“Dignitaries and representatives from charities, hospitals and companies turned out to celebrate the national launch of Ostomy Lifestyle, which seeks to empower people, enabling them to make informed choices and to communicate frankly about all aspects of stoma surgery.” *

“If you have been affected by stoma surgery or would like to find out how you can support Ostomy Lifestyle then please contact the Careline on 0800 731 4264 or 0118 324 0089.” *

If you’d like to read the press release please click on the read more link below where you can find a copy of it in full.

Everyone at Ostomyland would like to wish Ostomy Lifestyle all the best success for the future and look forward to hearing more from this exciting, new charity.

Jason D
Webmaster
Site-Owner & Colostomate

* = Quote from Ostomy Lifestyle Press Release

Ostomy Lifestyle Launch Press Release

A new charity offering information and support to anyone affected by stoma surgery was launched in Reading, Berkshire, in May. Dignitaries and representatives from charities, hospitals and companies turned out to celebrate the national launch of Ostomy Lifestyle, which seeks to empower people, enabling them to make informed choices and to communicate frankly about all aspects of stoma surgery.

Ostomy Lifestyle provides a unique Careline service, and demonstrates why it is important to discuss and understand bowel and bladder surgery and what it really means to have a stoma. Often this is seen as a negative subject with great stigma.

Ostomy Lifestyle is tackling stigma head on, ensuring anyone affected by bowel and bladder surgery has the right to lead a full and active life. Founder and Chief Executive Neil Basil said:

“We help people to see the stoma for what it really is – a life saving operation, not a hindrance to leading a full and active life. We also want to encourage people with a stoma to adopt a positive, proactive attitude and to get on with their life as they always have, maybe even better than before.”

The Careline is free, and operated by trained volunteers who have all had stoma surgery. Careline operators give reliable and relevant information which is based on knowledge gained through training and research, rather than simply drawing on personal experiences. Ostomy Lifestyle also supplies information and training for nurses, carers, and anyone else with an interest, and are working to raise awareness of ostomy issues, amongst both the medical profession and the general public.

Careline Supervisor Helen Farrell said:

“This is a subject that affects many thousands of people every year. By providing a centralised resource we ensure that everyone who has stoma surgery gets the appropriate support, right from the start.”

If you have been affected by stoma surgery or would like to find out how you can support Ostomy Lifestyle then please contact the Careline on 0800 731 4264 or 0118 324 0089.

Ostomy Lifestyle
4 The Chambers, East Street, Reading RG1 4JF
Office tel: 0118 324 0069
Office email: admin@ostomylifestyle.org
Website: www.ostomylifestyle.org

• 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

Jane has had her ostomy for around 55 years and used to work as an ET (Enterostomal Therapist). Since her retirement, she has continued to help a great number of ostomates with a range of different issues. She has a wealth of knowledge and we are delighted that she is a member of Ostomyland!

Today is a “Special” birthday for Jane, and you can leave birthday wishes for her on the board…

click here for Jane’s Birthday Greetings

Happy Birthday Jane!

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.)

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.

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Welcome to a new feature of Ostomyland where we gather together all the recent mail shots that have hit the doormat at Ostomyland Towers [Ok... my house’s hallway doormat:) ] so if you have missed any you can still find out what the company’s latest and greatest products and promotions are here in the UK.

We have three mail shots for this posting, one each from Convatec, Coloplast and Clinimed. First up, and in no particular order of preference, we have Coloplast.

NB: I do realise that these mail shots are heavily UK bias, but thats because I live in the UK.For details of the availability of the featured products in your home country please visit the Manufacturers own websites, the details of which are on their manufacturer summary pages within Ostomyland, each of which is linked to at the end of the mail shot summary.

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Coloplast:
Assura – Minicap – Product 2501

Coloplast kindly remind us that the days are getting longer, and that summer is almost here. So they took the chance to draw our attention to the one piece Assura Mini-cap, the filtered, circular shaped tidgy sized pouch with integral adhesive flange that’s great for swimming, or shorts-wearing weather, or any other time when you wish the pouch you wear to be as discreet as possible.

A free sample service is available when you phone 0800 132 787 and quote code OC020608. The Assura Mini-Cap product number is 2501. Please note that to the best of my knowledge this is a UK only promotion, but the product is available in many other Countries worldwide, including the USA and Canada.
For more details on Coloplast please visit their Manufacturer summary page on Ostomyland.

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Clinimed:
Freestyle Flushable: Free yourself… free the planet!
In June, the UK based Ostomy Product manufacturer Clinimed sent out the above mail shot showing off their Freestyle Flushable pouch. As the name suggests it is a pouch which you can flush away after use by ripping off the outer comfort layer, and flushing the biodegradable inner liner and contents down the toilet, lock stock and barrel, leaving you with just the outer layer to pop in the bin.

A free-sample request card was in with the mailing, but for people in the UK who didn’t receive the mailing and are interested in the product you can either phone Clinimed directly on 0800 036 0100, or visit www.freestyleflushable.com where you can find a very interesting video demonstration of the product, which is well worth watching.

Please Note that as stated on their contact page within Ostomyland:
CliniMed stoma bags are manufactured in the UK by Welland and are available in the following countries.
Denmark; Australia; Sweden; Switzerland; Spain; Italy; Holland; Belgium;
Some of their products (but not the flushable product)are also available in Hungary; Romania; HongKong.
View the Clinimed manufacturer summary page on Ostomyland

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Convatec:
Esteem Synergy Closed two piece pouch
Arriving through the letter box in early June was an A5 bubble-bag envelope from Convatec containing a letter promoting their Esteem Synergy closed two piece pouch. The bubble bag envelope was required as it was the only mail shot of this round up edition that included a sample with the letter, although it was for touchy-feely purposes only, and not for actual wear (according to the letter).

Any product that contains Stomahesive (an ultra friendly skincare product) built in, is worth checking out in my book, and so the proper, wearable, free sample offer via their customer phone line is worth checking out if you have any sort of skin issues under your flange and around the stoma.

Convatec Contact Details:
UK: 0800 834 822 – ROI: 1 800 721 721 (This free sample mail shot covered the UK and Republic of Ireland only, but the product is available in many other countries, so if you contact your local Convatec rep or country-office then I’m sure they will be able to give you more information. Please visit  www.convatec.com for the International contact details.
For more information on Convatec please visit the Ostomyland manutacturer summary page for ConvaTec

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And thats the end of the Ostomyland Mail Shot Round-Up #1. As more letters hit my door mat I’ll be sure to keep them ready for the next round up sometime in the future.

Take care!

Jason D.
Webmaster/Owner - Ostomyland.com
aka “Trekkiemonster” on the Ostomyland Message Boards

There are LOTS of Ostomy products manufacturers, making many different styles and ranges of Ostomy pouches, flanges, creams and lotions etc. Most, if not all of them, offer a free sample service via their freephone customer helplines. And so, my top tip is that when you first get your Ostomy, don’t presume that the pouch the hospital sticks on you, is the pouch you have to use for the rest of your stoma’s life. So long as the doctor is OK with it, why not try out as many different products as necessary until you find the one that is best for you.

This advice is good for long-term ostomates too. If you’ve been using the same product for years and years, give some of the new ones a try too, as thanks to new technologies and manufacture techniques you may find a product that is even better than the “old-faithful” brand you’ve been using for so long.

]]> http://ostomyland.com/mainsite/2008/06/fuzzbutts-top-tips-3/feed/ http://ostomyland.com/mainsite/2008/05/ostomyland-breakaway-2008/ http://ostomyland.com/mainsite/2008/05/ostomyland-breakaway-2008/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 11:06:57 +0000 Jason - Owner/Webmaster, Ostomyland.com http://ostomyland.com/mainsite/?p=135 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

   Hi Folks! Fuzzbutt here again!
   Are you having trouble with pancaking? No, I dont mean the yummy, scrummy, pancakes you eat, but the problem of tacky poo clogging around your stoma instead of droppin in the pouch, and ultimately forcing it off. If so, check out these top tips I have for you to help prevent it.
As always, dont forget to consult with your doctor or stoma nurse beforehand!
    1. Screw up a piece of toilet paper and place it in the bottom of the pouch before attaching it to he flange, or sticking it on your skin. This helps prise the two sides of the plastic pouch apart, and easier for the poo to get away from the stoma and into the bag.
    2. If it still clogs around the stoma, try dribbling some baby oil on the part of the pouch that touches the stoma and let it run down the sides into the pouch. This will help grease the plastic and help the poo slide down.
    3. If your pouch has a filter you could try closing it by sticking one of the provided sticky buttons over it. This will inflate your bag and defiitely help the poo get away from the stoma, BUT your bag will inflate quickly, and it will be rather smelly when you let the air out (aka burping the bag).

Hey, dont forget, if you have any top tips for helping ease or eliminate pancaking, feel free to post them below!

Laterz, Fuzzbutt

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.

Presently, we’re averaging over 5000 hits/page-views a day across the entire Ostomyland site which includes this main site and the board. I cannot thank everyone enough for their support towards Ostomyland, and for helping making our Community and website one of the best Ostomy Sites online today! I’d especially like to thank the Board Admin and Chat Room Ops teams, who dedicate so much of their time to the site and the community to help her keep ticking over efficiently, and keep the services friendly and safe for everyone of any age. Thank you everybody, very, very much.