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May 2004 Newsletter
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Our Next Meeting
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| Date | • | Thurs. May 20, 2004 |
| Time | • | 7:00 pm |
| Place | • | Middlesex-London Health Unit 50 King Street, London |
| Guest Speaker | • | Dr. David B. Boyd General Internist, LHSC, South Campus. Adjunct Professor in Medicine and Psychiatry, UWO. Dr. Boyd has written books about pain-related issues. |
| ET Advisor | • | Jill Allen Saint Elizabeth Health Care |
| No Formal June Meeting | ||
| Instead, please join us on Sunday, June 27th at our annual summer BBQ. Click here for more information on this page. | ||
| Please Remember | ||
| We break for the summer, so there are no meetings in July and August, but there will still be a newsletter in July. | ||
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LDOA Announcements 
P.O. Box 24206 |
In Memoriam
We are saddened to advise of the passing of our member, Robert Vail, who died peacefully at Marion Villa Hospital on April 6th in his 92nd year. We extend our condolences to Mr. Vail’s family and friends.
For Sale
One large ostomy hernia belt. Never worn. Original cost $100, selling for $90. Please contact Kathryn Kozell at 519-646-6000, ext. 64749.
Click and Collect Campaign
Regarding the clicking of the ads on LDOA’s web site, I am pleased to announce that we reached the $100 US goal for the second time on April 30th. Many thanks to those of you who clicked and helped us collect – and, by all means, let’s keep clicking!!
Membership Fees
You can help LDOA in a big way by paying your $30.00 member- ship renewal fee when it's due. Doing so ensures uninterrupted delivery of the Ostomy Canada magazine and the printed version of the newsletter. Fees are due either on or before June 15th or December 15th. If you are unsure as to which of the two dates is your renewal date, please contact our Treasurer,
Summer BBQ
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Mark your calendars for our annual summer BBQ. Heather and Mark Smith have kindly offered their home, 1312 Brydges Street, London. The fun begins at 2:00, and we plan to eat at 4:00. Hamburgers, buns
and refreshments will be pro- vided. Please bring a salad or dessert and your own lawn chairs. Family and friends are welcome. If you require more info, contact LDOA's Social Co-Ordinator, Joy Ibsen, at 474-1312.
Minutes of Meeting
The Minutes of Meeting for the previous two months are included in the newsletter for the benefit of those members who were unable attend. Read the Minutes for March 18th and April 15th. Click your browser's back button to return to this page.
Return to Top Visitor Training Workshop: April 24, 2004
Where Does the Help Begin?
Help begins with the volunteer visitor – an experienced, certified individual calling on a new or about-to-be ostomy patient.
The volunteer visitor is one member of the rehabilitation team, including the surgeon, nurse and ET nurse. As a result of personal experience, the visitor is uniquely qualified to share non-medical information and, through supportive concern, assist in the psychological and social rehabilitation of a patient. Rehabili- tation means restoration of the body, mind and spirit, and the ability of the patient to return to an active role in society.
Despite assurances from doctors, nurses, and others concerned with the patient's complete recovery, there is for the patient, no substitute for the visual proof provided by a well-adjusted indivi- dual – the visitor. In most instances, the visitor is the first person with an ostomy that the patient meets and can talk candidly with.
LDOA held a Visitor Training Workshop on Saturday, April 24th. What an educational and enlightening experience! Fourteen members, including three members from the Windsor chapter, became newly certified visitors! Our thanks to Brenda Turner and the ETs who volunteered their time and expertise in preparing and presenting the workshop: Kathy Kozell, Ruth Best, Jill Allen and Judy Arnold.
The workshop began at 9:30 with introductions and an overview of the Patient Visiting Program. Kathy asked us to reflect back to when we first learned we or someone in our family would have ostomy surgery. What fears, concerns, trepidations and questions did we have? What range of emotions did we experience?
Ruth explained the general anatomy and physiology of ostomy surgery and the various procedures involved. It was important for us to know that there were other types of ostomies besides ileostomies, colostomies and urostomies, such as continent ileostomies, ileo-anal reservoirs, ileal conduits and continent urostomies.
Jill explained the various types of visits we might encounter: pre- or post-operative hospital visit, a home visit, a patient with a temporary ostomy, one who is physically or mentally challenged, a patient who is homosexual or lesbian, and visiting children and teenagers. She also presented the section pertaining to the psychological phases of recovery: shock, defensive retreat, acknowledgement and adaptation.
After lunch, we were divided into three groups, and we practiced our active listening skills. Active listening involves trying to understand the thoughts behind the words people use, and people’s feelings and actions. We were given various remarks and questions a patient would have and then asked how we would handle each of the scenarios. We all agreed that this was the most challenging and exciting segment of the workshop!
Brenda gave us an overview of protocol and considerations when visiting – a "do" and "don’t" list of things to keep in mind when we visit a patient, be it in the hospital, at home or on the phone.
By then it was time to start wrapping things up, and our ETs were each presented with a plant as a gesture of thanks. The afternoon ended around 3:00.
Below are London and Windsor’s (last three names) newly certified volunteer visitors:
If you or someone you know would like to arrange a visit, please contact our Visitor Co-Ordinator, Brenda Turner, at 681-5973.
Return to Top ET Corner
Each newsletter, London’s ETs answer your concerns
| Submit your questions or concerns in writing at an LDOA meeting or send them to your ET (Enterostomal Therapist) by e-mail. |
Instead of the regular question and answer format and with travel season fast-approaching, we would like to bring to your attention:
Tips for Traveling With an Ostomy
Ostomy Supplies
Determine the amount of supplies that you need and take enough pouching supplies to last the entire trip.
Be prepared for unexpected pouch changes due to pouch failure, seal disruption or, in the case of people with a colostomy or ileostomy, diarrhea.
Keep supplies with you at all times (do not pack them in luggage that is to be checked, and do not keep in areas that are extremely hot or cold).
To avoid melt down, keep appliances in a cool place if possible.
Contact the ET nurse or company that manufactures your ostomy supplies to obtain information on where supplies can be bought at your destination.
Keep your scissors in the checked-in luggage or they'll be confiscated.
Pre-cut your equipment, if necessary.
Pack some wet-wipes for places that don't have running water.
Take extra small plastic bags to dispose of your equipment.
If you're going to be "body checked" or "patted down" at customs, let them know you have an ostomy pouch in case their hands hear and feel something out of the ordinary.
Take extra medication like anti-diarrheal agents if prescribed.
Know where there is an ostomy chapter to contact if you need assistance.
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is the irritation and inflammation of the digestive tract. This condition may cause abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Severe cases of gastroenteritis can result in dehydra- tion. In such cases, fluid replacement is the primary factor in treatment. All ages and both sexes may be affected yet the most severe symptoms are experienced by infants and those indivi- duals over 60 years old.
Stress, excessive alcohol or tobacco use, viral infections, food allergies, improper diet, certain drugs, food poisoning, food and water consumed in foreign countries and intestinal parasites are all possible causes for this condition.
Drink bottled water if there is any doubt as to the safety of the water. In countries such as Mexico and the Caribbean islands, always drink bottled water.
Those who irrigate their colostomy should also use bottled water.
My Apologies At our LDOA Visiting Training Workshop on Saturday, April 24, 2004, I made a comment that Jillian Brooke, an ET working for Comcare in Windsor, was not an ET. I have been informed that Jillian Brooke is an ET having trained in the United Kingdom and has received recognition from the Canadian Association for Enterostomal Therapy. My apologies to Jillian for this inaccurate statement on my part and for the emotional distress this has caused both Jillian and the agency Jillian is employed by, Comcare. Sincerely, |
Return to Top Managing Chronic Illness and Stress
This article discusses how to handle the stress and anxieties in your life caused by living with a chronic illness so that you may live well and feel better. The article, which appeared in the printed version of LDOA's newsletter, has been given a web page of its own in the Articles Library and further elaborated upon. Click here to read the article. Click your browser's back button to return to this page.
Pouchitis
This article discusses the definition, symptoms, diagnosis, possible causes, treatment, and patient's concerns of pouchitis. The article, which appeared in the printed version of LDOA's newsletter, has been given a web page of its own in the Articles Library and further elaborated upon. Click here to read the article. Click your browser's back button to return to this page.
Food and Your Ostomy: A Refresher Course
This article discusses the prevention of blockages, reducing odour and gas, and relieving constipation and diarrhea through the foods you eat. The article, which appeared in the printed version of LDOA's newsletter, has been given a web page of its own in the Articles Library and further elaborated upon. Click here to read the article. Click your browser's back button to return to this page.
Return to Top 
Excerpts from the
UOA Evansville
Re-Route Newsletter
For those members who have not yet discovered the wit and wisdom of UOA Evansville Chapter's 
newsletter, The
Helpful Hints
For Colostomies
If you use a pad instead of an appliance, use a little KY Jelly over the stoma to keep things soft and lubricated.
If you irrigate, allowing too much water to enter the stoma too quickly may cause a sudden evacuation of waste but leave much of the feces still in the colon, along with most of the water. Periodic evacuation may follow. This is not diarrhea, but is simply a delayed emptying of the colon.
For Ileostomies
Usually ileostomates experience hunger more often than others. When this happens, you should drink fruit juice or water and eat soda crackers, followed by a meal as soon as possible.
If you do need to eat a snack at bedtime or during the day in order to ward off nausea, try to cut down on calories some- where else in the daytime or you will gain weight.
Never skip meals in order to lose weight. An ileostomy keeps working whether or not you have eaten.
For Urostomies
If it is necessary to have a urinalysis, remind the nurse to take the specimen directly from your stoma, not from your appliance.
If you are out of urinary appliance detergent, soaking your pouch in straight white vinegar for thirty minutes will kill all common bacteria found in urine.
Are You a Carrot, an Egg or a Coffee Bean?
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She didn’t know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them boil without saying a word. Twenty minutes later, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots and eggs out and placed them in two bowls. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs and coffee,” she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they had gotten soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma, and then asked, “What’s the point, Mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity – boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside be- came hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked her daughter.
When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a break-up, a financial hardship or some other trial, did you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same but, on the inside, are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or, are you like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour.
If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Seniors and Ostomies
Because the population as a whole is living longer, greater numbers of people are suffering illnesses that require ostomy surgery. Problems the new senior ostomate may face (which all of us can help with) include:
FEAR of increasing dependence and non-acceptance by family. Family acceptance and support is essential for complete rehabilitation.
UNPREPAREDNESS for a stoma. Surgery may often be done as an emergency procedure, and there has been little time for an older person to adjust to this change in body image. Often the older person is confused after surgery because the hospital routine is foreign; side-rails are up and s/he is confined as though a child. It is in this environment that s/he first gets acquainted with their ostomy.
A HARD TO MANAGE STOMA. Particularly if created in emergency surgery, the stoma may be adjacent to a wound or done in haste and poorly positioned. Experienced ostomates and caregivers can and should work to teach the senior or new ostomate acceptance and self-care. It might take extra patience. Ability to learn does not diminish with age, but speed of performance and reaction time decline, and it takes longer to learn new tasks.
A word of advice to those working with new ostomates in the senior age category: Allow your student to learn one task well before proceeding to the next one.
Return to Top Suggested Reading
From the Publisher • Writing from the perspective of a sufferer since age 13, Kalibjian brings an objective, sensible tone to this thorough, accessible discussion of the many issues associated with these illnesses. The topics include diag- nostic procedures, complications, medications, surgical treatments, diet, alternative forms of feeding, life with an ostomy, and various emotional issues. Autobiographical observations by a wide range of patients are incorporated into the text. People who read this book will find medical facts simply explained, advice to ease their daily lives, and tools to be strong advocates for themselves or their loved ones. Reader’s Review From www.Amazon.ca When you're diagnosed with IBD, you have no idea what's ahead. You've been having problems and now you finally have a cause ... but no cure. It's a sobering moment. I went to the web sites and found a book at the library (Jill Sklar's First Year book -- a great starter). I was beginning to learn what life with this disease was going to mean, but I still felt lost. I saw this book online and ordered it. I honestly wasn't expecting much as I've spent the last year reading books on Crohn's that were either total medicalese or the basics I already knew. Cliff's book turned out to be the book I was looking for ... it's beyond the basics and yet suitable for the layman. With this disease, it's easy to feel like no one understands, especially because many of us don't "look sick". Cliff covers all the major topics and does so with humour, compassion and hope. Read it if you're newly diagnosed, have been suffering, or want to understand someone that has been. I consider it the most valuable book in my Crohn's library. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Return to Top Change of Address • Membership Renewal Form
The Change of Address • Membership Renewal Form found on the back page of the printed newsletter can be printed directly from your computer by clicking here.
Predicting the Future?
We've all heard predictions about the future. Sure, sometimes "experts" are right on target, but check out what they got wrong!
"Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances." • Dr. Lee DeForest, pioneer of the radio
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" • David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s
"640K ought to be enough for anybody." • Bill Gates, 1981
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." • Western Union memo, 1876
"Everything that can be invented has been invented." • Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899
"If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can't do this." • Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3M Post-it Notepads
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." • Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962
On the Lighter Side
Disclaimer • This site and its contents are presented expressly for informational purposes only about London & District Ostomy Association (LDOA) and gastrointestinal and/or urinary diversions in general. In no way are any of the materials presented here meant to be a substitute for professional medical care or proper attention by a qualified physician, nor should they be construed as such. Always check with your doctor or ET if you have any questions or concerns about your condition or before starting a new program or treatment. The Webmaster and LDOA are not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any form of damages whatsoever resulting from the use (or misuse) of information contained in or implied by this site.
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