Lawton-Fort Sill Ostomy Association

Attachment #2

Thursday, 10 January 2002, 17:58 GMT

A bungling thief who thought he had taken a valuable camera ended up with a case full of colostomy bags.

The burglar struck at the home of Kath Tozer in Penzance and ignored other valuables as he took the Kodak camera case and fled.

The case belonged to a state-of-the-art digital camera, but Mrs Tozer, 70, uses it to keep her traveling supply of colostomy bags which she uses because she is recovering from an operation to remove tumours.

She said: "The whole room was full of Christmas gifts for the grandchildren that were being wrapped and they left all those."

Funny side

"There was nothing else in there apart from the camera case with a load of colostomy bag dressings inside it and they took that. Although we were upset to think somebody had been in our house we could see the funny side of it. I hope that one day they will need those bags as much as I do now. I think it must have given them a nasty shock so they might think twice before coming in next time," she said.

Alan Mobbs of Devon and Cornwall Police said: "House burglaries can be very distressing for people, but I think in this case the thieves got what they deserved."

Sunday, 12 December, 1999, 00:13 GMT

Miami rescuers say Mrs Gozales swallowed so much water she almost drowned.

Rescue workers in Miami have described as "miraculous" the escape of a 66-year-old non-swimmer who floated down an alligator-infested canal for half an hour before being pulled out of the water.

Clara Gozales sat down by the bank of Miami's Okeechobee Canal to read the Bible and write, but she was distracted by some ducks and, as she leant forward to see them swimming by, she fell in.

Mrs Gozales says she does not know how to swim or to float, but somehow she did not go under.

Passers-by noticed her struggling and called the emergency services who eventually pulled her out just in time.

Stanley Stark, a spokesman for the local fire rescue department, said she had swallowed so much water that she was close to drowning.

Mr Stark said that air trapped inside Mrs Gozales' colostomy bag had helped keep her afloat and saved her life.

A SUGGESTION FOR UROSTOMATES

The following letter was called to your editor's attention by Sam Holloway, the editor of Southern Alameda's newsletter. It seemed of particular value to urostomates, and we're reprinting it with only minor editing: "I have been a urostomate since 1980, so I am an old-timer in dealing with urostomy problems. I have recently been using "Dial Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer" to sterilize the skin around my stoma when I am changing my appliance. This gel states that it kills over 99.99% of harmful germs in 15 seconds. Since I started using this gel, the skin around my stoma has never looked better. The wearing time with my appliance is also about a day longer than before. I, also, may have fewer urinary tract infections. ( am susceptible to these because of hydronephrosis and dilated ureters). I change my appliance when I am in the shower. I clean the skin around the stoma with soap and water as I have in the past. I then apply the gel to the skin and wait 30 seconds before rinsing it off. It comes off very easily and my skin is squeaky clean when I am finished. I then step out of the shower, dry the skin and put on the new appliance. In the past, the skin around my stoma has frequently been slightly raw and inflamed. After I started using this gel, the skin cleared up almost immediately."

ILEOSTOMATES ALERT!

A major distributor of acetaminophen is now advertising "GEL CAPS," declaring "It's not a capsule, it's better." NOT TRUE for ileostomates and some colostomates. These gelatin coated tablets, shaped and colored to look like a capsule, have a hard, firmly pressed core that may not dissolve fast enough to be completely absorbed by those who have little or no colon. They are by no means a replacement for fast-dissolving capsules. They were developed to be tamper-proof and easy to swallow, not quickly absorbed. Coated aspirin and other products may be easier to swallow, but again may not be easily dissolved. If you are concerned about a pill or tablet's absorption rate, simply place one in warm water and see how long it takes to break down. The faster the better. Medication in hard tablet form must be crushed and taken with applesauce and in juices, etc., an inconvenient and unpleasant way to ingest medications.

LIFE BEGINS WITH AN OSTOMY

Crazy, you say? Let's analyze: Before you were told you would have to live with an ostomy, how often did you reflect on life, your family, the environment, the beauty and wonderment of a sunrise or the magnificence and serenity of a sunset? For the first time, the possibility of your brief visit to life might end. Suddenly, all senses become heightened and appreciation of staying alive and of living became important. Think back at all the time one wastes sitting doing nothing, day dreaming, arguing about nothing, putting off to the next day, worrying about things that never come to pass. Never before does one wish more that they could have the time to do the things that are important, to accomplish tasks, mend personal relationships, and make peace with God. Life and the meaning of life come into clear focus and the frivolous aspects fade out of sight. Each person reacts differently to these realizations: some positively; others negatively; some adjust and live; others lament that which may be wasted can never be recaptured. Some view their ostomy as a death sentence; a situation with which they cannot or will not tolerate. What a waste! I wonder how many of these individuals, before they were told they were going to have an ostomy, stayed at home worrying if they left the house they might be struck by lightening or run over by a Mack truck. You know it is possible, but not likely. Yet, now they have been told they need an ostomy and they fold up and stop living. An ostomy is a ticket to life. It gives a second chance to assess priorities and start living the important sides of life, to enjoy each day for itself and waste not a moment. It opens the blinds and lets the sunshine in on one's life.

Attachment #3

The entire irrigation procedure was taking me approximately an hour to perform starting with putting warm water in the water bottle. It meant exchanging the irrigation sleeve for the standard pouch after hanging the water bottle above our bed, and making myself comfortable, then placing the insertion tube into my stoma allowing the water to be infused. After allowing a premeasured amount of water to flow into my colon the insertion tube was removed and the zip-lock type fastener on the top of the irrigation sleeve was fastened. Most of this time was spent laying on my back, yet propped up in bed with the irrigation sleeve attached to my flange. I then would massage my abdomen to help the infused water to be expelled. I found that it was just plain taking me too long to be a viable solution to what was once a normal bodily function. I therefore chose to stop doing the irrigation procedure and to let my colon adjust to whatever schedule it wanted, as far as bowel movements are concerned. This has worked very well for me. I am glad to have had the instruction on the irrigation procedure and I thank the HHC nurses for knowing enough to train me so that I was aware that I had a choice.

Gwyn was right there with the HHC professionals in order to learn as much as she could. We realized that they could not continue to come out on a daily basis for an indefinite period. I believe it was about 8 weeks when they finally were not required any longer. By that time sufficient healing had occurred to the wound where my anus had been surgically resected and the daily washing out, application of antibacterial medicine and the packing was no longer necessary. Gwyn still had to apply the antibacterial powder to this wound (I couldn't see it) but I was at least able to wash it out sufficiently with the showerhead on a hose (that is the best invention for personal care).

Let me say that the importance of a knowledgeable and caring caregiver cannot be overemphasized when it comes to a cancer patient becoming a cancer survivor.

What is a 'caregiver'? Let's break the word down into its two parts, 'care' and 'giver'. According to the American Heritage Dictionary a loose definition could be "To devote protection and/or supervision." This fits very nicely in the sense of one person (caregiver) devoting him or herself to the protection and/or supervision of another (cancer patient). The caregiver must be totally committed to performing any personal care duty. For my first few months I felt much like a baby feels because I could not tend to those basic personal duties that are necessary on a daily basis. I was totally exposed in the truest of senses.

There are many kinds of caregivers. Some live within the home with the patient; some live out. Some patients are fortunate to have many caregivers, often in the family. Others have caregivers that live long distances away. Thus, there are many different roles and responsibilities depending on your individual situation.

Whether you are a partner, child, parent, relative, or friend of the cancer patient, you will need to re-evaluate your relationship with the patient. The impact of the patient's cancer may reverse the roles that you and the patient may have had. Generally, the more the changes brought about by the diagnosis and treatment, the more creative you will need to be to work effectively with the person who has cancer.

(Next month - important things to remember as a caregiver)