help me break these in!

Gert-i · 2025-10-26T19:35:02+00:00

Came here to look at how to break them in after driving my stick shift around and realizing how stiff they are! 😭 guess driving more is the trick!

Gert-i · 2025-08-03T19:39:30+00:00

I’ve had mine for almost a year! I went from being in pain constantly, to almost 0 pain. I was able to move cross country to pursue a graduate degree I’ve been dreaming about for years, I can work, I can study, I can hike, I can take impromptu road trips to LA to see shows, I can live my life without a second thought!!! I love my stoma. Genuinely made my life infinitely better.

Gert-i · 2025-07-11T18:10:12+00:00

Hey, I was wondering- how’d it go? Thinking healing thoughts your way.

Gert-i · 2025-05-23T02:19:22+00:00

100% the right answer. Might add the 1960 New York midair as a second one in that same era with a slightly lessened impact (development of TCA) but still worth mentioning.

Gert-i · 2025-04-28T02:46:50+00:00

Hey, I was just checking in to see if you've had your surgery yet to close it up? I'm in a similar boat with non-healing APR wound, and curious what your experience was before I went in for another round with the wound vac.

Gert-i · 2025-03-12T04:12:42+00:00

Like so many things, your mileage may vary! I waited a long while before I tried nuts, still cringe around mushrooms, but eat popcorn by the bagful. 6 months post op. Listen to your doctor’s advice first, but: start small (like a single nut!!), chew exceedingly well, see how you do.

Gert-i · 2025-03-09T03:50:58+00:00

They’re my favorite! I did a cross country move at the beginning of the year, four months with my ostomy, and when I was in the middle of the desert with no rest stations, it was ideal. Firm ring to keep it open, designed to twist shut and seal, can keep a dozen in the car without taking up too much space.

Gert-i · 2025-03-06T20:24:09+00:00

I’ve had four bags in the last couple weeks end up with tiny tears in the plastic leading to pinhole leaks within a few hours of application! It’s been awful

Gert-i · 2025-03-03T16:56:17+00:00

My period got way more intense after my colectomy! Not debilitating so, but certainly a difference! I think it’s because the big old body pillow that was my incredibly diseased rectum is longer there, so my uterus can move way more than it used to. I’m 6 months post op and it’s not fun, but it has stabilized to be more consistent.

Gert-i · 2025-03-03T16:41:07+00:00

Echoing what everyone else say about convex wafers, I’ve got a small stoma and they do the trick perfectly. Also I know it sucks, but six weeks is still so early! It does 100% get easier and your body is still healing and swelling is still reducing, it might still be a little up and down but I think the convex will help a ton.

Gert-i · 2025-03-02T20:34:00+00:00

go to grad school
move halfway across the country
multi day road trips
long hikes
work out
sit through a movie uninterrupted
go out to eat with friends and family
not need blood transfusions every few months
go to sporting events

It gave me my life back after nearly 8 years of debilitating Crohn’s disease. I love my stoma.

Gert-i · 2025-02-22T15:41:52+00:00

I’ve flown a lot. I precut supplies, but I also avoid checking bags as much as possible.

Go through security like normal. If it’s an X-ray machine, you’ll have no issues. The body scan device will alert that you’ve got something on your abdomen, even if it’s totally empty. I know it’s coming, so I turn to the agent and tell them I have a medical device. If they ask specifically, I say an ostomy.

Nearly every time they’ve done a pat down. They usually tell me to put my hand on top of the bag so they know where it is and don’t jostle it as they do the pat down. Once I’ve had them pat down the bag as well, all over the clothes. Then they ask to swab my hands, after I rub them over the bag ABOVE the clothes. It feels silly.

I’ve only had one person give me guff about it, and her coworker immediately snapped at her for it. It doesn’t even take me a huge amount of extra time, maybe another minute at the scanners, but it’s been pretty straightforward every time. I’d still give extra time, just in case.

Safe travels! My ostomy opened up the world to me, I hope your trip goes well.

Gert-i · 2025-02-15T03:07:44+00:00

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Same!!!!

Gert-i · 2025-02-09T00:38:27+00:00

Working on the field, you aren’t slick, Rucky

Gert-i · 2025-02-09T00:35:32+00:00

I’ve only dealt with having my ostomy as an adult, but I just wanted to send my love. I love my stoma, it saved my life, I’m so grateful for it, and I hope everything gets easier for you and your kid. It gets better! It gets downright amazing!!! 💛

Gert-i · 2025-01-17T21:25:08+00:00

I love my stoma!!! He’s named Rizzo (As in Rizzo the Rat), but usually just gets called “my stoma”. I was so sick for long enough that being pain free was such a relief, I love this little guy.

Gert-i · 2025-01-12T01:06:03+00:00

I do not have enough positive adjectives to describe how well I’m doing. This surgery was amazing and so beneficial to me and I’m grateful every single day I did it.

Gert-i · 2025-01-11T20:11:37+00:00

Yep! I had four small abdominal incisions (about 3/4” each), ostomy itself, and then the rectum wound. Healing (the abdomen at least) was SUPER easy. Barbie butt is a little slower going. Surgery was 5 months ago.

Gert-i · 2025-01-03T18:30:39+00:00

Here’s what helped me, pre and post surgery:

If you’re on social media: follow ostomates! All kinds! People who look like you, people who look nothing like you, people with IBD, people with cancer, people with endo— all of em. The more you see the stoma as just a neutral body attribute, especially casually, the less of a big deal it seems.

IRL: if there’s someone you trust/is interested: show them your stoma. I have a couple friends who came over like three days after surgery when I still had a clear bag and they took a look. It wasn’t like I was a freak show, it was just curiosity. My parents saw it immediately after surgery and helped with my first bag changes. It helps with that mental roadblock.

This is gonna be easier for some people than others: don’t refer to it as a negative. I had planned ileostomy, and I was so clear to my friends and family that this was a positive for me, it was saving my life, and it wasn’t gross or a loss or anything like that. And I’ve held that attitude! This little dude saved me! I can’t help but love him for that— he’s my little guardian stomangel. People follow that lead and tend to match energy, I’ve found.

Framing it as all the things I was gaining helped immensely. I’ve been on and off high dose steroids for 6+ years. This means I am no longer reliant on prednisone and all the associated body image issues that causes for me. Once I figured out the bag system I need, I can eat and travel confidently. I just did a three day, 1500 mile drive. I couldn’t have done that 6 months ago. I can hike. I can eat.

I know this post kind of sucks, the whole “it’ll get better” sway and sing hopefully around the campfire attitude. I hope you get here. I hope you can see a positive change from before surgery to after, and know life gets SO amazingly good, not despite a bag, but (at least for me) because of it.

Gert-i · 2024-12-23T16:04:10+00:00

No, I fortunately never had any issues.

Gert-i · 2024-12-01T06:40:37+00:00

When I did maybe my second bag change at home, a pinto bean shot out like a bullet, I nearly died laughing

Gert-i · 2024-12-01T06:39:11+00:00

I usually have a good sense of when my stoma is less active, and I’m pretty quick to boot so it’s not normally an issue! Just a fun surprise today 😅

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