**Ostomy O-Week** Some final Philosophical Questions + Pondering

The final post for Ostomy Orientation Week (or month as it turned out!) goes a bit deeper and personal, pondering some of the more difficult questions and feelings around life with an ostomy. Telling people you have an ostomy, the best and hardest things about life with an ostomy, and the big one, do you have a better quality of life since having surgery?

Thank you for following along and joining in. I hope you’ve learnt as much and found these posts as valuable as I have!

**Ostomy O-Week** PART 4.5 – More on Stomas

There is just so much to talk about when it comes to stomas! This part of Ostomy O-Week talks about stomas – naming them, size, prolapses and if you can feel your stoma. Please shout out if you have any other questions.

**Ostomy O-Week** PART 4 – DAILY LIFE AS AN OSTOMATE

Part 4 of Ostomy Orientation Week is about Daily life with an Ostomy – Showering, sleeping, what to wear, exercise, smell and sex with a stoma.

**Ostomy O-Week** PART 3 – EATING & POOPING

This is Part 3 of Ostomy Orientation Week – What goes in must come out! It’s all about eating and pooping with an ostomy. Output consistency, foods to help thicken output, blockages, gas and staying hydrated.

**Ostomy O-Week** PART 2 – BAGS, BAGS, BAGS!

This is Part 2 of Ostomy Orientation Week – it’s all about BAGS! Changing and emptying your appliance: where and how often you change your bag,  what type of bag and other stoma supplies you use, peristomal skin, how frequently you empty your bag, your emptying technique and ostomy leaks.

**Ostomy O-Week** PART 1 – OSTOMY SURGERY

This is Part 1 of Ostomy Orientation Week – all to do with surgery, hospitals, possible complications, the recovery period and more!

OSTOMY O-WEEK!!!

 “An Orientation week for Ostomates”. What to Expect When You’re Expecting a stoma!

I recently held Ostomy O-Week on the Stoma-licious Facebook page and Instagram account.  What started as a week ended up being closer to a MONTH! There are just so many topics to discuss when it comes to OSTOMIES! I still haven’t covered anywhere near all of them! 

I’ve decided to publish a 4-part series of all the Ostomy O-Week posts here!

Keeping Hydrated – drinking with an Ostomy (including the hard stuff!)

One of the first things I was told as a new ostomate was the importance of staying hydrated. Hydration impacts so many aspects of our body and health including skin, mental state, digestion, even blood pressure, kidneys, muscles and joints.

Hydration is important for everyone, but even more so for ostomates. This is especially the case if you have an ileostomy, as a major function of the now removed or bypassed colon is to absorb fluids and electrolytes. Dehydration is one of the most common reasons for hospital readmissions for new ileostomy patients, and this is usually avoidable!