OFFICERS President:

Paul Rossi 410-647-6171 268 Shakespeare Drive Severna Park, MD 21146

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dennis Fila Joan Gardner Ginny Gross Stan Baker Allyn Mellits

Vice President Stan Novack 410-255-6802 OSTOMY ADVISERS: Secretary Jamie Darr 410-987-0094 Treasurer Lyn Rowell 410-672-6983 Irene Repka, RN, BS, CWOCN Youth Rally Coordinator Melissa Blood Michelle Perkins, RN, BS. Webmaster: Janice Winters DIRECTOR EMIRITUS - Mary Lou Thomas, RN, BA, CWOCN

Were on the Web! www.annearundelostomy.com

Volume 39 Number 4 February 2013

February 7, 2013 March 7, 2013

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Dr. Zagula, Urologist Lisa Kahn - Convatec

Note: Regular meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month, at 7:30pm on the 7th floor of the new Health Science Building. Check with the 7th floor desk for the room number. See overleaf for directions. If AA County Schools are closed due to inclement weather, there will be no meeting.

A WORD OF THANKS for their constant support of our Chapter to: The American Cancer Society, especially the office in Gambrills, for essential help with our newsletter; and Anne Arundel Medical Center for providing rooms for our regular meetings and special events. We appreciate their support and assistance. NOTICES The display, description, demonstration or distribution of products at our meetings, or in the newsletter, or by the recommendation of a member of our Association, does not constitute an endorsement of that product by the AACOA. CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR or ET Nurse before using any products or methods published in the AACO newsletter or suggested by a member of the AACOA. Your own doctor or ET nurse provides medical advice that is best for you. Items from this newsletter may be reprinted in other ostomy newsletters, provided proper credit is given as to source of material.

OSTOMY ADVISORS FOR STOMA HELP We are fortunate to have available the services of Enterostomal Therapy Nurses serving our local area: To consult with one of them, a physicians referral is necessary and a fee will be charged. Call for an appointment. BALTIMORE WASHINGTON HOSPITAL Carol Canada RN, BSN, CWOCN 410-787-4578 ANNE ARUNDEL MEDICAL CENTER Michelle Perkins, RN, BS Kelly Heffron, BSN, CWOCN 443-481-5508

Private Consultants
Joan M. Sullivan, MAS, RN, CNA, CWOCN 410-932-7312

Directions to Health Science Building Anne Arundel Medical Center

From Annapolis and the Eastern Shore: Take Route 50 West to Jennifer Road exit (Exit 23A). Go through the traffic light onto Medical Parkway. From Baltimore: Take I-97 South to Route 50 East, to Parole exit (Exit 23). Turn right onto West Street then right onto Jennifer Road. Go approximately one mile, and turn left at traffic light onto Medical Parkway. From Washington DC: Take Route 50 East to Parole exit (Exit 23). Turn right onto West Street then right onto Jennifer Road. Go approximately one mile, and turn left at traffic light onto Medical Parkway. Alternate to I-97 from Crofton/Odenton area Take 178 South through Crownsville towards Annapolis. Turn left on Bestgate Road and then right on Medical Parkway. REMEMBER!!! The entrance to the medical center is FROM THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE PARKING GARAGE. Once inside the building you will be on its second floor take the elevators inside up to the 7th floor. When leaving, take the elevator the second floor and go through the doors onto the 2nd floor of the parking garage.

For those serving on the board, the next board meeting is March 18th at 7:30pm

TRANSPORTATION TO MONTHLY MEETINGS Some are not able to attend the monthly meetings because of transportation issues. Others may be able to give someone a ride. SO if you need help with transportation OR if you can help with transportation, please let us know by emailing us at webmaster@annearundelostomy.com. Please put MEETING TRANSPORTATION in the subject line. Please include your street address and city in your email we are trying to match up individuals with others in the same area. We cannot promise to be able to get you a ride, but we will try.

February 2013

The Rambling Rosebud

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE Dr Zagula, a urologist, is our scheduled speaker for February. Even if you don't have a urostomy, Dr Zagula can answer questions about prostate health and bladder problems. The doctor is taking time after a busy day to speak to us. We can show our appreciation with a large audience. If you have a topic you think would be of interest or if you have a doctor or other health professional that would be willing to speak at one of our meetings, please let me know.

The 4th Annual UOAA National Conference will be held in Jacksonville Florida this August. It will include educational workshops, panels, exhibits, a stoma clinic and speakers. Were including a flyer from the UOAA about it. The registration form is available on their website (www.uoaa.org). Paul Dont forget our meeting cancellation policy if the Anne Arundel County Schools are closed either for the day or if evening activities are cancelled, we will NOT have a meeting that night.
I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How the World Sees You

Via Southern MD UOA

The world sees us as we see ourselves. If someone with a problem feels embarrassed, the problem may not show but the embarrassment will, and others will feel it for them. If you are happy and cheerful and respect yourself, the people you meet will respond to your mood. Your stoma does not make who you are. It does not show. An attitude of withdrawal turns people off. The solution? Forget about yourself and get interested in the other person. You may find that person has greater problems than you do, and you may be so intent on helping that you will forget your own problems.

Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Join Us in Jacksonville
2013 National Conference Info Blitz
CONFERENCE & HOTEL REGISTRATION We are excited to announce that Registration is Now Open! Information for both is below. You can now register online or by phone. We recommend your travel days to be August 6th and August 11th. Conference Registration: Cost of Registration: o $125 individual o $75 spouse/companion o $25 Children 5-17 o FREE for children under 5. o $50 Saturday night Banquet Only Call: 1.800.826.0826 Online: http://goo.gl/gcrHp

Hotel Registration: $99 night, plus tax (rate guaranteed only until July 12, 2013) o Special rate is good for 3 days before and after the conference. Online: http://goo.gl/vFYJX Call: 888.421.1442. Mention United Ostomy Associations of America Parking: $10 for self park $20 for valet Airport Transportation: Taxi Cab flat rate is $29.00 o Call 904.493.5229 Go Shuttle o http://goairportshuttle.com Super Shuttle o http://www.supershuttle.com/Locations/JAXAirportShuttleJacksonville.aspx

www.ostomy.org

SEIZE THE

1 (800) 826-0826

February 2013

The Rambling Rosebud Different types of ostomy surgery may result in impotency and/or sterility. Ones sexuality need not depend on ones capacity to perform sexually. There are many forms of sexual expression. Ones sexuality depends on how one views himself. Ostomates want to share and help others as well as maintain their own personal space. They may not wish to discuss their surgery with everyone. It is up to each person to decide who knows about his surgery. In the beginning, an ostomate may feel that everyone knows, but this is not the case. Participating in an ostomy support group does not need to invade the individual patients privacy. His wishes will be respected by the group. It is perfectly all right for an ostomate not to tell everybody he has had ostomy surgery, as long as this doesnt progress into hiding at home to avoid facing reality. Remember every day there are new ostomates who could use your help. BEING PREPARED ISNT JUST FOR BOYSCOUTS
Lyn Rowell

THE OSTOMATE AS A TOTAL PERSON

by:Albert Lyons, M.D., Dallas TX. Via: Des Moines IA, Evansville Ostomy News

The ostomate as a total person includes the worker, the family member, the social being, the sexual being, and the physically active being. To achieve this totality after surgery, the ostomate needs doctors, nurses, ET, friends, family, and his own individual will, to become a total person. A proper mixture of optimism and realism is needed. Some modifications may be needed in ones lifestyle. Its all right to be upset by this drastic change, but it depends on how well this mixture is worked out, whether the person adjusts well or not. Ostomy support groups can help with this. Right after surgery, most people feel like a small person attached to a large stoma. Everything seems to revolve around this stomadaily care, adjustments, even the simplest of movements. As days go by, the ostomate begins to feel once more like a person, this time with a stoma. Adjustment has begun. This may take a long or a short time, depending on the person. Anger and depression after ostomy surgery is perfectly natural. Becoming a trained visitor is one of the best ways for the ostomate to adapt to his own surgery, as well as being helpful and providing support to a new ostomate. Each visit helps reinforce the visitors own attitude toward his situation, while providing positive reinforcement for a new patient. The spouse, or another family member, can be present when things are explained to the patient. They will all be involved and should be included. The family also requires some adjusting to the ostomy surgery. Questions can be answered privately if needed. Most people have some difficulty in making changes in lifestyle or body image. This is to be expected. However, if progress is not made in a reasonable time frame, then psychiatric help may be needed. If a relationship can be established with a counselor before surgery, it can help the ostomate make a smoother transition to his new life after surgery. Of course, this situation is not always possible, as some surgeries are done in an emergency with no prior knowledge of the illness.

I had surgery in 1992 as a result of Ulcerative Colitis which I had been diagnosed with 13 years earlier. The illness is characterized by sudden bouts of diarrhea and pain that can lead individuals to limit their activities. Subsequent surgeries were required leaving me with an ostomy that had a high volume of output. Since we are counseled to empty the pouch when it is 1/3rd to full, that means emptying about every hour for me. So naturally, being a bit of a worrier, I worried about what would happen if I needed to empty but was not able to get to a bathroom for instance if I got stuck in a traffic jam (a very real possibility in this area). Then one day I read an article by a woman who shared what she did in order to continue to go camping with the girl scouts. She said that she had a concern about needing to empty when there were few bathrooms with lots of girls wanting to use them too. She said she decided to empty her pouch in the privacy of her tent she took ziplock bags, trash bags, toilet paper, hand wipes and sanitzer. She emptied the waste into the ziplock bag, then disposed of it in a dark colored trash bag, along with the used paper and

February 2013

The Rambling Rosebud OSTOMY SUPPLIES Occasionally you may end up with some boxes of unused supplies and now you are wondering what to do with the old supplies. You have options. First option Take them to your local support group meeting. Some one else in the group might be using that product. Second option - Send them to Friends of Ostomates Worldwide (FOW) USA. They ship them to countries that are in need of ostomy supplies. They will accept open packages provided the supplies are bagged and labeled with item name, size and manufacturer. Remember, no expired supplies or liquids. Send them to: FOW-USA 4018 Bishop Lane Louisville, KY 40218 (www.fowusa.org) (info@fowusa.org) ********************************************** Third Option Send them to Osto-Group. They are a non profit organization that provides donated ostomy supplies to uninsured ostomates in the US. Send them to: Stephanie S. Sullivan Osto-Group 15070 Corporate Road N Jupiter, FL 33478 Tel: 877/678-6690 Fax: 561/627-3686

wipes. Then she was able to just put it in the trash dumpster outside of the camp. I realized here was the answer to my concerns and started to keep bags, wipes and sanitizer on hand when I was away from home or going on a journey. Happily for me, it was all theory. Then unfortunately, just before Christmas I got to test the theory. I was travelling with my husband on the beltway around DC one evening when we got stuck after an accident occurred blocking all lanes. After sitting for some time I could tell my pouch was getting fullI kept wondering how much longer it would be before we started moving and whether we would be able to get to a bathroom soon. As time went by, I had to make a decision if I waited too long and the pouch got too full, it would be more difficult to empty it. But if I emptied while in the car, perhaps wed start moving again and it would have been unnecessary. Did you know that worrying and fretting seems to increase your digestive output? Well it seems to do that for me! I figured Id best get it over with thankfully it was dark so no one around me was aware of what was going on! However, this meant I couldnt see too clearly!! Thankfully I successfully emptied my pouch without incident. I did learn a couple of things from this experience: 1. Being prepared really does help in a tough situation! 2. When its dark and your ziplock bag is now full, its much simpler if you have a bag with the slide zip to seal it rather than the kind where you line up the two sides and press them together. I hope I never have to use my emergency facilities again but at least I know that the theory can successfully be put into practice.

Anne Arundel County Ostomy Association

Membership Application Please Print Full Name ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Last First M.I. Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address Apartment/Unit # _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip Code Phone: ( ) Date of Birth: Gender: Email Address _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Reason for surgery: ____ Crohns ____Ulcerative Colitis _____ Cancer _____ Other__________________________ Emergency contact if we are unable to reach you: ______________________________________________________________________ To help us complete our records, please answer the following: What type of surgery have you had? Colostomy Ileostomy Finance Program Internet Search Hospital Urostomy Parent of child with Hospitality Refreshments ET/WOCN Nurse Physician Spouse/Family Member Other (please specify) Membership Sunshine Other

I would like to help with the following committee(s) or activities:

Newsletter Visiting

How did you hear about us?

The Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Ostomy Association, Inc. (AACOA) is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization dedicated to providing reassurance and emotional support for people who have had or will have some kind of ostomy surgery, such as a colostomy, ileostomy, urostomy (urinary diversion) or a continent procedure. The goal of the AACOA is to provide moral support, information, and education to people with ostomies and their families and friends. Members receive The Rambling Rosebud newsletter monthly. Please complete the form and send along with your check in the amount of $15 payable to AACOA c/o Stan Baker 958 Fall Ridge Way Gambrills MD 21054-1454 Membership benefits include Monthly meetings Monthly newsletter Support information Social Events

Email any comments or questions to webmaster@annearundelostomy.com Please visit our website at www.annearundelostomy.com