Have you looked for information about life and intimacy with an ostomy and struggled to find a reputable source? Do you have questions or concerns about swimming, eating certain foods, getting a good night’s sleep, or exercising with your ostomy? You’ve come to the right place. Living with an ostomy – living well with an ostomy – is within reach.
What works best for each one of us may take some time to figure out. But there’s no reason to start from square one. Read and watch videos of what has worked best for Laura Cox, an ileostomate since 2011. Our active ostomy community also frequently comments, both here and on our OstomyLife Facebook page, with tips of their own – sometimes asking questions, or offering their own perspective on questions that others or Laura have answered.
Are you a longtime ostomate who wonders if there might be a different way to do things? We hope you’ll run across a tip or two that will make your routines go just a bit smoother.
Living well with an ostomy is not just about daily activities, it’s also about attitude. Feel the need to be inspired? We have you covered. Always upbeat, Laura has learned lots of coping methods to get through even the roughest days – even the days when you experience a leak!
So let’s get started. Join us. Be a part of our community, however long your journey with a pouch will be. Let us be part of your team.
On our OstomyLife Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Community articles you can find tips, tricks and educational materials about living day-to-day life with an ostomy. Please stop by and say hello! We invite you to share your stories and tips with the community to enable our members to learn and grow from each other.
Check out these links for more information about living with an ostomy:
What is one thing you wish someone had told you about having an ostomy before you got an ostomy or when you were new to having an ostomy?
I am 61 and have had my colostomy since 1963. It was pretty challenging at first because of my age. I had to start school the same year and I was in the special needs section. Praise God the teacher went to Superintendent of schools and told him that I should be in mainstream classes. They said Yes but only if I could take complete care of myself. I did and adapted to my new life pretty easily. Back then I wore a rubber bag with a hard ring that had to be glued on. Literally glued on and this glue had to be removed with (get this) cement remover. My skin was raw and the remover was just a nightmare. Anyway things have sure changed. I have had no problems at all in the years since then. It saved my life and I thank God every day. I didn’t always smell so great of feel so great but all in all its been a great and very interesting life. One more thing……I started doing an enema every other day and if I wasn’t sick where diarrhea was involved I had nothing in between. One more thing take a good book with you and hopefully you will be like me and the whole process will take about an hour.
I wil not do FB because the app is hacked and too many people can read my private information. I will not social Media Blog and my situation started in 2014. I get no answers and my Stoma Nurse is too busy and my Gastro released me and has no desire to even follow up with me. This is just a comedy of errors. Not fun and not happy at all.