Features

Purple Wings: supporting ostomates and promoting ostomy awareness

Lauren Henderson recalls how the Purple Wings charity began helping people with a stoma regain confidence and self-esteem

Holding my chin up with my guts out

Sonja Nye recalls how she has kept a positive attitude through her journey from ulcerative colitis to a permanent stoma

Be happy—I am

Yvonne Haines tells how getting a permanent colostomy and learning to irrigate has transformed her life for the better

Taking care of the skin around your stoma

Lisa Hall provides a guide to looking after peristomal skin, keeping it clean and knowing when to seek advice on solving problems and using the right accessories

Surviving bowel cancer: so you’ve got a stoma

Jennie Burch covers what you need to know if you have an ostomy formed as part of surgery for colorectal cancer

Healthy eating with a stoma: a guide to food, diet and nutrition

Renata Batas reveals how a balanced diet can keep you healthy and hydrated and a few small changes to what you eat can keep your stoma under control

Prescription problems: NHS formularies and their effect on ostomates

Nathan Wheeler shares how NHS cost-saving restrictions affected his stoma care prescription and how he makes sure he gets all the stoma products he needs

Sex after surgery: getting intimate when you have an ostomy

Shelley Lawes discusses the role of open communication and body confidence in fulfilling sexual relationships for people with a stoma

My stoma-friendly wedding

Gemma Evans describes how she made her marriage ceremony inclusive for people with an ostomy or inflammatory bowel disease

Ostomy online: loving yourself

Sahara Fleetwood-Beresford reports from the online stoma community on the value of self-care for achieving self-confidence

Breaking up, an analogy

Luciana Podschun recalls the most difficult decision of her life