Our OstomyLife community began with just one person: Laura Cox. We brought her onto our team in 2014 after viewing her videos on YouTube, which she began making shortly after her ileostomy surgery in 2011. From there, Laura introduced us to people who had reached out to her, people she was influenced by and ostomates who had an online presence. We’re so happy to be constantly expanding our community! In 2018, we brought on our OstomyLife co-moderator, Kelsey Scarborough, to help us get more perspectives, and to make sure we were serving our colostomate community. We also have a close relationships with Eric Polsinelli of Vegan Ostomy, Brian Greenberg of The Intense Intestines Foundation and Bret Cromer, of the United Ostomy Association of America and Youth Rally, all of whom participated in our OstomyLife Roundtable Webinar.
Would you like to be featured in our OstomyLife community? We’d be happy to hear from you! You can learn more about how to be featured here.
Meet our team!
- About Laura Cox
- Meet Our OstomyLife Co-Moderator: Kelsey Scarborough
- OstomyLife Community Spotlight | Eric P. | Vegan Ostomy
- Ostomy Lifestyle Interview with Brian Greenberg | Video
- Ask Laura a Question
Shield HealthCare | Stronger with Shield
How can I keep my ostomy pouch dry while showering?
This applies to all the websites I have looked at that sell products. None of them show models with actual ostomies. I would like to see how products look on people with appliances. I would bet there are others that feel like I do.
Hi Lori. Thanks for your comment. We do have a video called “How to Change Your Ostomy Pouch” where Laura shows the whole process of a bag change, including how the appliance looks on her. Is there any specific question you have? Let us know and we’ll see what we can do. Thanks! -Aimee, Shield HealthCare
I am in the process of having surgery, I am reading everything I can find..I am so nervous about oder and leaks, I am becoming overwhelmed, please guide me to what I should stick to reading…
Hi Cindy! You’ve come to the right place! We have lots of information about preparing yourself for surgery. You can find a lot of information in our Before Surgery section of our community. In addition, I would recommend the video that Laura made, “I Don’t Want an Ostomy Bag – Top Concerns for Those Facing Ostomy Surgery.” In there, she address leaks, among other pressing concerns. As for odor, you can read more about management here: Odor Management with an Ostomy. Leaks are usually caused by an ill-fitting appliance, or leaving the appliance on too long. They are, unfortunately, a fact of life — Laura has had her pouch for over seven years now, and still experiences leaks about once a year. The best you can do is be prepared – keeping your supplies with you at all times. You can learn more about leaks and how to prevent them in this section of one of our ostomy recorded webinars, Difficulty Getting a Good Seal. If you have any specific questions, or just want to see what others are posting, you can visit our OstomyLife Facebook page. And, we have an upcoming webinar on March 26th called Clinical and Lifestyle Concerns with an Ostomy that you can sign up for. Whew – okay! Hopefully we haven’t overwhelmed you with info and you can find answers to your concerns quickly. Please let us know if you have any other questions and best of luck! -Aimee, Shield HealthCare
Thankyou for answering me..I think knowing what is ahead of me will be a help and I will follow your site closely
I need suggestions on how to cure a small wound from the inner part of the circle of my bag it looks like a rash go e bad quickly to the point the wound has spread larger and it’s a open wound(slash) rash can I put some kind of bandage over it to keep the faeces off of it all
Hi Rebecca. Thank you for your comment. It sounds like you could benefit from a portion of our most recent recorded webinar called Clinical and Lifestyle Concerns with an Ostomy. During the webinar, the presenter, Joy, a WOCN, goes over pertistomal skin irritation and how to avoid it and remedy problems. I’ve cued up the video to the part where she discusses peristomal skin irritation, and I also think your wound would benefit from the crusting technique she discusses in the same video at about 15 minutes in. Your pouching system won’t stick to a bandage, so that would just cause leaks, but if you can crust over the wound, that will keep the stool off of it, and allow your bag to stick without an issue – and allow the wound to heal (which, FYI, may take as long as three months – another point Joy brings up at the beginning of the webinar). We hope that helps! Best of luck and please let us know if you have any other questions. -Aimee, Shield HealthCare
I got my ostomy when I was ten. (And I’m not going to tell you how many years ago that was!) It was for my bladder due to incontinence. So if anyone wants to ask me any questions, go for it! BTW- I use Hollister stuff-glue, waffers, pouches,(two piece) etc. So is there anyone else here that has had any kind of ostomy bladder surgery?