Great - the beauty of an ileostomy continues

I have been having difficulties with my equipment for probably around a month and a half or so and finally got in to see my nurse...she isn't entirely sure what the problem is either but she did send me home with a giant bag full of stuff including but not limited to adhesive remover wipes, new flanges and bags, a new belt for when I'm doing physical activity and even some bottles of lotion to help my poor dried up flaking skin (which we suspect is the main culprit in the saga of my flange not sticking properly to my body.)

But the coup de grace - the best thing she gave me - was this.

It is old and probably the last one she had. It's flammable so it can't be brought across the border anymore and it is glue. In the same kind of bottle and the same kind of applicator that plumbers use to put pipes together. I guess it's only fitting considering that it technically does have to do with my internal plumbing. Crazy. I did get a stern reminder that this stuff is flammable so to not apply it around open flame. Good thing I'm not a smoker.

I have also purchased from my health supply store a skin bond spray on adhesive so I won't have to use the 1950's glue in a can anymore...and I have my fingers crossed that things will get better and I can get to a point where I'm no longer super paranoid about my new friend and his ability to spew out waste at the speed of "one whole roll of toilet paper per half hour" in the middle of the night or during times when the flange needs to be changed rather unexpectedly.

By the way - if you do know you need to change your flange you can eat marshmallows (a good two handfuls of the little ones) and about a half hour to 45 minutes later your little friend will be good and quiet. Just don't be freaked out that when he finally spits it all out it may look a little strange.

All of that aside, despite feeling better than I have in years the new challenges that have come with my new lifestyle and the fact surgery is now five months behind me has me actually considering perhaps getting the ostomy reversed at some point. Not anytime in the near future but this is a huge jump forward from "I'm never ever ever going under the knife again." But none of this will probably happen until I've eaten my fill of green salad full of seeds and other difficult to digest things - oh and corn on the cob. YUM!

On a side note - personal accomplishment for me. Haven't taken a sick day from work since I got back in August. That is huge coming from someone who used to have to stay home three days a month on average. I also have loads of energy to play with my nieces and nephews and I stayed up until well after midnight all Thanksgiving weekend playing cards and other games with my family in law. All of it probably led directly to the turkey hangover I'm suffering from today, but well worth it!

Anyway, it's off to get ready to shower and change my flange and use some of my new skin bond adhesive.