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Ostomy Association
of Southwestern Indiana
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Contents:

TEN HEALTH MISTAKES THAT EVEN SMART PEOPLE OCCASIONALLY MAKE
MARSHMALLOWS...AN ILEOSTOMATES BEST FRIEND
THINGS NOT TO DO IF YOU’RE AN OSTOMATE
THE OSTOMATE AS A TOTAL PERSON
FOOD AND YOUR OSTOMY...SOME HELPFUL HINTS
I’VE LEARNED
TSA CHANGES PROHIBITED ITEMS LIST TO ALLOW OSTOMY SCISSORS ABOARD AIRCRAFT
ILEOSTOMY PEN PALS

Volume 32, Number 11  September, 2005


TEN HEALTH MISTAKES THAT EVEN SMART PEOPLE OCCASIONALLY MAKE
Via: ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal & Green Bay News Review
1) THEY DON’T DRINK ENOUGH WATER ON A DAILY BASIS. You should consume at least eight glasses of liquids (beer and diet soda don’t count because they act as diuretics) every day to replenish what you lose through urine, bowel movements, sweat, and the moisture you expel into the atmosphere when you breathe out. If you exercise, you should drink even more water.
2) THEY HAVEN’T HAD A PHYSICAL RECENTLY. A regular checkup gives you your best opportunity to detect certain potentially deadly illnesses (from cancer to heart disease) early. Although a complete annual physical exam is no longer considered necessary for everyone, you should see your physician for a checkup as often as he/she recommends. Furthermore, some screening procedures (e. g. protein specific antigen tests or mammograms) should be scheduled on a regular basis.
3) THEY DON’T GET ENOUGH SLEEP. People who skimp on sleep have been found to suffer from a variety of impairments, including daytime fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, diminished reaction time, and heightened mortality rate.
4) THEY ATTEMPT TO EXERCISE THROUGH PAIN. Pain is the body’s signal that something is seriously amiss. Unlike discomfort, when you experience pain, you must stop exercising and address the cause(s) of the pain. Attempting to work through pain will subject you to the very real possibility of either aggravating your existing condition or suffering an injury.
5) THEY DON’T WASH THEIR HANDS DURING THE DAY. Good hygiene helps to prevent infections and the transmission of germs. At a minimum, you should always wash your hands after you’ve used the restroom and before you prepare food.
6) THEY DON’T EAT BREAKFAST. Research shows that learning, decision making, and memory can be impaired when you restrict your food intake. Furthermore, if you miss breakfast, you may jump start your appetite in such a way that you overeat later in the day.
7) THEY DON’T GET ENOUGH CALCIUM IN THEIR DIET. Your bones are approximately 25% calcium by weight, an amount that represents about 99% of your body’s calcium reserves. Accordingly, if you don’t consume enough calcium, you can suffer from reduced level of bone density, which can result in fractures. The best dietary sources of calcium are low-fat or non-fat dairy products and dark-green vegetables.
8) THEY’RE TOO BUSY TO RELAX. Making time to relax is a positive step you can take to reduce your level of stress and improve your health. Studies show that as your level of stress grows, you become increasingly susceptible to physical illness and mental and emotional problems. Relaxing is an effective way to control your level of stress.
9) THEY DON’T WEAR THEIR SEAT BELTS. Wearing lap and shoulder belts while traveling in a car can substantially lower your risk of being injured in the event of an accident. For example, studies show that a passenger who is ejected during an accident is more than five times as likely to suffer a serious injury or die than an individual who remains strapped inside the vehicle.
10) THEY DON’T KNOW THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THEIR RELATIVES. Knowing your family’s medical history and responding in an appropriate, proactive way, can substantially help reduce your risk of developing serious diseases. For example, if your family medical history indicates that you are at a heightened risk for a particular disorder, you can pursue early detection screening and prevention strategies for that disease.

MARSHMALLOWS...AN ILEOSTOMATES BEST FRIEND
Via: Various Websites and New Life Newsletter & GB News
* Eat a couple of marshmallows up to 30 minutes before changing. One ostomate says: “I eat a couple of marshmallows just as I go into the shower, which takes me 10 to 15 minutes to complete. I also skip a meal before changing my appliance. Combining the marshmallow, lack of food and a blast of cold water on my stoma in the shower for about 20 seconds does a pretty good job of shutting me down during the changing process.”
* Put an ice cube in a thin washrag and circle the stoma for about 20 seconds. This will shock the stoma into delaying output for a while.
* Just before removing the pouch and flange, rinse the pouch with warm water, shake the pouch up and down well, which will clean the out-put away from your stoma. Then do a cool water rinse, and the stoma will slow the output for a while, giving you time to change the pouch.

THINGS NOT TO DO IF YOU’RE AN OSTOMATE
Via Solano, CA, Chippewa Valley, WI & S. Brevard, FL.
This is a collection of items compiled from the Internet and many other sources. It is just a reminder that we should not take ourselves too seriously.
Do Not
* Drop a clip in the toilet. It is a prudent idea to always carry a spare clip.
* Stand up too quickly when the clip is caught on the edge Of the toilet seat. Most of us have done this and had to stop instantly in mid-air because the clip caught on the inside edge of the toilet seat. The clip will lift the seat and you feel like a fish caught on the end of a line. Quite a bad visual image, but we only do it once— or maybe twice? No, we’ll make this goof our whole lives and it will surprise us every time! This is especially a problem for a woman. Imagine being at someone’s home and dropping the toilet seat loudly just before you leave the bathroom. Everyone just looks and wonders why a woman would be dropping a toilet seat.
* Use a hot setting when drying your appliance with a hair dryer. Use the cool setting only. Plastic melts!
* Let your dog jump on you when your pouch is full. The dog’s nails may puncture the pouch.
* Drink Power Ade Mountain Blast or Gatorade Blue Bolt before a doctor visit. Those products can turn output bright green. This is especially true if you have an ileostomy. All food dyes turn your stool the color of the dye temporarily. It will surprise you the first time it happens. This includes Blue Hawaiians or red beets. Beets make you look like you’re bleeding to death.
* Fail to heed this warning (for men only: You may want to angle the pouch toward the outside of your leg. This warning is especially true if you use a drainable pouch. This will keep the clip away from your private parts. Sorry if this is a wee bit graphic for the faint of heart, but it will make you more comfortable.
* Fail to heed this advice (for women only): The clip may bother you also. You have the same option as men (angle the pouch toward the outside of your leg). Also, keep the clip away from a sanitary napkin. If the clip gets caught on the pad’s adhesive, the clip could be pulled off.
* Put a cat on your lap. A cat’s claw could cause a tear in your pouch. If you sleep with a cat, notice this: Cats sometimes curl up next to the pouch when you’re sleeping to keep warm.
* Be surprised at what happens when you drink beer. Beer may blow up your pouch with gas. This may be helpful when you need a flotation device.
* Put underarm-type deodorants around the pouch or barrier. The deodorants might dissolve the pouch or barrier. If you want some kind of odor control—although modern pouches are odor proof—use mild mouthwash (Cepacol works well) or one of the commercially-made products that will not harm your stoma or your pouch. Many chemicals can damage an appliance.
* Note from an ET nurse: Do use whatever techniques and products work best for you!

THE OSTOMATE AS A TOTAL PERSON
by:Albert Lyons, M.D., Dallas TX. Via: Des Moines IA
The ostomate as a total person includes the worker, the family member, the social being, the sexual being, and the physically active being. To achieve this totality after surgery, the ostomate needs doctors, nurses, ET, friends, family, and his own individual will, to become a total person. A proper mixture of optimism and realism is needed. Some modifications may be needed in one’s lifestyle. It’s all right to be upset by this drastic change, but it depends on how well this mixture is worked out, whether the person adjusts well or not. Ostomy support groups can help with this. Right after surgery, most people feel like a small person attached to a large stoma. Everything seems to revolve around this stoma—daily care, adjustments, even the simplest of movements. As days go by, the ostomate begins to feel once more like a person, this time with a stoma. Adjustment has begun. This may take a long or a short time, depending on the person. Anger and depression after ostomy surgery is perfectly natural. Becoming a trained visitor is one of the best ways for the ostomate to adapt to his own surgery, as well as being helpful and providing support to a new ostomate. Each visit helps reinforce the visitor’s own attitude toward his situation, while providing positive reinforcement for a new patient. The spouse, or another family member, can be present when things are explained to the patient. They will all be involved and should be included. The family also requires some adjusting to the ostomy surgery. Questions can be answered privately if needed. Most people have some difficulty in making changes in lifestyle or body image. This is to be expected. However, if progress is not made in a reasonable time frame, then psychiatric help may be needed. If a relationship can be established with a counselor before surgery, it can help the ostomate make a smoother transition to his new life after surgery. Of course, this situation is not always possible, as some surgeries are done in an emergency with no prior knowledge of the illness. Different types of ostomy surgery may result in impotency and/or sterility. One’s sexuality need not depend on one’s capacity to perform sexually. There are many forms of sexual expression. One’s sexuality depends on how one views himself. Ostomates want to share and help others as well as maintain their own personal space. They may not wish to discuss their surgery with everyone. It is up to each person to decide who knows about his surgery. In the beginning, an ostomate may feel that “everyone knows,” but this is not the case. Participating in an ostomy support group does not need to invade the individual patient’s privacy. His wishes will be respected by the group. It is perfectly all right for an ostomate not to tell everybody he has had ostomy surgery, as long as this doesn’t progress into hiding at home to avoid facing reality. Remember– every day there are new ostomates who could use your help.

FOOD AND YOUR OSTOMY...SOME HELPFUL HINTS
 Via:Greater Cincinnati chapter
There used to be, and to some extent still are, some out-dated theories about what foods ostomates should and should not eat. Mushrooms, onions and fresh vegetables were considered troublesome, along with some meat. Today, we find that the old food “taboos” don’t necessarily apply. In moderation, most foods need not be avoided. If you have any questions about food and the way your body reacts to it, consult your doctor. Here are some common foods and hints on how to enjoy them without causing excessive gas, irritation or stoma blockage. Fibrous vegetables– vegetables like celery, asparagus and broccoli have long, fibrous strands running through them. Onions can produce odors in the stool. Such strands are hard to digest and can form a “ball” behind the stoma, when eating: Celery-choose the hearts. These are tender and the fibers are not as thick as those in the outside stalks. If you must eat the other stalk, peel down the outside strands. Always chew, chew, chew and drink lots of water. Asparagus-medium stalks are usually the most tender. Start at the tip and work down. As soon as the spear gets tough to cut, go down to the next one and you should have no blockage problems. Asparagus causes odor in the urine, which can be particularly bothersome to a urostomate. Broccoli-The same principal applies as to asparagus. Vegetables like broccoli (cauliflower and turnips) are considered “gas producers” and may require an extra trip to the restroom to relieve the pressure. Fresh fruit– in moderation can and should be included in a well-balanced diet. If you have trouble digesting oranges and grapefruit, try squeezing the juice and discarding the skin. Apples, pears and peaches are great without their skins if you find them hard to digest. Fruit is a natural cathartic. Keep this in mind when you’re eating a picnic or the beach...or anywhere bathroom facilities are not readily available. Oysters, clams and mussels-Though delicious treats, mollusks can be more difficult to digest than other types of seafood and can cause a minor blockage behind the stoma. Be sure to chew them well, and avoid tough mussels the major offenders. Seafood of all kinds can cause odor in the stool. Appliance deodorants are most helpful in controlling this problem. Nuts-The most difficult nuts are the hard ones, such as peanuts, almonds and hazelnuts. Chew them well, and be careful not to overindulge, no more than a handful at a setting. Even non-ostomates (nut-lovers) can experience discomfort after enjoying more than a reasonable share of nuts. Meat-Most meat and poultry do not present a problem, but those with fat content or heavy casings can be somewhat more difficult for the bowel to handle. Try sausage patties instead of links or hot dogs with the skin removed. When eating fatty cuts of pork, lamb or beef, cut it into small pieces, avoid eating the gristle, chew well, and limit your intake. Corn on the cob, popcorn, dried foods and coconut-When it comes to obstruction behind the stoma, these are the major offenders. In fact, even people without ostomies can suffer major tummy aches after indulging. Chew, chew, chew and remember to limit your intake. Spices and carbonation-Heavily spiced foods and sauces can act as cathartics for people and can also produce gas. Carbonated beverages are gas producers, too. One great way to get the bubbles out of the carbonated drinks is with a dash of sugar. It’ll cause a frenzy of fizz and leave the beverage (safely) flat.

I’VE LEARNED
A few excerpts from an article by Tom Carter
I’ve learned...that I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it. I’ve learned... that one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them. I’ve learned...that love, not time, heals all wounds.

TSA ALLOWS OSTOMY SCISSORS ABOARD AIRCRAFT
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire
TSA is modifying the interpretive rule to exempt ostomy scissors from the prohibited items list. Ostomy scissors with pointed tips with an overall length of four inches or less are permitted when they are accompanied by an ostomate supply kit containing related supplies, such as collection pouches, wafers, positioning plates, tubing, or adhesives. There are an estimated 750,000 ostomates in the United States. While specific data on the number of ostomates who use air transportation is not available, TSA has heard from individuals with ostomies who say they avoid air travel in part because they cannot carry these particular scissors. Allowing this limited exception to TSA's prohibition on metal pointed scissors removes a barrier to ostomates traveling by air without negatively impacting aviation security. For more information on TSA, please visit our Web site at http://www.tsa.gov.