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Links: Online Support
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There are many places on the web where you can post questions, give and receive support and advice, or just talk with fellow osto- mates who may be experiencing the problems you have faced.
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Chat Rooms
Chat rooms are "real-time" text conversations with people who are online at the same time. There is usually a regular meeting time when the moderators are there to keep an eye on things and/or lead the chat group in a discussion on a specific topic.
IMPORTANT • You must have Java enabled on your browser in order to view and participate in these chat rooms
| Living With a Colostomy 24-hour Chat • United Kingdom | |||
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Web Site |  |
Chat Room |
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Weekly online meeting • Saturdays at 3 pm EST Active group with about 10-15 ostomates and caregivers meeting throughout the day, and about 50-60 attend the weekly meeting. All ostomates are welcome. | ||
| The J-Pouch Group 24-hour Chat | |||
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Web Site | |
Chat Room |
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Weekly online meeting • Thursdays at 9 pm EST | ||
Crohn's Zone 24-hour Chat • United Kingdom | |||
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Web Site | |
Chat Room |
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Weekly online meetings • Thursdays and Saturdays at 3 pm EST • Click here to view their Events Calendar for other scheduled online chats throughout each month. | ||
| Ostomy Chat.com 24-hour Chat | |||
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Web Site | |
Chat Room |
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No scheduled online meetings. Just drop by and see if anyone else is online. | ||
| Stuart Online Weekly Chat | |||
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Web Site | |
Chat Room |
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Weekly online meeting • Tuesdays at 9 pm EST | ||
Return to Top Introduction to Message Boards
Message boards allow you to participate in on-going discussions. As opposed to a chat environment (where conversations are visible only to current participants and disappear after a few moments), message-bulletin board posts are longer and remain permanently visible (as well as browseable and searchable), allowing more in-depth exchanges to take place. The majority of message boards will let you read the messages but require that you register with a username (something other than your real name), a password, and an e-mail address (mainly for security purposes) before you can post messages.
Return to Top Message Boards
| LDOA Discussion Forum | |
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Message Board |
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Launched October 16, 2003 Topics include • General Forum For All Types of Ostomy • Helpful Ostomy Hints • Young Persons With Ostomies • Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservoir (BCIR) • Infammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) • General Discussion Please note • Registration is encouraged but not required to participate |
| United Ostomy Association (UOA) | |
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Web Site |
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Main Message Board |
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Direct links to each topic area is available through the main message board link. General Discussion • For any issues relevant to all types of ostomy Teen Network Discussion • Devoted to UOA's Teen Network and generally for teenagers 11 to 17 years of age who have or may have intestinal or urinary diversions or alterations Young Adult Discussion • Devoted to UOA's Young Adult Network and any issues involving young adults age 18 and over with ostomy or related surgeries Parents of Ostomy Children Discussion • Devoted to UOA's Parents of Ostomy Children Network and anyone caring for a child with an ostomy or related surgery or condition that may lead to such surgery Please note • Registration is not required to participate |
| International Ostomy Association (IOA) | |
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Web Site |
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Message Board |
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280 members as of April 18, 2004 Topics include • General Ostomy Related Questions • Urostomy • Continent Diversion • 20/40 Focus • Single Ostomates • Parents With Ostomy Children Please note • Unregistered visitors may read messages but registration is required to post |
| The J-Pouch Group | |
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Web Site |
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Message Board |
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4,300 members as of April 18, 2004 Topics include • Help! Need advice now! • General Discussion • Room to Rant and Rave • Pouchitis • Ostomy and Skin • Pregnancy • The Meeting Place Please note • Unregistered visitors may read messages but registration is required to post |
| UOA Evansville, Indiana Chapter | |
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Web Site |
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Message Board |
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384 members as of April 18, 2004 Topics include • Skin Related Issues • Colostomy and Ileostomy • Urostomy • Continent Procedures • Relatives with Ostomies and Caregivers • Social – Sexual Issues Please note • Unregistered visitors may read messages but registration is required to post |
Return to Top | Living With a Colostomy Support Board | |
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Web Site |
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Message Board |
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154 members as of April 18, 2004 Topics include • Colostomy • Ileostomy • Urostomy • Please note • Unregistered visitors may read messages but registration is required to post |
| Shaz's Ostomy Message Board | |
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Web Site |
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Message Board |
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422 members as of October 19, 2003 Topics include • Reversals • J-Pouch Surgery • Kock Pouch • Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservoir (BCIR) • Just For Kids • The Social Club • General Chit Chat Please note • Unregistered visitors may read messages but registration is required to post |
| Healing Well.com Community | |
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Web Site |
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• Main Message Board • Ostomy Message Board • Crohn's Disease Message Board • Ulcerative Colitis Message Board • Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Board |
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Please note • Unregistered visitors may read messages but registration is required to post |
| British Colostomy Association Stoma Forum | |
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Web Site |
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Message Board |
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Topics include • FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) • Colostomy • Ileostomy • Urostomy • Irrigation • Pouches and Flanges • Diet and Exercise • Personal and Relationships • Announcements Please note • Registration is not required to participate |
| Crohn's Zone Forums | |
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Web Site |
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Message Board |
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442 members as of April 18, 2004 Topics include • The Bag and Bowel Club • Teens • Inflammatory Bowel Disease • The Grrrrrr Board • Medication & Treatment • Honest Answers Please note • Unregistered visitors may read messages but registration is required to post |
| Stuart Online Discussion Forum | |
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Web Site |
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Message Board |
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158 posts as of April 18, 2004 No categories or topics. All messages are posted under the general heading of "Discussion Forum". Please note • Registration is not required to participate |
| IBD Sucks Web Support Site | |
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Message Board |
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4,912 members as of November 8, 2003 Topics include • Emergency 911 and Emergency 911 Aftercare • CD, UC, IBS and Related Conditions • Pharmaceutical Drugs • Causes and Cures • Dear Baggy – a topic wherein you can ask anything pertaining to your life with an ostomy Please note • Registration is required to participate |
Canadian Crohn's Message Board | |
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Message Board |
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This board appears to have started October 8, 2003 214 posts as of April 18, 2004 No categories or topics. Messages are posted in order of newest to oldest. This board is hosted through a free service and contains non-relevant advertising – beware of the pop-up ads! Please note • Registration is not required to participate |
Return to Top Introduction to Yahoo Groups and E-mail Lists
Yahoo Groups is a free service that allows people with similar interests to communi- cate through an e-mail group. You can view the group's e-mail messages on the internet (much like a private message board) or have the messages delivered right to your e-mail inbox. If you choose the second option, you can reply to the message the same as you would any e-mail message, except when you click the send button, everyone in the group receives your message, just as you do theirs.
In order to join a Yahoo Group, you must first register for a Yahoo ID and link it to any e-mail address you wish to use to send and receive e-mail from the group. The Yahoo ID you choose must be unique. It does not need to match your e-mail address. The Yahoo ID procedure is the same as opening an account with Yahoo.
On the front page of Yahoo Groups, you can browse the directory or search for a group by topic. Click on the Join This Group button on the introduction page of any group. If you are not signed in, you will be asked to enter your Yahoo ID. When you join, you can choose a profile you would like to display to the group, select the e-mail address at which you would like to receive group-related messages, choose how you wish to receive group messages, and much more. You can unsubscribe yourself at any time by clicking on an Unsubscribe link in your Yahoo account.
Return to Top Yahoo Groups and E-mail Lists
28 search results for Yahoo Groups pertaining to ostomy
81 search results for Yahoo Groups pertaining to Crohn's/Colitis
11 search results for Yahoo Groups pertaining to colon cancer
31 search results for Yahoo Groups pertaining to IBS
To help you get started, we have made a short list of some ostomy-related Yahoo Groups. To locate more groups, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/ and type "ostomy" or something more specific in the search box or click the search results links above.
| UK Ostomy Support | |
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health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ukostomysupport |
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371 members since October 7, 1999 Bi-weekly chat meetings • Regular group chats on the first and third Sundays of each month in the group chat room. The chat starts at 3 pm EST. |
| Living with an Ostomy and/or Crohn's and Colitis | |
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health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ostomysupport |
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Shaz's Ostomy Pages |
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160 members since August 3, 2000 Group description • We welcome all people to this club who have questions or wish to contribute their know- ledge and support about having any kind of ostomy. Please feel free to share ideas, products that work, frustrations, anything on your mind. If you have Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis and think an ostomy may be in your future, this group is for you. |
| Ulcerative Colitis and J-Pouch Support | |
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health.groups.yahoo.com/group/UlcerativeColitis-Jpouch |
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165 members since March 24, 2000 Group description • A group for J-pouchies and people with bowel disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Megacolon, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), or who are considering surgery for any of the these. |
| J-Pouch Pre and Post Surgery Support | |
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health.groups.yahoo.com/group/jpouchsupport |
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370 members since August 17, 2000 |
Return to Top | People With Ostomy 2 Support | |
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health.groups.yahoo.com/group/peopleswithostomy2 |
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171 members since March 18, 2001 Weekly chats • Every Monday at 9 pm EST |
| Ileostomy Support | |
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health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ileostomy |
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Crohn's Zone |
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93 members since July 2, 2002 Group description • The Ileostomy Group is a support and information network for people with an ileostomy as a result of Crohn's, colitis or other bowel disorder. We share information, personal advice and tips on living with an ileostomy. Having an ileostomy can throw us different challenges to those experienced by colosto- mates and urostomates, so this forum was established with ileostomates in mind. |
| Crohn's Friends | |
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health.groups.yahoo.com/group/crohns-friends |
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Crohns Web |
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473 members since October 25, 1998 Group Description • This group is very active and produces a lot of emails. If you want less chat and more info, consider joining Crohn's Updates below, which is affiliated with Chron's Friends. |
| Crohn's Updates | |
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health.groups.yahoo.com/group/crohns-updates |
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Crohns Web |
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74 members since December 9, 2002 Group Description • This group is designed to be less chatty than Crohn's Friends (above) and focuses on updates and information about Crohn's Disease. |
| Ostomy E-mail Resource List | |
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topica.com/lists/ostomy |
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Living With a Colostomy |
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133 members since January 15, 2000 Group description • An e-mail list for anyone with an ostomy, as well as their family, friends and caregivers. Frequency is about 3 messages per week. Please note • Topica e-mail lists are based on the same principle as Yahoo Groups |
Return to Top E-mail Pals
| London & District Ostomy Association | |
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Ostomy Pals E-mail List |
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Description • Make a new friend who already has something very much in common with you! Partici- pating in LDOA's Ostomy Pals E-mail List gives you the opportunity to exchange information and share exper- iences with other ostomates. Caregivers and family are welcome to add their profiles. |
| Shaz's Ostomy Pages | |
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Web Site |
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E-mail Pals List |
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Description • The list is divided into sections, some with dozens of contacts in them. You can be e-mail pals with • Ileostomates • Colostomates • Urostomates • J-Pouchies • Kock Pouchies • people who have had BCIR surgery, jejunostomy surgery, or resections • people who have not had surgery yet • parents of children who have IBD and/or have had surgery • women who have experienced pregnancy with an ostomy or are contemplating it • and partners, family members and caregivers of ostomates. |
| UOA Evansville, Indiana Chapter | |
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Web Site |
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Ostomates Comparing Notes (also known as "Ostomy Pen Pals") |
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Description • The list is divided into sections, some with dozens of contacts in them. You can be e-mail pals with • Ileostomates • Colostomates • Urostomates • Relatives of Ostomates • Health Care Professionals • ostomates with alternate procedures. |
Return to Top Introduction to Newsgroups
Newsgroups are the places to go to for information on a specific subject. Each message, or conversation, is called a "thread". Browse through these threads and you may find your question has already been answered. The subjects covered are wide-ranging and anyone can join in (registration is not required). However, they are fairly difficult to monitor, so you will come across unrelated and offensive threads. You will usually be able to recognize these threads by their subject lines. Simply ignore them and move on to a subject or thread that does interest you.
To participate in newsgroups, you need to subscribe to them through your Internet Service Provider (ISP). In London, Ontario, subscribing to newsgroups via Rogers Hi-Speed Internet or Sympatico.ca is free. You do not require special software as the entire process is managed through your e-mail program.
Setting up a newsgroup reader via Rogers Hi-Speed Internet
If you are a Rogers Hi-Speed Internet customer, you may find instructions on how to set up a newsgroup reader at this link. Rogers explains how to configure a variety of newsgroup readers, and Outlook Express and Netscape Communicator users are provided with the basics of subscribing, reading and posting messages to newsgroups.
Setting up a newsgroup reader via Sympatico.ca
Sympatico.ca does not have a dedicated "how to" section for newsgroups, but if you type the word "newsgroups" in the search box in the upper right-hand corner on this page, you'll get the individual pages that explain how to configure newsgroup readers, as well as how to subscribe, read and post messages to newsgroups.
Setting up a newsgroup reader via other ISP
Please contact your ISP for specific instructions.
Return to Top Newsgroups
Access newsgroups via e-mail program
If your ISP does not carry the newsgroups below or you are unsure as to how to set up your e-mail program to access newsgroups, you can still join in by using your browser.
Support for all ostomates alt.support.ostomy google.com/groups/alt.support.ostomy |
| Support for ostomates with incontinent procedures alt.support.incontinence google.com/groups/alt.support.incontinence |
| Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis support alt.support.crohns-colitis google.com/groups/alt.support.crohns-colitis |
| Irritable Bowel Syndrome support alt.support.ibs google.com/groups/alt.support.ibs |
| Support for all types of cancer alt.support.cancer google.com/groups/alt.support.cancer |
As of April 19, 2004, all links on this page were active. If you discover any broken links or, alternatively, wish to see a link included, please advise LDOA's Webmaster, |
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