Hi Eric, Brilliant subject to cover, plus these tips are useful for all sorts of outdoor work, Can I add that the longer the shaft/handle on the shovel is better as I gives a better stance and back position. and its not a race slow and steady. Plus and one with a Ride on mower they can be fitted with a front scraper very easy. Plus clear snow before it gets walked or driven on. I know its sad folks that this is getting me excited !! I could post links to garden machinery sites but I won,t lol.

haha! John, if you lived closer I’d be getting you to shovel my driveway =)

Hey, in Baltimore we also get snow. We have around 15 families living on our street. We live and let live all year long except for snow. Then , each of us looks out for the other.
Still, I am afraid of slipping on ice. The path from my door till the street is 25'+/-. And there is 40'of sidewalk that must be clear. At first, I shoveled , salted and scraped ice where people stepped. Then, I got smart and realized that if I could stop the compressed snow from sticking to the frozen cement, I wouldn't have a problem.
SO , I spread leaves onto the walk. (The leaves came from my lawn, that i lazily didn't rake up.)
Next snow forecast, I spead a layer on the cement walk. After the snow stopped, I basically just swept it to the side onto the lawn. Took 6 minutes. No sweat! No salt, either.
And no danger of slipping or of getting a heart attack.

that's a great suggestion! We've had several large snow storms already... not looking forward to more!

Hi Eric.
First of all I like to thank you for all your help ,you have been and still even today a great source of information for me .
I had my surgery almost one year now and thanks to you i'm doing well.
But I do have a hernia ,so that's not so great.
About shoveling snow, I'm lucky I have my neighbour doing it for me .
Again Eric keep up with the fine work you're doing .

Hi Johanna,

Glad to hear that you're doing well, but sorry to hear that you've developed a hernia :( I hope you're able to manage that OK.

I'm happy to hear that you have a friendly neighbor who's able to help with the snow! I often feel like snow blowers should be covered by insurance ;)

Take care!

Eric, can you please help. What is a good way to measure irregular cut to fit and how snug should you get with the cut to fit so it won't drain on skin. I recently had a loop colostomy (like less than 3 weeks ago) and I am still feeling it a little. My stoma is irregular kind of crescent shaped high above skin on onside and dipping on the other side. I am having trouble with cutting to fit. I have tried figuring out cut size with pipe cleaner, but don't know if I have it too close. I have been told different things like leave room vs snug to fit. Currently, I just did a bag change and it feels sensitive on the left side with the dip. Don't know if it is because of leak or sensitivity to adhesive. My skin is sensitive and I don't think it much likes Hollister adhesive.

Hi Kathleen,

I have an article that addresses a few of those concerns re: hole size: https://www.veganostomy.ca/how-to-measure-stoma/

For irregular stomas, you will have to get creative, and a few stoma nurses have told me that measuring in half-circles, then tracing that onto the wafer before cutting, is often helpful. Some stoma cutting guides come with half circles, but not all of them do. From what I recall, Hollister's cutting guide is just all circles. If you have a few extras, cut them.

The key is that once you have a template that works, keep reusing the template by keeping the release liner from the wafer and just tracing the cut-out into new wafers. This, of course, assumes that your stoma doesn't change size very frequently!

I had to move away from Hollister wafers because my skin started to become sensitive. If you think that's what's happening to you, I'd suggest sampling other products, because trying to "fix" an adhesive that your skin doesn't like is a losing battle.

I hope that gives you a few ideas. Good luck!

Kathleen... Welcome to VO! I hope you can sort things out. It takes time for all skin to adjust. I too have very sensitive skin, and I found Hollister to be the best for it.  But, that said, look for signs of itchiness wider then your stoma & be sure & take pics to compare at the next pouch change. You can order samples of pouches for free to try from other companies. Ask for a sample of M9 liquid pouch deodorant as well. This was a game changer in my confidence level. 

I have a stoma that after a few years went & changed shape on me & I started getting frequent leaks. I traced a circle on wax paper, as it's sort of see thru, but parchment should work too. Anyways after tracing the circle , I cut several wedges in it like a pie towards the outer edge & write T, for top on it,  then placed it on my tummy & I folded the points back away from my stoma. This gave me a great guide to retrace onto a firmer paper to allow me to make the best cut for my wafer. I try & cut on the line or just to the other side of it. I have in the past cut my stoma by a sharp wafer edge. To avoid this, hold the scissors straight & turn the wafer not the scissors, while cutting,  it'll give you a smoother cut edge, not one on an angle with a sharp edge. I run my finger around it after to check the edge. 

I hope this helps! That was clever to use a pipe cleaner! I had no idea how to or where to even find any support group of any kind as a new ostimate, electronics were my hubbies thing, not mine! So, pat yourself on the back, your way ahead already. Be patient with yourself as you heal, stay hydrated & get your rest. Healing will come to you, but know, that it can take time. Just know you are not alone! No question is a dumb question! How I wish I'd been told that before finding VO. Lol! Best of healing to you & don't be a stranger here. 

Posted by: @dlkfiretruck

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I traced a circle on wax paper, as it's sort of see thru, but parchment should work too. Anyways after tracing the circle , I cut several wedges in it like a pie towards the outer edge & write T, for top on it,  then placed it on my tummy & I folded the points back away from my stoma.

That's brilliant, Linda!

@veganostomy  Oooo...brilliant eh!?  I guess at almost 67 I still got some left! Lol!  Thank you Eric! That should keep me grinning thru to the end of the month! Lol!

Feel free to suggest when it can be helpful...