Stories

Getting a stoma bag often builds character and shows what truly matters in life.

Clare looks back over the last four years since she had her stoma surgery.

Staying in is the new normal for Alisa with the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s how she is still managing to continue nursing studies and look after her mental health from her home.

There has been more awareness in recent years of hidden disabilities, but many ostomates still face hostility when using an accessible toilet. Here’s how Keith handles that situation.

Many ostomates can return to work following their surgery. Andy has an office based job and shares his experience of what it’s like working with a stoma.

Alisa looks back on her first year with a stoma; embracing the positives and the lessons she has learned.

Deciding whether to tell people about your stoma is a personal decision. Keith has found it helpful to share his experience with others, and in doing so has been able to help other ostomates.

Keith shares his experience of going back to work after stoma surgery and how a change in career has changed his life.

Some ostomates think of a stoma as a disability and others don’t. In this blog Clare asks the question- is having a stoma a disability?

A fistula is a rare complication of surgery that sometimes affects ostomates. In this blog, Lauraine shares what it is like living with a fistula.

1 in 500 people here in the UK currently have a stoma, so how many celebrities have one?

Getting this ostomy made it possible for me to travel again, date, and apply for university.

Changing what you can change must make you feel more positive and that is why I have decided to stick to this.

I may have an illness and wear a bag but I don’t want to be labelled as the girl that’s sick.

 Having my little friend is second nature to me now, but it took a while getting used to him and there’s days I still am adjusting. He looks different compared to the stomas on the books or websites that you see.  I have learnt to dea...

I miss the old me, but she’s gone - it’s time for change. I hope 2020 will help me find and embrace my new normal.

Does a family member or partner help with any aspect of your care since stoma or stoma related surgery? I ask because there are many ways in which you might need help for example, wound care, help with the stoma change itself or maybe even TPN and na...

I have made it my mission to embrace my second chance at life, not allowing having a stoma to become a barrier to me doing anything.

Spa days are a great way to practice self care, and this shows you can totally relax and unwind on a spa day with a stoma.

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.

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.

Meeting the right people and testing a variety of products helped me find what worked best for me.

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. 

When you have a surgery date you feel relieved but then as it gets nearer you nearly talk yourself out of it

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.