This day in age makes researching for things super easy.  We all have smartphones and the fastest internet available in the county and can learn about anything almost instantly.  It is a beautiful thing and it can really help your sanity when you hear bad news.  You can research quickly what you don’t know and in a way be relieved.  When you find out you are going into surgery you most likely got really nervous.  I know I sure did. All surgeries kinda scare me and bring out the worst in me. It is a normal feeling and most of us have it.  The thoughts of never being able to feel hot, or pretty also creep into your mind.  You think that sensual times will never be that way again.  These are the thoughts and feelings that happen when you are waiting on an ostomy surgery.  Learning about what you can and cannot do is easy now and for most people, they are relieved when they see their lives won’t truly change much, but these are the feelings and emotions that haunt your dreams when you get out of the surgery.  So who do you talk to to get over those feelings and fears? I want to go over my journey and who helped me. Because who you listen to and read from is important.

So take a breath and calm down because I am nothing special and the first thing I did was really simple. I talked with my doctor and nurse. My ostomy team was really nice, helpful, and encouraging.  It is simply stupid not to learn in person from people who do know what they are talking about.  This is the greatest wealth of knowledge for actual medical issues.  Use it and love it!  Ask all the questions you can and the hard ones too. I would have to say that I learned about all the sensual things from them and it was not awkward at all.  I think my nurse actually brought it up first.  It is part of life and really depending on where you are and who you are truly necessary.

But we all have a phone.  Another great area of information was simply from online sources.  There are a lot of major companies in the ostomy industry that is really worth checking out. These guys have a whole lot of starter information and lots of gear information.  I ended up calling up a few of these companies to get in-depth information, because well I didn’t know jack to start with.  They were really helpful and I spent an hour on the phone the frist call and ended up with some samples mailed to my home.  It was a great experience and they were focused on me and my lifestyle.  It was a reason I started to be more vocal about my ostomy and started to ask questions and talk to other areas as well. 

Now go local.  The next path was pharmacists and this was a tip from my online store friends.  They suggested I talk with local pharmacists who deal with this and buy gear specifically for what people like to buy.  That was a good idea and they helped me walk through the history of products.  They went through popular items and what people use for different reasons. Also, it was great to find a local place to buy from in case I needed an emergency item quickly! So take heart and ask questions always.