Learn with Comfizz

How do you feel when it comes to your stoma? Are you loud and proud about it? Do you have an issue with getting your stoma bag out in public? You can believe it or not be both for instance I am very open about my stoma but I haven’t yet got it out at the pool or the beach because I’m not sure how I feel about doing that yet. Which is really odd because I will happily get it out for people or take photo’s with it out but I haven’t had it on show in swimwear. I’m happy wearing crop tops or jeans where the top of the bag peaks out. Part of me thinks that as...

I remember being between a rock and a hard place after having my ileostomy on what to eat. I had next to no appetite and when I did I just wanted all the foods I was a bit worried about. For instance there wasn’t much information out there about eating vegetables with a stoma and I was worried I was going to have to change my diet! So I came up with this soup which I still have in my rotation; normally I wouldn’t share a soup in the summer but the weather has been a bit up and down so I didn’t think it was the end of the world! You know the seasonal veggie packs most supermarkets have?...

So most women who read this and possibly some men would associate the words “mini, midi and maxi” to be with the length of a skirt! Whilst you wouldn’t be wrong the words can also be associated with the size of ostomy appliances. Most of us would automatically think that when it comes to bag sizes there are adult and children sizes but that just isn’t the case. Pretty much all ostomy appliance companies do three sizes as standard for ileostomies at least. These are: mini – the smallest size midi – the medium size maxi – the largest size There are many different reasons why people would choose to wear different sizes at different times such as output frequency,...

We all need electrolytes to keep our body in tip tip condition but did you know that having an ostomy specifically an ileostomy can affect the levels of electrolytes you have? In this post we will have a little look into what they are and what they do! Electrolytes are salts and minerals that hold a type of electricity more specifically positive and negative ions once they are dissolved in liquid; in your body this is your blood, sweat and urine. Electrolytes found in your body include: Sodium Potassium Chloride Calcium Magnesium Phosphate Bicarbonate They help your body do a variety of things such as ensuring your nerve endings and muscles function properly and keeping you hydrated – which those...

Have you heard of the term ‘granuloma’? It is a common side effect of having an ostomy and can be easily dealt with by your stoma care nurse.  Basically a granuloma is your skin healing up on broken skin; they look like little red lumps around your stoma site and some can bleed or be uncomfortable. You can get them from friction caused by your bag or your peristomal skin being sore or damaged. Your stoma nurse can remove these with silver nitrate which can sting a bit but it shrinks them down to nothing over a short period of time. It is a very similar treatment to what they use for warts. I had a couple of granulomas when I...

So I absolutely despise the term accessory when it comes to ostomy products, because it sounds as if they are items you don;t always need. Yet to some people certain items become essential to having a good seal or be the difference between their skin being health or sore. On Twitter recently a company tweeted about items being called dependable’s and I just shouted YES (internally of course because no-one else would understand in my house!) sadly I can’t remember the name of the company but when I find it I will update this post. I think the items other than your appliance itself come under four categories and what falls in each category is different for each person because...

Have you ever thought about keeping a food diary? This can help with all sorts of issues you may be having when it comes to your output. This is often a really handy tool to keep when you first have your surgery to see how certain foods affect you and how this can change over time. However this is something you can start at anytime especially if you are finding your output is becoming unpredictable. Every food affects us all differently and you could be surprised at what you find out. You may have the need to visit a dietitian at some point for various reasons and keeping a food diary could really be beneficial in pinpointing areas of your...

Having an ostomy can feel like one thing after another and it isn’t always fun and games. We go through the possible minefields of finding out what foods agree with us and wont cause us blockages to trying to stay hydrated enough. The one thing new and old ostomates often find a struggle is getting the right appliance and routine that works for you. On my personal blog have reviewed all the different bags I have tried over the last three years and the main thing I have learnt is having the right items doesn’t always have to be from the same brand or even the same items each time; I have a bit of a pick and mix going...

So as you may know I have two beautiful children – Ra-Ra who was 2 when I had my ileostomy formed and Button who was born after. Both have their own interest in my bag and my stoma, for me it was quite interesting to pay attention to how they both act around it.Ra-Ra (5.5 years old) doesn’t really remember me being sick well as sick as I was before surgery but I remember 00Steve warned her about my tummy after surgery and that it would be sore. She used to bring her doctors bag to my appointments which was super cute especially when asked one day why she brought it she looked at the doctor and said straight faced...

We all experience urgency regardless if it is bladder and bowel; yet when we have surgery and an ostomy formed the urgency changes – it becomes “Oh no we need to empty” or “Oh I need to change my appliance!” Both can be upsetting if we are nowhere near a bathroom or somewhere private. I took to Twitter and asked people where the weirdest place they emptied or changed their appliance was and I thought it might be interesting for others to read. For me I was in Whitby and on a pleasure boat ride on the North Sea and all of a sudden I realised I needed to empty and quickly! I was also heavily pregnant with Button at...