Hi Ileo Chopper, class name and what an interesting and class job!! For work I am a builder and to relax love doing up classic Tractors. I wear my bag inside always have done. my stoma is low and it suits well. wear boxer shorts and chinos. I find that with both these the waist band is just that little bit higher and sits well. I don't use any guards or wraps and with my low stoma the sealth belt would not work. I have an emergency kit in the van and the car. A round the house at night I have my big baggy shorts. Oh Boy does my wife hate those shorts lol but I love them :-) lts a case of what may suit me may not suit you and its a case of finding out as you go along. Their is always a way round things and making work colleagues aware you have an ostomy does help!

thank you @john68 your response is much appreciate! i understand peoples hesitance to share information online. i however am not like that at all, please ask i wll share or help if i can. i love building things too!! and i love old tractors! there was an old massey 44 for sale the other day and it went for 800$ i wanted to buy it so bad... might have a little trouble getting into my workshop in my basement... but instead i recently decided to start making knives.  

my stoma is about an inch above my belly button on the right hand side. ive dropped things and instinctively bent over to pick it up without bending my knees and broke the seal on my appliance several times... its all just saddle time ill get used to it. lately i have found myself where i just dont feel like i have planned enough.  is there a bathroom close? how long am i going for? yada yada yada... its a loop i get myself into and basically freak myself out and sometimes as a result i stay in the workshop. not the worst thing and i know its not always going to be that way. just curious and this forum is a great outlet! thanks again for sharing john68

any scuba divers out there? or skydivers? 

Hi ileo chopper, knowing a little about another ostomate gives an idea of how the person you are chatting with is just a regular person doing every day stuff. When you say the seal broke when you bent over? was it a 2 piece and the bag popped of the wafer? The wafer on some systems are more flexible than others. Any issue always has a fix! its a matter of trouble shooting! That Massey44 is a pretty scarce model over here. :-) 

Sorry for the extra post Eric, ileo chopper as the time goes by you will soon know how the ostomy and needing the bathroom will go!! and plus the output will settle down. You will soon be back to the outdoor pursuits you enjoy.

@john68 when bending over the wafer seperates from my skin. its only happened a couple times.  and you r totally right its just saddle time. ive just gotten to the stage there im looking forward to return to work! i had some complications with surgery and i lost about 35 pounds which i didnt have to loose to begin with. ive put some of the weight back on and my energy level is pretty good on a daily basis. sundays i usually crash for half day and eat ice cream and sit on the couch... but doenst everyone! lol! thanks again john troubleshooting is part of my daily routine in work and day to day activities im not the type of person to sit on the side lines. life is for living!!

Hmmm, breaking seal while bending over?  So chopper, thats a disadvantage I would say, what is the advantage of a 2 piece that makes this disadvantage tolerable?

I bend and crouch all the time.   I would not want to limit my motion and lifestyle to fit a bag requirement.  I do not sky dive or scuba, but I would not want to leak output all over my $800 drysuit.   I can pretty much bend over and rest my palms on the floor all day long without problems, knees straight, not bent.

I'm an RN and have not been able to return to work yet, I'm 6 months post op. My stoma is where I bend, too. I have to use a grabber. Some days, if having lots of stomal protrusion, I limit my bending as much as possible. Sometimes, I just have to bend, like getting in and out of a chair, car, etc. I even have problems going out to eat and staying seated. At home, I eat while in a recliner or laying on my bed propped with pillows or even standing. While in the car, I have to have my seatback reclined to be a passenger or the driver. Have discussed possible stomal site revision in the future.

Try different type appliances. Talk with the reps and stoma nurses from the companies and tell them your issues. They will send you more samples to try as your needs change. I thought I had settled into Coloplast 2 ps click until I started with prolapse and retraction issues. I have to use a more flexible wafer, convex now. But I am also still using some samples to see what may work best.

I was on the go before I got sick in January of this year. I like to go to movies and glad the theater near me has the reclining seats! I have a bicycle, play the piano, walking but am limited with those activities right now.

One day, I'll get all this figured out and so will you!

Hi Lucy, I have been following your posts, You are still very early days with the ostomy and would be saying normally that it takes a few months to get back on track. But you have a number of issues going on that need to be addressed. Your approach and working with these problems seems good but do get your Surgeon/Doctor to see what can be done. Life and circumstances with a stoma should not be this hard.

Hi ileo_chopper, I do not by any means repair choppers, but I do a fair bit of yard work  in the spring summer and fall.  I can a fair bit of food. Lots of standing, moving and lifting. My floors still need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Lol. This is a big job for me. My dog is awesome at tracking in all the dirt and leaves and as of the last few summers...ash also. Usually  I tuck my bag into my pants or under a skirt. It is hard to get womans PJ bottoms that have a high enough rise to go over the top of my pouch, so I look for mens  PJ pants to wear to bed. If I have to, I make my own, but I would rather be pulling weeds.  They are easy enough to make. When I do yard work, I have liked wearing an elastic top that is longer then most.  At first I worried it would stop my Rose, from working well, but that was proven wrong. It allowed the output to be more balanced in the pouch, this  I felt meant a little longer in the yard. Leaks were not an issue as it seemed to stay away from the stoma opening.  I use a Hollister one piece and I have the charcoal filter on it, this works about two and a half days max, but I  install the osto ez vent, to help prevnt it from a bit of clogging, I fold the vent and the filters over under my pants, that also means more time outside.  If I leave home for more then a few hours, I take all the same supplies I have at home. I have extra in my car and my purse.  One day when I was picking up the grand from school, I had a first ever experience, and found myself in a real pickle. Rose, (some of us name our stomas, it helped me to accept it better, and when she gets loud, I cansay Oh Rose! This makes the grandson laugh), anyways, I was in the car on a very hot day. The engine was off. My bag filled at the same time the school bell rang. I mean not even standing room! I had my small dog with me, and the grand is autistic. Not a good recipe, for not being there when she arrived. I knew the school bosses would not allow me to use a washroom as I was brand new to them. My pouch was threatening to explode and I knew I had to somehow empty my bag. I looked at my dog and said now what? He was no help. But, I also realized I had his poo bags along. So, I put a few together, drained my bag into it. Cleaned the opening as best I could. Tied the bags shut one after the other and then gingerly placed it just under the lip of the floor mat so it would not move around while I drove. I used the hand sanitizer and looked up, there was the grand. She was none the wiser. But, my dog?...anyways, I got us safely home and drained the contents into the toilet and cleaned things up. I called the  pouch company to see what they recommend in a case like this and they sent me about 25 really  thick blue bags to use should it happen again.  I may carry a thick, sturdy peanut butter jar in the future, if only they could collapse, but they are light enough when empty. This is only one instance in my life of many. I have had my stoma since 2009.  Welcome to the club.  I made my own hanging bag with pockets in it and when I have to use a public washroom, I usually need to access my supplies, so I also carry those plastic stick-on hooks and place them in the right spot by a toilet to access what I need, hanging my bag from the hook. I use a stoma protector on my seat belt.  I made this also, using two pieces of half a pool noodle and  glued it to two sponges, made a cover, allowing for comfort and protection from the seat belt pressure should there be a car accident. I had a helicopter ride in a bubble one, as a young teen, it was the best thing to experience. You have a neat job. I could use some sharp steak knives. That is a great talent you have! Remember, everything falls into place eventually. Make sure you are very ready for going back to work when you do, and do not let your fluid intake fall. All the best chopper!