i am getting anxiety now thinking about all of these things i will need. for example... types of stoma products,adhesives, barrier creams, butt burn products, leakage pads. and the list goes on. my surgery is in 4 weeks and i am confused of what i will need. i know the hospital will send me home with things at first, but do they just use anything or do they start you off with good supplies or just "what they have"? should i look into buying all this stuff before my surgery so i have them? what is the protocol for this?

Hi...Do not worry about products yet. You are going to Cleveland Clinic, right? They will have a stoma nurse come in the room to visit you on several occasions, show you how to change, change it for you, order supplies/samples for you, and have you change it yourself under their supervision. By the time you get home, your samples will be there and they will load you up with samples before you leave. Do not worry...those ladies are wonderful. They also give you creams, seals, etc. I know these terms make no sense to you now, but when they come in and start to show you everything, it will all click into place. CC started me off with Hollister products, which I kept for the entire 7 months I had my ostomy. I tried other brands, but felt most comfortable with what I started with. They will also arrange for a home health nurse to come to your house for the first 3 or 4 changes of the appliance. You will be fine...also, go to the United Ostomy website and click discussions...http://www.uoaa.org/ and find thousands of helpful hints in dealing with your new ostomy. It is daunting to think of all this, but after you have your appts with the stoma nurse, you will feel a thousand times more confident...pm me if you wish.

nys

I was also sent home with a lot of supplies. After your surgery you can contact the different ostomy companies and they will send you lots of samples if you tell them what size your stoma is and what sort of systems you are interested in (1 piece, 2 piece, convex, etc). The stoma nurses are generally fairly helpful and will give you a good start on things. I wouldn't worry about going out and buying a bunch of stuff since you won't know in advance what size your stoma will be and whether you will need flat wafers or convex. You could end up with a bunch of supplies that you cannot use!

I am only 10 but I have been through everything it will get a little anoying but if I can get through it then you can it was kind of like a bug that will not get of you but if you get mad it will not get you anywere that what my mom and grandma always say but after a fue weeks it will get better I know so it is 99% possible .Hope you do good

You may want to check out Shaz's ostomy site. They have a great bunch of folks that can help in what you may need or want for ostomy supplies. The home page has her web site address..
Don't worry too much, everything will come together. the only other thing I could suggest is maybe talking to an ostomy nurse prior to your surgery just ot put you at ease...
Hang in there! These 4 weeks will go by in a flash..
Julie