Running with Bob

Wanda Thurston Drews is amazing when it comes to making durable pouch covers for a great price! You get your first two pouches free of charge then 2 pouches for $5, 4 for $10, etc. She also makes masks and hair scrunchies and sells them as a set with a pouch for only $7.50 and everything is great quality and comfortable. Wanda also ships for free, as she has a mission from God to help ostomates, and her Facebook page Sha-Rey Customized Covers, is named after her brother and sister. She and her siblings all had a portion of their colons removed and her brother had to get an ostomy bag. Wanda has such talent and I greatly recommend her products to others. I ordered my two free pouch covers plus a set with mask and scrunchie that I am featuring in this blog post; I love them so much that I ordered another set and will definitely order more in the future. Here is the link to Wanda's Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/352472301950943/ Here I am featuring the set with scrunc...

The question most asked when I tell people about my ileostomy is if I can eat normally, and the answer is a big YES! I am able to eat so much more than I could before Bob became a part of me. My diet had become extremely limited as just about everything caused painful obstruction symptoms, especially roughage and fiber which is the stuff I love. Not only is my diet more diverse now, but I have the capacity to eat more which is important for my energy, strength and training. I'm working on gaining more muscle and becoming stronger, carefully weight training in the gym.  I still am gluten intolerant, but now am able to digest dairy and I was convinced before my ileostomy that I had become lactose intolerant. Also, I am back to being able to eat large salads including raw kale! I'm again enjoying kimchi and even raw cabbage slaw, as well as many other raw veggies and fruits, even those with skins. Pretty much everything on the list of "obstruction causing foods" I am abl...

  I found out that NuHope makes pouches to fit you according to your stoma measurements, shape, and any necessary convexity. According to the manager I spoke to, this is what they are known for but I only learned about this because I had an issue with the pouches I ordered through my medical supplier. When I had to switch to convex barriers, I ordered the 1 3/8 barrier which is same size I have in flat but what they sent me was too small. Turns out NuHope appliances do not come with the larger size barrier in convex, and my supplier had an incorrect item description for it. In trying to figure this out, I was put in contact with management who said they could make me a customized appliance to suite my needs. I thought it may be helpful to explain this process for others. You must take multiple pictures of your stoma from the front while standing with measuring tape, from the side while standing and the front and side while sitting and laying down. Since my stoma often retracts, I s...

 Finally, after five months of trying just about everything, I have found the right combo to work for me! This is what's worked the best for me so far, as I still have products to try and will be adding to my review pages in the upcoming weeks. Of course, this is my experience but it may work for others who have a stoma that retracts throughout the day/night and are active, sweat a lot, and/or swim. This "perfect" combo has been taking me through my 3 consecutive twelve hour/day work shifts without a single leak, unlike the Hollister bags which leaked several times per day either from barrier leaks due to pancaking (1 piece), leaks from the roll-up end or where the bag attaches to the flange (2 piece). It also makes it through two consecutive swim days before the barrier extenders start to absorb water. This combo not only gets through work and swim days, I also have been working up a sweat daily with yard work, gardening, running, gym workouts, house work and long walks ...

  Edible weeds? Yes! Dandelions, just like other bitter greens, are a great source of nutrition such as iron, protein, and minerals. They also aid the digestive system while cleansing the liver and balance fluids in the body. The entire plant is edible, from the flower to the roots. The flowers, stems and greens can be eaten in a salad, juiced with other greens or blended into a green smoothie. The larger, tender leaves are best for adding to salad because they are less bitter than the smaller ones. The large, mature plants have the best roots, which can be dried or toasted and used for brewing tea and dandelion coffee. My back yard naturally grows so many dandelions throughout the spring and summer, so I am now beginning to harvest my own since I do not use any chemicals in my yard. I have always enjoyed dandelion tea by Traditional Medicinals and instant dandelion coffee by Dandy Blend, pics added below, but I am excited about trying fresh dandelion and even making my own tea!...

  I have had my ileostomy for five months, and I already feel healthier! In the past five years I had multiple abdominal surgeries which failed, complications and pain as I tried everything else possible before resorting to this. Ostomy stigma is real, as many people do not understand how life giving an ostomy can be. I had endured negativity from a few people about my life altering decision before surgery. Five years in pain before opting for an ileostomy because a past surgeon told me most people would rather live in pain than to have an ileostomy; misconceptions like this are devastating and I wish I had this surgery much sooner. As an ostomate with a passion to spread awareness and help reduce stigma through educating others, I am sharing my story through the Ostomy Awareness Foundation. Below are some links you can use to learn more and/ or help support this cause. https://www.givelocalccf.org/p2p/192038/stephanie-evans-a69208d9-bdbc-4d28-9532-daf6101dd08d https://www.ostomyaw...

 My first hiking trip since before getting the ileostomy! My son and I went to Morrow Mountain State Park in Albemarle, a two hour drive from where we live. We had a great time, and I was able to walk and jog the trails for two hours without worrying  about running to a bathroom. My bag was fine for the duration of the hike, supported with high waisted tummy control undies and high waisted biker shorts, but I carried extra supplies in a nice slim fanny pack just in case. Below are pics from the trail as well as the fanny pack, shorts and undies that I use and love.  Here I am so you can see what I'm wearing and you cannot even tell I have an ostomy bag, plus you can see the fanny pack is small and light.  This is my son, the only pic I was able to get of him on the trail lol This lovely fanny pack is very light and low profile, purchased off Amazon.com, it's called the Ushake Slim Running Belt Just the right size to carry an extra change of supplies These are all the...