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Learn with Comfizz

Looking for ostomy education & related topics, helpful hints & real life experiences? Look no further! Browse our blog for support!

Is there anything I can do to eliminate ostomy odour?

Is there anything I can do to eliminate ostomy odour?

One of the top concerns for pre surgery is the thought of having a stoma bag and it smelling offensive to others. Lets keep it real here, the contents of anyone's bag and what comes out of your typical exit if you didn’t need an ostomy does most certainly not smell of roses!!!! Some press coverage of influential people have seen jokes made referring to bad smells meaning they must have an ostomy. It is narrow minded, offensive, and discriminating towards ostomates. Having a stoma is not a choice easily made, if it even is a choice in the first place when some wake up to find they have one through emergency surgeries, and up until then did not know...

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How many people worldwide have an ostomy?

How many people worldwide have an ostomy?

By ostomy, we are referring to a urostomy, ileostomy or colostomy (or some people can have both a urostomy and ileostomy or urostomy and colostomy). To find out more about these, visit our blog post on "what are the 3 types of ostomy?" To summarise: A colostomy is formed from the large bowel (colon).  An ileostomy is formed from the small bowel (small intestine). A urostomy is formed from a small segment of the small intestine and the bladder is removed. Then surgeon then joins the two ureters to one end of the small intestine.  How many people in the UK have an ostomy? As of April 2022, there was estimated to be around 205,000 people in the UK with an ostomy (BJN). Are...

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Why can't you play contact sports with an ostomy?

Why can't you play contact sports with an ostomy?

**Spoiler alert... You can! Read on for the things to consider...** It is completely normal to find the idea of sports a little daunting after ostomy surgery, but the good news is, if you played contact sports before surgery or want to give it a go, you should be able to do so without a problem. It goes without saying that you should take medical advice after stoma surgery about when to start doing sports again and exercise needs to be built up gradually with the right stoma support. It is essential to build up to be more strenuous exercise and sport.

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Tips for a better night's sleep with your ostomy

Tips for a better night's sleep with your ostomy

Sleep is one of the top things a new ostomate worries about and can struggle to get into a new routine with following surgery. For sometimes decades, they may be used to sleeping a certain way bag free. To then have to find a new normal with your ostomy bag going nowhere soon is mentally and physically hard. If you have had a rough road with your illness and surgery, bedtime is where you want to try and relax and unwind which can be difficult as you get used to having a bag in the way. It won’t always feel that way, I promise. You will find a new way of sleeping that allows you to not worry about bag...

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Amy talks about the struggles of having an ostomy

Amy talks about the struggles of having an ostomy

I'm Amy & for those of you who don't know me, I am part of team Comfizz. My job is all things social media & marketing, with a bit of customer care thrown in too, answering your calls & queries! I've nearly been in my Comfizz role for a year now (time flies, right?) I am a seasoned ostomate, having had my permanent ileostomy formed in 2011 due to Crohn's Disease & a large, benign tumour, the size of a watermelon which nearly cost me my life. I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease at age 7, but had symptoms from as young as I can remember & my Uncle also had Ulcerative Colitis and had had a stoma for around...

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Can you eat nuts with an ostomy?

Can you eat nuts with an ostomy?

After ostomy surgery, it can feel super overwhelming when it comes to what you should and shouldn't eat. It's important to remember that whilst following medical advice is vital, a lot of what we are told are general guidelines. No two people who have had ostomy surgery are the same and a lot of it comes to getting to know your body with an ostomy as time passes & a lot of the time, what affects your ostomy may not affect others and vice versa. In this blog post, we will mainly be referring to an ileostomy and colostomy when we use the term "ostomy", although we will briefly refer to a urostomy too and we will state this when...

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Can you have a sex life after stoma surgery?

Can you have a sex life after stoma surgery?

Having ostomy surgery can, naturally, be so daunting, then you've got all these life elements to think of that increasingly creep back in as you recover, including your sex life. Being concerned about intimacy is normal and you may have questions running through your head such as "will my partner find me attractive any more?", "will my sex life be the same as before surgery?" and "will having sex hurt me?"

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GALENTINES: How have the women in your life helped you with your ostomy?

GALENTINES: How have the women in your life helped you with your ostomy?

Never mind waiting for a man to buy you flowers (thank you Miley for the reminder!) Galentine’s Day is an excuse to show love and gratitude to those in your life that have helped you through the hard times and celebrated you through the good. I am extremely blessed to have wonderful friends and family around me, and I count myself very lucky in the past year through one of the most difficult yet that I have had that support network around me and my little man. 

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