u/Other-Dependent7100

The Champ should do a 5-7 night tour performing at high schools on their way back towards home base. They could charge $30 a head and fundraise quite a bit (more than would offset the costs I would think)…. I would’ve paid $50 to finally see Bluecoats championship show live had they done a champions tour. And there doesn’t have to be rehearsing, etc… travel, perform, travel, perform.

Have a tiny bit of money and absolutely need backup clar and sax ligatures. How cheap can I go on these? I see 4 for $10 ones and $18 a piece ones. No name and brand name, respectively, of course.

These are the ones I hand to a kid who stepped on his or snapped a screw… until he can buy a real one. TIA!

Starting my trial of one-piece Coloplast bags today after months of leak issues… I am using paste and a barrier ring as well. Here are my initial observations, for what they are worth:

1. Ah yes - I now recall the firmness of Coloplast bags from the hospital and how they didn’t feel natural to me at that time. After years of fabric-like Hollister bags this bag is actually a welcome feeling of sturdiness and security… versus attaching a sock to my abdomen (just my opinion! Hollister was good to me for many, many years)

2. This is my first Convex wafer. I have a flat area around my normal-ish length stoma and was skeptical… but seeing how it hugs and elevates my stoma makes me a true believer! Cautiously optimistic.

3. This is a see through bag. I don’t love it but honestly since I have been having issues with seals and leaks it’s nice to be able to check in and make sure the bag was / is aligned well with the stoma. Builds some confidence for now since I am wondering less about what is goin’ on under there.

4. Despite the sturdiness and Convexity creating a ‘flatness’ above my belly, the overall appearance is actually flatter than my fabric Hollister bags that sort of look lumpy and more like a sack than a
   Medical appliance.

I was in a very dark place during my leaks and am scared to be optimistic… but all we can have is hope that we can live our lives as comfy as possible.

My stoma measures around 1 1/8…. My bags are precut to 1 1/4. Is this too large a discrepancy?

I was thinking some about this (I know there are many posts about sleeping)… would sleeping on your back increase the risk of a leak because the output would be drawn directly back down over your stoma and settle right at the seal? Almost like an output volcano?

… feel like? Or a partial blockage? I almost feel like the area inside my stoma ‘clicks’ or gets stuck. I squeeze my abdomen with my hands and it unclicks…. This is weird I know. But did you have symptoms prior to a blockage? I am assuming pain, nausea and fever - none of which I have. Thanks!

Does anyone have online Ostomate friends for commiserating? I am a 45 year old Dad of 5 - happily married - active and busy. But sometimes I just need that fellow 40s something parent to whine with on a very surface level… in a similar situation. I feel like if I whine too much to my spouse it probably gets old for her. As a Dad and a husband I feel pressure to seem strong and healthy to care for my family.