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Eating with an ostomy can be a challenge but it doesn't have to ruin your time with family and friends at Thanksgiving. The most important thing to remember is, food has an influence on your ostomy output. Being prepared and having some extra knowledge can help make a family dinner a success. If you have never looked into how food and your ostomy interact, you can check out this great Ostomy Nutrition Guide. Family Dinner with an Ostomy Survival Kit:

What Are Absorbent Ileostomy Gel Packets? Absorbent Ileostomy Gel Packs turn liquid output into a uniform gel. The small packets dissolve so you don't have to open them up, just place the packet inside your clean ostomy pouch. When the gel pack comes into contact with liquid output, it will cause the output to form into a gel. This makes the bag easier to drain and it is helps keep the output at the bottom of your bag. When your output is sloshing around inside your bag it can cause leaks because it will often clog up your filter. Absorbent gel packs combat this by dissolving quickly and forming a uniform consistency.

What is an Ostomy Wafer or Barrier? Ostomy wafers are the same thing as ostomy barriers. The ostomy barrier is the part of the appliance that goes against the skin and has a hole that fits around your stoma. The ostomy barrier is often called a flange, wafer, device, or appliance. An ostomy barrier sticks to the skin around your stoma by using adhesive. The skin around your stoma is called your "peristomal skin" and surrounds your stoma. The ostomy barrier goes around your stoma and protects your skin from stomal output. The ostomy barrier also allows your ostomy pouch to connect to your body.

Hollister, known for ostomy care innovation, has lowered their pricing on the CeraPlus line of ostomy systems. Now, the skin friendly and revolutionary ostomy supply is even easier on your wallet. The price for CeraPlus is now in line with Hollister's other ostomy supplies such as, New Image and Hollister Premier. If you were waiting to make the switch to CeraPlus, your patience has been rewarded. There is no longer a large price difference between CeraPlus and the other types of ostomy wafers and flanges Hollister carries. There is a lot of talk from Hollister that they will be updating many products with CeraPlus such as their Adapt barrier rings. As soon as they become available we will let you know what they are like and how they differ from the current Adapt rings. I am excited for these new products because the number one thing I hear from ostomates is how much time and effort they put into skin care. CeraPlus might be the answer.

What is a Urostomy? A urostomy is an opening in the stomach or abdominal wall that has been made so urine can be re-directed away from the bladder. The small opening is called a stoma, which will look like a colostomy or ileostomy stoma. This procedure is done when the bladder has been damaged due to disease, accident, or an issue at birth. The bladder would be removed or bypassed and the urostomy would serve to remove urine from the body. A urostomy pouch will need to be worn. Urostomy pouches differ from ostomy pouches, instead of a wide mouth opening a urostomy pouch has a drain valve that can be connected to tubing in order to connect to another urinary leg bag or a night drainage bag. The additional tubing and urinary bags would be used when you need to go a longer period of time between emptying your pouch, like when you are sleeping or traveling.

Convatec Eakin Cohesive Seals are designed to be worn around the stoma. The material is alcohol-free which means it won't sting when worn against damaged skin. The most common complaints people with an ostomy have is stomal skin problems and leaks. Eakin Seals help with both of those issues. The seal is soft and it is easy to mold around your stoma so no output comes in contact with your skin.They are water-proof and will not lose stickiness even when you are handling and molding the seal.

What is a Stoma? Stoma surgery results in a small opening on the surface of the abdomen being surgically created in order to alter the flow of feces and/or urine, often called, "stoma output". A stoma looks a lot like a small spout and because it does not have nerve endings it does not feel pain. A healthy stoma is deep red and it looks a lot like the inside of a healthy mouth. What is a Recessed Stoma? A stoma generally sticks out from the side of the abdomen this helps the output enter the pouch easier. However, sometimes the stoma is "recessed" or retracted. The stoma can be flush against the skin or just shorter than what is normally expected. This can cause problems because the opening of the stoma does not reach the inside of the ostomy pouch. This can cause the output to cover the skin around the stoma or go between the wafer and the pouch which can cause leaks and damage skin. What is a Convex wafer?

Tips for Eating with an Ostomy: Real people share what they have learned. What is a Colostomy? A colostomy is when a portion of the large intestine is by-passed or removed. The remaining functioning large intestine is brought through the abdominal wall which creates a stoma. People with a colostomy often use closed pouch systems.

Many people who have an ostomy are concerned about odors. They worry that people will be able to smell their ostomy pouch and it can make them feel self-conscience. I have spoken to people who feel so self-aware when it comes to their ostomy that they no longer feel comfortable going to parties or gatherings where they will be in close quarters with other people.

There are a lot of ostomy barriers on the market. There are many companies who say they make the best barriers. I have never felt that there was a significant difference between a lot of the barriers until I started reading about Hollister's new CeraPlus