Your stories

Don’t forget to look after yourself!

Caitlin McGinnis

Getting a stoma for many people will mean the end of extreme pain and illness, so it can be easy to forget that you still need to look after yourself.
- 26 Aug 2019
How friends and family can help after stoma surgery

Clare Mee

It can be hard to ask for help after surgery, and for family and friends it is hard to know how to help a loved one during their recovery. Clare Mee shares some tips for both sides from her own experience…
- 23 Aug 2019
A positive outlook makes anything possible.

Keith Thomas

Having an ostomy can be the start of your journey - not the end. The only limits are the ones you set yourself.
- 13 Aug 2019
Needing the toilet when you are out and about

Andy Fletcher

At some point after the birth of your stoma, you will want to venture outdoors – it’s totally natural and expected that you will be anxious about being too far away from a toilet. A public convenience…
- 7 Aug 2019
Weighing the pros and cons of revision surgery

Clare Mee

The thought of more surgery can bring on anxiety, so weighing up the pros and cons can help.
- 1 Aug 2019
Coping with a stoma is different for everyone.

Caitlin McGinnis

I’m learning it’s okay to cry and feel sorry for myself. I am also learning how to cope with these feelings.
- 16 Jul 2019
Explaining your stoma to the children in your life

Lauraine Clarke

The children are a huge part of my life and have helped me recover. My ileostomy gave me my life back and I’m still here and enjoying life with my family and those precious little people.
- 24 Jun 2019
Your life in their hands

Clare Mee

Having a surgical team you trust is really important, it makes going to sleep under anaesthetic just that little bit more reassuring.
- 18 Jun 2019
Ileostomy food tips for good output

Andy Fletcher

All of us will at some point or another suffer somewhat. Following or tailoring these tips may hopefully help you enjoy your day better!
- 6 Jun 2019
Travelling- my tips for packing supplies

Caitlin McGinnis

I absolutely love travelling and having a stoma has never stopped me. The key is to remember that more is best. Always bring more supplies than not.
- 4 Jun 2019
My experience wearing stoma support wear

Anecia Duffy

When playing my camogie, I wear a shield over the actual stoma and then I feel like a wrestler wrapping my support belt around my waist, it’s a work out in itself!
- 20 May 2019
Surviving the first couple of weeks after stoma surgery

Andy Fletcher

I often think back to the early days of my operation and wonder if I could have done things differently to maybe help speed up recovery, make life for myself easier, and so on.
- 9 May 2019
Living with a stoma: Is it a good life or just a different life?

Clare Mee

I am all for saying my stoma saved my life, and it did. But I would prefer not to have it at all and be well. That is not going to happen so I accept my life and live it to the best I can.
- 9 May 2019
A poem about stoma surgery

Clare Mee

Clare shares her story about life change through poetry... I want to tell my story The best way that I can From my first big flare Via a thirty year span.
- 8 Apr 2019
Advice for obtaining and sampling new stoma products

Andy Fletcher

Samples I have requested over the years are varied – pouches, thickeners, deodorisers, covers, adhesive wipes and sprays, gels and wet wipes …. The list goes on.
- 4 Apr 2019
Ostomate at university

Anecia Duffy

We can do anything the same as everyone else at university and if not better, having a stoma shouldn’t put a hold on your dreams.
- 28 Mar 2019
Dealing with body image when you have an ostomy

Caitlin McGinnis

To everyone who is struggling with his or her body image now, I want you to know that it’s okay. I still struggle. There are days where I think I’m freaking hot and totally feeling myself. Then there are…
- 25 Mar 2019
To tell or not to tell others about your stoma

Clare Mee

There have been a few times when my husband has had to say hang on isn’t that a bit too much? Some things can be kept private, and I have come to my senses and left it out.
- 19 Mar 2019
Keeping hydrated with an ostomy

Andy Fletcher

Drinking plenty of water however does not necessarily make you hydrated. Drinking too much plain water could actually make dehydration worse.
- 1 Mar 2019
De-stressing with a stoma

Clare Mee

It is always nice to feel clean around the stoma, so bag change day feels good. Give yourself “me” time to relax and give your peristomal skin time to feel the air, there is nothing better for it.
- 20 Feb 2019
Caitlin: Too much sugar can cause me to have a lot of ostomy output

Caitlin McGinnis

For the month of February, I have decided to cut out some sugar intake. I gave up candy, ice cream, and cookies for this month. I want to see if there is an improvement in my energy and overall clarity…
- 6 Feb 2019
Intimacy with a fellow ostomist

Andy Fletcher

Having a stoma should not detract anyone from having a loving, caring and an intimate level of trust that may have existed prior to the creation of a stoma.
- 6 Feb 2019
Getting through stoma surgery with a little help from your friends

Clare Mee

I am happy that I managed to get out there and help others. I am glad that I joined the Ileostomy association, I am glad I joined lots of forums, I am glad I write my blog letting the world know about…
- 21 Jan 2019
What exactly is normal?

Lauraine Clarke

Even though we cope with these serious body conditions and the aftermath of sometimes mutilating surgery (because we have NO choice but to cope), I still have a desire to dress up, show up because I will…
- 15 Jan 2019