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I.A. (UK) National Council Meeting – April 2012 Report
On the weekend of April 20-22 2012, the UK’s Ileostomy Association (I.A.) held their annual National Council Meeting in the famous coastal resort of Blackpool, North West England. They were hosted at the lovely Barceló Imperial Hotel. This three day event is one of the highlights of the IA‘s events and exhibitions calendar and Rover – our roving reporter – was there to bring us a report and some photos.
All the large ostomy companies were present and correct in the exhibition held in the Washington Suite of the Barceló Imperial throughout the three days of the meeting, of which the friday evening was set aside for them to set up their stands.
The official start of the conference was on the Saturday morning. From 9am to 11am the exhibition was open for attendees and delegates to get their first look of this years exhibitors. Following this at 11am was the official welcome and opening speech, given by Mr Nigel A. Scott BSc MD FRCS, President of the North West Lancashire & Cumbria IA & President of the Association of Coloproctology of GB and Ireland (ACPGBI).
After this, and throughout the weekend, a number of guest speakers and delegates were lined up to give speeches and presentations on a number of important issues based around ostomies , bowel diseases and their healthcare. Mr Scott also gave this years Bryan Brooke Lecture, titled Roadblocks and Assumptions as part of his role as President of the ACPGBI.
On the Sunday two more presentations were given. Sarah Hannam, Community Care Nurse, gave a 25 minute presentation on behalf of Salts Healthcare about Parastomal Hernias: A Survey of Experiences at 9.30am, followed at 9.55am by the Coloplast presentation, The Ostomy Skin Survey presented by companies ostomy care marketing manager, Natalie Lispcombe.
Also held throughout the weekend were a series of business meetings for IA representatives and various workshops. Catering and entertainment was also provided through the weekend, and the meetings appeared to have been a huge success. Photos of the event can be found below.
For more information on the Ileostomy Association, their events or their services please contact them via their website, or email: info@iasupport.org or over the phone on their freephone helpline 0800 0184 724
External Links:
Ileostomy Association Website: http://www.iasupport.org
This content has been Digiproved © 2012 Ostomyland
Comox Valley woman alive thanks to ostomy
The BCLocal News published this article today.
Tanya is a young, active mother of two, sharing her life with a caring husband and family members living in the Comox Valley.
“It’s not a secret; I have always been very upfront about my ileostomy,” says Tonya. “Some people are curious about it, others just nod, and a few sort of pull back and act like it could be catching. I’m not the least bit embarrassed about it, after all, it saved my life, and I wouldn’t be alive without it.”
Read the full article here:
BCLocal News Article
This content has been Digiproved © 2012 OstomylandWhat did you wish your RN told you?
Ostomyland has received the following request from Taylor, a Nursing Student:
Hello all!
I’m a nursing student at the University of Florida and we just learned about colostomy bags in class. As part of my assignment, I want to ask what you wish your nurses/doctors told you before you went home with the colostomy bag?
Your input would be incredibly helpful, not just for an assignment, but for my own experience. It is highly possible I will have a patient one day with an ostomy, and I want to be able to answer all of their questions/concerns.
Thanks to everyone that comments!!
-Taylor
Please use the “Leave a Reply” box below for any comments you’d like to make.
Disclaimer:
Ostomyland believes that this is a genuine nursing student assignment and has posted this in good faith. However, this is the internet – please exercise caution when discussing / disclosing your own medical details.
This content has been Digiproved © 2012 Ostomyland
Fuzzbutt’s Top Tip #7: Make sure your 2pc pouch is securely attached to your flange!
Hi folks! Your furry, fuzzy Ostomyland mascot Fuzzbutt here! I’ve got another great quickie top tip for you to help make your ostomy management, and/or living with a stoma that little bit easier.
This time around I’ve got a tip for checking the pouch is securely attached to your flange – without the need for nail guns or screwdrivers! 
Sometimes, it is possible to unintentionally attach your pouch to your flange insecurely, and when you least expect it you can find the bag having dropped off the flange and trapped in your underwear, or if you wear boxer shorts it can end up dropping down your leg. It’s highly embarrassing, and sometimes the way the companies pouches lock on to the flange can be very fiddly and thus difficult to successfully attach.
However there is one way to make sure that your pouch is properly attached to the flange so that it wont drop off later. Once you think you have the pouch locked on to the flange simply take the side edges of the pouch in your hands and give it one or two short, sharp tugs straight outwards. Not upwards, or downwards, just a quick tug or two outwards. If the pouch is not properly connected to the flange you will find it is coming off, and will more than likely actually come off in your hand.
If your pouch is still connected to the flange after this tugging, then it should remain in place safely allowing you to get on with the rest of your day safe in the knowledge that your pouch wont be heading south!
Dont forgot to keep stopping by regularly to see what new top tips I have for you, and you can also find me posting on the Ostomyland Community Forums. Why not pop over and come and say hi! I’d love to see you there, and all our members would too! See you there!
http://www.ostomyland.com/community or http://www.ostomyland.org/ostomyboardipb/
(Both links take you to the same place.)
You can read my other great (in my fuzzy opinion) top tips here:
http://ostomyland.com/mainsite/category/fuzzbutts-top-tips/
This content has been Digiproved © 2012 Ostomyland
Combating Leakage: Some Products You May Not Be Aware Of
I’m pleased to announce that the Ostomyland Editorial #2 is now available – it is also being added to our Lifestyle Guide as it is a look at the current product ranges available to the ostomate to help combat leakage from a variety causes. It also helps you determine the cause of leakage, and offers advice on what you can do to help ease the problems caused by leaks themselves.
For the full article, please visit chapter 17b from the lifestlye guide menu, or visit this link.
We’d love to read your comments on the article, so please feel free to leave your thoughts on what we’ve written about combating leakage via the comments form, or Facebook comments box at the bottom of the Combat Leakage page. Dont foget to “like” the page if you, um, like it.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy new year, and a happy and prosperous 2012.
Useful Links:
Ostomyland Editoral #2: Combat Leakage – Some Products You May Not Be Aware Of
http://ostomyland.com/mainsite/combating-leakage-some-products-you-may-not-be-aware-of/
Ostomyland Lifestyle Guide: Chapter 17 – Leakage / Skin Problems
http://ostomyland.com/mainsite/chapter-17-leakage-and-other-skin-problems/
This content has been Digiproved © 2012 Ostomyland
UK Colostomates invited to complete a stoma care survey for Birmingham City University.
Anyone who has received a copy of the Spring 2011 issue of the Colostomy Associations Tidings magazine will have noticed that a survey was included. You dont have to be a recipient of Tidings to complete the survey though, as you can complete it online via the Colostomy Association website. You can find the survey page here:
http://bit.ly/ostomysurvey
Professor Joy Notter, from Birmingham City University says the following in the survey’s welcome letter:
The survey has been designed to find out what impact a colostomy has [...on the patient's...] life. The aim is to collect information that can form the basis of research to help specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals provide the best possible support and care for both new patients and those who have had a stoma for a long time.
Personally, I think that this survey is an excellent opportunity. I’m hoping that it will help lay to rest some of the over-exaggerated effects of a colostomy are, and that for most people having a stoma does not negatively impact on their life in any considerable way. Yes, we all have teething problems at the start, but overall I think it’s fair to say that today’s colostomates have never had it better thanks to the scientific advancements in surgery, appliances (pouches etc) and in the personal care we patients receive as a direct result of surveys such as this one here.
You may not agree with me (but I hope you do), and we may find the results show something totally different, but either way I hope you’ll consider completing the survey. It’s an excellent opportunity for colostomates to have their voices heard; to say where things are great, and where things could do with more work. And that can only be a good thing.
This content has been Digiproved © 2011 Ostomyland
Bowel Trainer
This is a new ostomy continence control device invented by
Michael Playdon. It has the potential to reduce the need
for ostomy bag use, thus giving permanent colostomates
greater independence and freedom of movement.
Ten devices and ten placebos were referred to Clinical Physics for risk assessment and were passed as safe. A nurse-led trial of the device is scheduled for early 2011 involving patients of Barts and the London NHS Trust.
Published in: enteric – The Function Healthcare Technology Co-operative News, Autumn 2010
This content has been Digiproved © 2011 Ostomyland
WCET Conference Announcement – Australia 2012
The World Council of Enterostomal Therapists (WCET) Conference for 2012 has been announced. It’s being held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, South Australia on the 19th to the 23rd April 2012.
From the WCET website:
“The WCET provides an international forum for Enterostomal Therapy Nurses and a global vehicle for discussion, communication, research, advice and support in the field of Enterostomal Therapy Nursing. The WCET is focused on leading the global advancement of specialised professional nursing care for people with ostomy, wound or continence needs.”
For more information on the upcoming conference, and the WCET itself, please visit their website.
Useful Links:
WCET Website: http://www.wcetn.org/
This content has been Digiproved © 2011 Ostomyland
Study finds daily aspirin cuts many cancer risks
A daily aspirin may help to prevent many cancers, including bowel cancer.
The recommended dose is a quarter of the strength of those used to treat headaches. Professor Peter Elwood (an epidemiologist from Cardiff University, who carried out some of the first studies into the effects of aspirin on health) said taking aspirin at night and with calcium seemed to enhance its effects. He suggested taking it with a glass of milk as this could also reduce stomach irritation.
Aspirin is associated with an increased risk of bleeding, especially from the digestive track, and can aggravate certain medical conditions such as IBD. Patients with Crohn’s Disease, for example, and usually advised not to take it.
The study indicates that by taking aspirin for between four and eight years the protective effect continued for 20 years in both men and women.
The study does not suggest that we should all start taking aspirin. For each of us, our risk of developing cancer should be balanced against the risk of taking aspirin. And they advise that we discuss it with our GP. One important factor (in my opinion) is to ask about any possible drug interaction between aspirin and other medications we may be on.
The study is in The Lancet and also in many of today’s papers. One link to it is here:
Small daily aspirin dose ‘cuts cancer risk’
This content has been Digiproved © 2010 Ostomyland
