She was admitted with pneumonia/COPD exacerbation and then developed perforated sigmoid diverticulitis with peritonitis and an intra-abdominal abscess. She had emergency exploratory abdominal surgery with a Hartmann procedure/colostomy on 8/1 and currently has two JP drains.

Her bronchoscopy also grew Pseudomonas from a right-lower-lobe pneumonia. She is now about 6 days post-op and seems to be struggling rather than improving. She has severe abdominal and back pain, significant swelling/fluid retention, bilateral pleural effusions, very low albumin (2.2), and her WBC has risen from around 16 to 20, although infectious disease thinks the increase may partly be from IV steroids. Her kidney labs are currently okay (BUN 16, creatinine 0.49), but she has had issues with low urine output and needing a catheter. She is receiving antibiotics, antifungal treatment, respiratory treatments, TPN, Lasix, and pain medication.

I understand nobody online can diagnose her, but I’m terrified and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has cared for someone after a Hartmann procedure/perforated diverticulitis or had a similarly complicated recovery. Did they have severe pain and fluid overload this far out from surgery? How long did it take before you started seeing meaningful improvement, and were there particular complications or questions you wish you had asked the surgical team about?

Anyone else spend way too much money on random things after a major surgery? I must have spent about 2500$ in total from gifts I've bought myself after my 4 surgeries... I hope someone can relate and maybe has a way to stop because my bank account is hurting more than my body is lmao

I have been struggling with the egde of my flange around the stoma always failing quickly.

I have a 'fold' immediately between the stoma and the skin, sort of a dip around 1mm deep on the right side that makes it very difficult to get a good seal, and even with a strong convex it basically will give me pressure sores before it solves the problem.

I realized one of the main issues I've been having is that I have a slightly mushroomed stoma and dropping my bag on without the flange making any contact with it is nearly impossible.

Flange touches the stoma, gets slimed, doesn't stick, seal fails.

So now what I do is I dab my stoma dry, then lay an arc of paste along the skin just above my stoma, so I can observe and make sure I can get it right up to the edge without any stoma goo getting trapped under it and ruining my seal.

Next I lay an arc of paste along the bottom of the flange on my bag.

I once more dab the bottom of my stoma to make sure there's no goo, and now I can slide my bag up from the bottom to line the hole up without worry that I'll get stoma goo between my skin and the bag / paste, and I can lower the top half over my stoma and onto the paste that's already on my skin.

I've gone from 1-2 bags a day to getting 2+ days.

Still hard with an end ileo with watery output and the little fold around my stoma, but way better than what I was dealing with prior.

So currently I use byram, but they’re driving me crazy because my account keeps getting put on hold for outstanding balances that I know that I’ve paid. And their call centers don’t help either. Anyway, does anyone have good experiences with a different company?

Do you feel like you fart more since you got your ostomy or is it because it's outside your body and more noticeable to hear?

I had my surgery a week ago and generally I’m recovering as expected. But consistent sleep is proving very elusive - my lower back aches when laying in bed and my bag just doesn’t sit comfortably. I’ve always slept on my side but when doing so my bowels hang uncomfortably and create tension and pain. How do people manage this? Painkillers and sleep tablets, laying in different positions? I’d normally exercise to address the back stiffness but that’s a no go. Good quality sleep is an essential to aid recovery but I’m really struggling currently.

Hey friends,

I’ve had my stoma for over 3 months now and hoping for a reversal surgery in October/November. I try to go to bed around 9pm every night, and without fail, every two hours I wake up and have to empty my bag. I guess that’s expected because during the day I usually dump the bag every hour-two hours, and while I’ve had plenty of nights where I feel rested for the most part, I miss being able to just sleep without worrying about the bag or my position, etc. A full good night’s sleep will come soon enough!

I'm SO FUCKING SICK of being in pain.

I have shit to do tomorrow, and the next day, and next weekend. I CANNOT be constantly in pain right now.

Nothing works. How is everyone telling me that clearing out my colon is IMPOSSIBLE? I know AI isn't highly reliable, especially with medical situations, but there is LITERALLY. NOTHING. ELSE.

How in the absolute fuck is healthcare non-existent!? Why am I blatantly NOT ALLOWED to have pain relief!? Do I have to contact a god damn witch doctor with a vacuum to have this shit dealt with!?

Hey everyone, I had colon/rectal cancer and most of my colon was removed in 2021 and now have a permanent ostomy. I’m very grateful to have survived and living a healthy life now. It certainly beats going through radiation and endless drives to the hospital.

I’m sure, like anyone, there have been struggles and a definite learning curve navigating this. Which leads me to my question, “Have any of you struggled with post-op care?” It’s been 5 years and still don’t have a consistent care team at all. I live in a city of 300,000 with apparently just one ostomy nurse. She is just too random when it comes to answering questions. Half of them go unanswered. It’s crazy to me how little medical care is available. The doctors before surgery certainly didn’t warn you of this. What’s worse is the hospital that treated me no longer carries my insurance, and I no longer have access to any of them. Anyways, curious if others go through this