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In my last post, I focused on the value of attending ostomy care conferences as a means to personally connect with companies, professionals, and fellow ostomates. Doing so can have a direct, immediate and powerful positive impact on your quality of life. When attending such a local conference myself, I was struck by the thought that all of the people there were actively seeking to…

In my last post, I shared a list of items that have become essential, must-haves when it comes to my own ostomy care supplies, regardless of whether I’m doing daily life at home or traveling to another location on business or vacation. Today, I want to encourage you to improve your knowledge of ostomy issues and expand your network of people who can both support…

A fitness regime is essential to bouncing back from any major medical procedure. Some of you had already been leading a healthy and fit lifestyle prior to your colostomy, urostomy, or ileostomy. For you, it may be easier to get back on track, literally. Others may not have the same advantage coming out of their surgery. Many of you fall somewhere in the middle. Whichever the case, adopting a…

Living with an Ostomy? You are not alone. As a person living with an ostomy, you might sometimes feel that way, but it’s not true. It’s been estimated that there are more than 90,000 ostomates here in Canada, while south of the border that number is north of 1 million. You are not alone. This October 1st, Canadians living with ostomies, together with their families and friends,…

In your quest to live life with your ostomy more fully, you are probably wondering which ostomy supplies to use.  Like most products these days, there is no shortage of choices and brands when it comes to ostomy bags and related ostomy care equipment.  In today’s post, I’m going to share some items that I’ve found to be “must haves” over the years.   A…

Inner Good’s mission is clear. We intend to help you live an extraordinary life. That applies to all aspects of your life, be it within your career, on your travels, and in your fitness. When it comes to physical fitness, many have questions about the potential for limitations in the gym. Can you lift weights when you have an ostomy? If so, will you be…

The large intestine is the final portion of the gastrointestinal tract. It performs the vital task of absorbing water in addition to vitamins and nutrients that have been produced by gut bacteria. Since some of your body’s nutrition is absorbed in the large intestine, those who have received an ileostomy are more susceptible to nutritional deficiencies. Colostomy or urostomy patients also have distinctive dietary variables to…

I walked as carefully yet as quickly as possible down the aisle of the darkened airplane, trying not to make any noise that would awaken the sleeping passengers.  Those who weren’t quite asleep must have thought they were dreaming, as I stumbled past, my hands clutching my pants somewhere between my knees and my upper thighs.  At that moment, I wished I was dreaming, but…

“This one leaked again last night too.  Am I going to have to sleep with a plastic sheet for the rest of my life?!?” I sat on a chair across from my Enterostomal Therapy Nurse (called “ET nurse” from here on), slumped forward as I relayed the details of another night-time ostomy bag failure.  I was feeling frustrated and dejected.   It had been several…

New ostomy patients have a lot of questions when it comes to their lifestyle, after the procedure.  One of the first that comes to mind, is “Can I swim with an ostomy?”. You most certainly can. But it can be more complicated than that. Some of you may have heard the unfortunate stories about those living with an ostomy being asked to leave public pools….