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Helpful Advice

I have to admit I am pretty darn lucky when it comes to my stoma I have very few issues with it; generally it is just trying to regulate my output as one day it can be so thick it pancakes or becomes incredibly watery. However I know it may pale in comparison to some of the skin issues some people suffer with but the patches of eczema that are under my base plate drive me crazy.I have never really suffered with skin issues except dry skin and two random patches of eczema one under my breast and one behind the back of my knee. These are often itchy but are thankfully come and go, however the patches that turned...

You may know by now that stoma’s off all types can come in different shapes and sizes due to the type of ostomy you have. But did you know that they can change shape too?  Now I can only from experience talk about ileostomies (as that’s what I have) But yes they can in fact change shape! Both of my stoma nurses have over the last three years have had differing opinions on the shape of my stoma because when my stomach is relaxed it was oval and when stretched it was round. To combat this I had been using an oval convex bag from Peak Medical but cutting the hole round. Last week I had a routine appointment to...

This week I wanted to share with you what I found helpful in preparing myself for ostomy surgery. Some of these may not be for everyone but I took to Twitter to ask other ostomates what they did too. Preparing for any surgery can be a scary time; whether it is your choice or is an emergency – some emergency surgery isn’t a case of deciding and then whoosh you’re in theatre it could still be a day or two wait. I found that I felt like I shouldn’t be scared about my surgery because it was something I fought to have but deep inside I was fighting myself as I was still terrified but the other side of me...

Christmas with an ostomy can be a scary thing what with potential visitors, visiting others and the Christmas feast to contend with. However it isn’t something to worry too much over and after your first festive season under your (ostomy) belt you may think to yourself what is all the fuss was about. This is my third Christmas with my ileostomy although the first doesn’t really count as i was three months pregnant and completely off my food. I wanted to share my top tips for “surviving” the festive season with you all – now bare in mind I have an ileostomy so these may not affect you but hopefully at least something is of use! I have in my...

Do you have an ileostomy or a colostomy? Have you come across your ostomy appliance filling up with air during the day but mainly through the night and on waking? You probably have it is where your body omits gas and it collects in your appliance and is often referred to as ballooning. It is pretty much my nemesis along with pancaking as both of these are the only reasons I ever suffer leaks anymore since changing to the Peak Medical Varimate bags. But there are different things can increase or reduce the amount of gas you produce. Now at the end of the day before our ostomy surgery we passed gas the normal way and during the night none of us...

The brains at Comfizz HQ came up with the wonderful idea of running a stoma care clinic right in the the offices where you can not only see a specialist stoma care nurse BUT you can ask all the nitty gritty questions about hernia prevention and support wear from those who know it best! These clinics are such a great idea because so many of us wanting to prevent hernia’s have ostomies. You may not be able to see your stoma care nurse easily or prefer to not be in a hospital setting. The staff at Comfizz are really nice and easy to talk too and I’m not just saying that because when I first had my ileostomy I started...

No matter how far along in your ostomy journey you are I fully believe it is a good idea to have what I call a “go bag” for different situations or reasons. You may have found the perfect routine which leaves you with next to no leaks now which is fantastic but there is always the small possibility something may change be it what you have eaten, the weather or something else. I have a few different bags of varying sizes dotted around the place which mainly gives me the reassurance that I can carry on my day with a clean appliance. So I have in my work bag one full bag change and that includes some underwear! One in...

I more often than not sing the praises of my ileostomy and how it has given me a third chance at life, third time’s a charm so they say right? It really has improved my life and although I have other diagnosis’s to deal with that means I am not as healthy as I had hoped that isn’t entirely to do with having an ileostomy (scar tissue anyone?) So this time I thought I would let people know about the times during the little over two years I have had my red blob and why I get annoyed with it; because I on occasional get really annoyed with it and that is okay. Like I said for the most part...

This is one for the ladies! As we all know our time of the month can cause more hassle than it’s worth, what with the cramps and hormones to name a few. I conducted a poll to see if it was just me that found I suffered a lot since my ileostomy (I got sick before my menstrual cycle started so I know no different with my Ulcerative Colitis and didn’t find it got worse after my jpouch surgery) I broadened the result options as I wanted to see if having an auto immune disease or having something else affected it too. Like I said I was sick before my menstrual cycle started so I don’t know if mine were...

I thought I would talk about how I came to the decision of having a Barbie bum over a temporary ostomy. Now this isn’t as far as I’m aware for urostomates but it is an option for those going for a colostomy or an ileostomy. The first time having an ileostomy was brought up I was 14 and I felt at the time that I had plenty more things I could try before resigning myself to surgery at such a young age, the surgeon was fantastic and accepted that was a fair point but allowed me to keep the option of surgery open. When I decided in 2015 that I needed to do something to get rid of the Pouchitis...