Ostomyland

Thanks to a mailing from ConvaTec, I’ve discovered that on Thursday 7th August 2008 (10am Start) Convatec and Amcare wish to welcome you to their Health and Wellbeing Day. An exhibition is being held at the Wetherby Racecourse featuring events on:

• Positive thinking and relaxation
• A chance to experience therapies and massage
• Food & exercise
• Fashion, positive body image and looking good
• Exhibition of ConvaTec products and services

Tickets are free, but are limited. So, if you are in the Wetherby area on 7th August why not pay them a visit. For more details about the day, and to confirm your place, call the ConvaTec care centre on 0800 83 48 22. Also, the manufacturers such as ConvaTec normally have days like this as part of a roadshow, so even if you dont live near Wetherby you may like to give them a call to see if the event is coming to a town near you in the near future. I cannot guarantee it is a roadshow, but its worth a call to find out, especially if the event is covering any topics you are particularly interested in.

Jason D.
Webmaster
Site-Owner & Colostomate
www.ostomyland.com

The “Life Goes on Foundation”, a newly launching Scottish based and focused Ostomy support group, completed it’s launch-walk up Ben Nevis on June 29th. The walk served a dual purpose of not only launching the foundation, but to also help generate funds from donations towards the publication of an Ostomates information diary to help both old and new Ostomates through a pre-op and post-op stoma lifestyle. The foundation hopes to publish the diary in early 2009, and everyone at Ostomyland wish Steve and the Foundation all the best and hope their feet aren’t too sore after climbing Ben Nevis - because I know mine would have been.

For more details on the Foundation, along with a complete run down of their aims, please visit their website at:
http://www.thelifegoesonfoundation.org.uk/
(NB: You can also find this link at any time in our Ostomy Links page which is C22 of our Lifestyle Guide.)

We’ve a new feature here on Ostomyland, and its called the “Mail Shot Round Up”. In this semi-regular posting I’m going to share with you the details of the postal mail shots I’ve received from the various Ostomy Companies and charities so that if you’ve missed any then you can still share in the latest product news, announcements or UK based promotions. Whever possible I’ll be including links or information of where people outside the UK can find the featured products too.

So, without further ado here’s the premiere edition of Mail Shot Round Up, just click the “Read” link below to access the article. As always feedback on this, or any content within Ostomyland, is always welcomed.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ostomyland had a great time at Breakaway 2008 over the weekend just gone. On the Monday a mini-conference was held for families to get information on new products and services from various companies, and we too were there to spread the word about the Ostomyland support community. Leaflets were distributed to visitors, and our own Kathy (Oland Senior Website Admin) was there to answer questions and talk to folks about the website and it’s community.

“Would you like a leaflet?”
- The Ostomyland Stand @ Breakaway 2008’s Conference Day
Click for full picture

Thanks to this Breakaway Conference day, we’ve had many new members sign up to the Ostomyland message board and join our community, so please say hello and make them feel welcome. On top of this, a couple Stoma Nurses took wads of leaflets and brochures to make available to their clinic patients. So a big thank you goes to them for doing that!

I’d would also like to take this opportunity to thank Kathy for giving up her Bank Holiday Monday to be at the event to help promote Ostomyland to the Conference, and especially Jules and Rachel for allowing us to take up some of their valuable table space! 

Jason D.
Owner/Webmaster & Colostomate
www.ostomyland.com

The 2008 Breakaway weekend has started, and everyone at Ostomyland hopes all attendees have a wonderful time.

Breakaway is the only UK activity breaks/weekends for youngsters aged 6 - 18 with bowel or bladder conditions, and their family. It’s a super scheme, and a fun time is always had by all. So, if you are interested in booking a place on the next Breakaway event then pop on over to their website, listed below. Don’t forget to tell them that Ostomyland sent you!

Breakaway Website:
                http://www.breakaway-visit.co.uk/index.html
Donate to Breakaways Funds:
                http://www.breakaway-visit.co.uk/donate.html

The first pictures of this weekends Breakaway event are just starting to come through, so checkout this thread on our message board* to see them. And if you can work out what’s going on in them, then please send your answers on a postcard…………….

* = Registration of message board, and login to it, required.

Shaz, one of the Ostomyland.com chat room’s Senior Ops, has recently announced the re-launch of her message board on her own website. Using vBulletin software, Shaz’s new board brings lots of new user friendly features to her own Ostomates.org Community. Her new board can be found on the Ostomates.org website, or by clicking the link below. I’d like to wish her all the best with it and hope it proves even more popular than her previous board.

Shazbutt’s New Message Board: http://www.ostomates.org/forum/
NB: The Ostomates.org forum is entirely seperate to our own Ostomyland.com forum.

Coloplast UK have now mailed out Issue #29 of their free Ostomy magazine, Charter. The magazine is available free to all UK Ostomates only, regardless of if you are a Coloplast customer or not. If you’d like to receive your free copy, please visit complete the form on the Coloplast UK website - the link is below. Don’t forget to mention in the comments box that we sent you. :0)

This issue covers many varied, informative, topics including: Managing a child’s stoma, Coloplast’s 50th Birthday, Peristomal Hernia, readers letters and lots more.

Links:
Coloplast UK Website: Charter Magazine Registration
Ostomyland: Our own Coloplast Information Page