My comment on AgingCare.com

One of the other caregivers on the site presented a perfect question… What grosses you out the most?   There were some great stories, the gray hairs in the toothbrush being one of the best… my reply?

” Oh you guys are lightweights on the gross-out chart… My mom has dementia AND an illiostomy bag… you just cant imagine the fixes we get in with that thing.  One day she filled it with green food coloring – of course throwing me into a fit of concern then cracking up – she was the serious one in the family! Another time she stubbornly refused to let me put it on saying there was no reason to cover up her belly button with that “horrible plastic thing”.  As they do, the stoma started dripping out. “Oh good Lord in Heaven, what the hell is that?” asked my extremely proper mother.  I let out a poorly stifled snicker and she looked at it again.  ”Poop! quick! quick! Stop the poop!”, That was the fastest bag-job I ever did – a true miracle considering I could hardly breathe I was laughing so hard.”
Here is another funny aging commentary from one of the folks at Home Instead Senior Care.

Changing the pouch…

* Disclaimer: This is meant to be funny, it is meant to make you smile, we know it it really hard to have a pouch, but it is important to laugh, so if your loved one comes into the bathroom to help you out adorned as we suggest below, grin and thank them for being there cause you know for sure that… they love you!

This is your nose… before you met up with the Ileostomy.  A nice place to be most of the time… Flowers, coffee, the newly cut grass, so sweet, so delicious… And then you or your loved one has an Ileostomy and you have to learn to… empty the pouch.  How can you do this?  I have found the best way follows.

This is your savior! You have it, you need it for the pouch, its probably right handy… Paper Tape!

With the tape in your hand, carefully but firmly SQUASH it onto one side of your nose.

Pull to the other side of your nose and secure with vigor.

With both fingers squash the tape frimly onto your face.

Open your mouth… you will have to use it to breathe for the duration.

Here is you nose perfectly prepared to help with your or your loved ones pouch!

If you are wondering what in the world I am going on about click here for a link to a lite definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileostomy

Alive and Kicking is a very inspirational book! Click on the blue link to learn more.

Alive & Kicking

All art and writing ©2008 LiHertziDesign