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General Ostomy
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Your stories
Speaking with others who have been through the same surgery as you can be invaluable but keeping in mind that everyone’s experience is different. You can help others by joining our community and sharing your personal stories and experience.
Welcome
Take a minute to meet our bloggers who share their tips and experiences of living life with a stoma
Meet the bloggers
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Getting rid of odour- a review of what has and hasn’t worked for me.
Andy Fletcher
Smells can be a big problem for ostomates, but with such a variety of odour eliminating products on the market it can be hard to know what to choose.
6 Nov 2019
Toilets- the good the bad and the ugly
Clare Mee
Having a stoma means toilets play a big part in our lives. I have used some really lovely clean ones, but also some dreadful ones that I really didn’t want to use but had no choice.
30 Oct 2019
Meeting the right people
Dennis Kent
Meeting the right people and testing a variety of products helped me find what worked best for me.
29 Oct 2019
Hi how is everyone.
Keith Thomas
Hi all on this Thursday. I hope I find you well ? I just wanted to say I am never far away from social media and if you just need a friendly hello. Give me a shout . Take care and speak soon. Keith.
24 Oct 2019
The Pre Surgery Nerves
Clare Mee
When you have a surgery date you feel relieved but then as it gets nearer you nearly talk yourself out of it
21 Oct 2019
Say NO to Dr. Google!
Lauraine Clarke
Google is great for many things but if, like me, you have anxiety issues, I would strongly repeat what my consultant said 35 years ago, leave the doctoring to the doctors.
10 Oct 2019
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
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