OFFICERS President: Stan Baker 410-672-5219 958 Fall Ridge Way Gambrills, MD 21054

Vice President Paul Rossi Secretary Mary Keller Treasurer Lyn Rowell 410-672-6983

Webmaster: Janice Winters BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sandi Burnett Bob Keller OSTOMY ADVISERS: Joyce Onken BSN, RN, CWOCN Lead Inpatient Wound Ostomy Nurse AAMC

We’re on the Web! www.annearundelostomy.com Volume 46 Number 1 October 2018

Thank you Anne Arundel Medical Center for printing our newsletter.

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY MARYLAND OSTOMY ASSOCIATION, INC.

P.O. BOX 847 GAMBRILLS, MD 21054

Note: Meetings are held at 7pm, the first Thursday of each month at the Belcher Pavilion at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. From the 2nd floor of the parking garage take the entrance into the Belcher Pavilion and once inside take the elevator to the 7th floor and check with the desk for the room number.

If AA County Schools are closed due to inclement weather, there will be NO MEETING.

UPCOMING MEETINGS October 4th 2018

Presentation by Anne Arundel County Dept of Aging

DON’T FORGET WE START AT 7PM

The Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Ostomy Association, Inc. (AACOA) is a non-profit, volunteer-basedorganizationdedicatedtoprovidingreassuranceandemotionalsupportforpeoplewhohavehadorwillhavesomekindofostomysurgery,suchasacolostomy,ileostomy,urostomy(urinarydiversion)oracontinentprocedure.ThegoaloftheAACOAistoprovidemoralsupport,information,andeducationtopeoplewithostomiesandtheirfamiliesandfriends.MembersreceiveTheRamblingRosebudnewslettermonthly.DUESare$15pleasemakecheckouttoAACOAandmailtoAACOA,POBox847,GambrillsMD21054-1454

MembershipApplicationPleasePrint

FullName_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Last FirstM.I.Address:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________StreetAddress Apartment/Unit#_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City State ZipCodePhone:()DateofBirth:Gender:

EmailAddress_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reasonforsurgery:____Crohn’s____UlcerativeColitis_____Cancer_____Other__________________________

Emergencycontactifweareunabletoreachyou:______________________________________________________________________Whattypeofsurgeryhaveyouhad?

☐Colostomy ☐Urostomy ☐Spouse/FamilyMember☐Ileostomy ☐Parentofchildwith ☐Other(pleasespecify) Howdidyouhearaboutus?

☐InternetSearch ☐ET/WOCNNurse ☐Other ☐Hospital ☐Physician

2018-2019

“Waterproof Ostomy Protector”

Now Available at

Austin Pharmacy & Medical Supplies

Concerned about a wet pouch from a bath, shower or swimming? We are too! Now you have another option aside from having to change the pouch or dry it with a hair dryer. What a quality of life change!

The Dry Pro™ is an only ostomy protector with a watertight vacuum seal. It’s made of durable high quality surgical latex and is reusable.

The product is easy to use:

• Comes in different sizes • Slide on the Dry Pro™ • Pump all the air out • Go ahead and enjoy the water

For further information, call the Ostomy Team at 410-773-0300.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Colleen, Joan and Sue

Schedule Your Ostomy Consultation Today!

p. 410-773-0300 (x3) f. 410-773-0302

Austin Pharmacy & Medical Supplies Baltimore

6729 York Rd

Hunt Valley 10757 York Rd

October 2018 The Rambling Rosebud

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE On the day of our September meeting I received some sad news that Allyn Mellits who had served on our board for the past few years and who had been a regular attendee of our meetings, passed away. We appreciate Allyn’s support of our group and his willingness to share his experiences.

Our speaker last month was Jen Davis, one of the WOCNs at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Although we were very few in numbers she had a very informative presentation and answered questions. We really appreciate our WOCNs. We have two more speakers this year and then our holiday party in December. I hope you can come. We also made a group decision to cancel our January meeting.

You will soon see membership dues letters dropping in your mailbox. We really value your membership and your dues support the newsletter and assisting the mission of the group.

Stan

Items from this newsletter may be reprinted in other ostomy newsletters, provided proper credit is given as to source of material.

UPCOMING MEETINGS November – Charlie Black, AquaFit Physical Therapy December - Holiday Party January – NO MEETING

OSTOMY ADVISORS FOR STOMA HELP To consult with one of the ETs below, a physician’s referral is necessary and a fee will be charged. Call for an appointment.

BALTIMORE WASHINGTON HOSPITAL 410-787-4578

ANNE ARUNDEL MEDICAL CENTER Michelle Perkins, RN, BS, CWON

Jenn Davis, RN, BS, CWON Anne Fischer, RN, BS, CWON Joyce Onken, RN, BS, CWON

Sarah McClain, RN, BS, CWON Email ostomyRN@aahs.org

443-481-5508 / 443-481-5177 Private Consultants

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

The Ostomy Nurses at Austin Pharmacy 410-773-0300

No referral necessary ($40 consultative fee)

Our real blessings often appear to us in the shapes of pains, losses and disappointments; but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures - Joseph Addison.

THE MID-ATLANTIC’S LARGEST OSTOMY DEALER

We have a dedicated group of Ostomy Supply Service Professionals that are committed to keeping you in your active lifestyle. Northern Pharmacy and Medical Equipment has an attentive staff that cares about your quality of life. Make us your first step in getting back to life as it was meant to be. After all

“We’ve been here for over 75 years, there must be a reason!”

Our Ostomy Department provides a full range of comprehensive services and quality products from trusted brands you can rely on.

WE OFFER: x� Delivery anywhere in the United States x� Free delivery available x� Next day delivery is available x� Large inventory of ostomy & wound care

supplies in stock (we stock an inventory of over 5,000 boxes of supplies)

x� Customized hospital and clinic service plans available

x� In-house Medicare and insurance billing specialists

x� Personalized pharmacy/medical supply specialist available

x� Easy ordering by fax, phone, online, or in-person.

x� Toll Free 24 hour hotline x� Acceptance of all major credit cards

Northern Pharmacy and Medical Equipment 6701 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21234 Harford Rd & Northern Parkway www.NorthernPharmacy.com

SPEAK DIRECTLY TO OUR OSTOMY SUPPLY MANAGER: AARON SACCO Phone: (410) 254 2055 x260 Fax: (443) 740 9297 woc@northernpharmacy.com

October 2018 The Rambling Rosebud

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SEPTEMBER PRESENTATION BY OUR WOCN JEN DAVIS Lyn Rowell

Jen gave a presentation on Nutrition and the Ileostomate which included first reviewing the anatomy of the bowel and the different kinds of ostomies or internal pouches (such as J Pouch). After some discussion she did suggest that finding out how much bowel you have remaining as the location of your fecal ostomy affects the kind of output that it generates and whether you might have additional nutritional needs.

How can you find out how much intestine you have left? You can ask your gastroenterologist to order tests – this usually consists of drinking a contrast and then having a series of Xrays taken to see where it is over a period of time. This allows your doctor to figure out how much was left by the surgeon.

Reminding us that the function of the large intestine or bowel is to primarily absorb water, the shorter the intestine, the less fluid that is absorbed by the body. If your output has a mostly fluid consistency, then you’re at risk for dehydration especially in warmer weather.

Fluid and electrolytes need to be replaced carefully. The simplest is to drink Oral Rehydration Solution which mirrors the amounts of potassium, sodium and glucose naturally found in the blood.

She shared the following recipe:

1 liter water 2/3 teaspoon table salt 2 tablespoons sugar Sugar free Kool Aid or Crystal Light to taste

Mix to taste. Remember that if you drink a lot of liquid very quickly and you have a volume of output, you might actually make the problem worse by pushing salts and electrolytes out of the body. So if you are feeling very dehydrated then you might need to go to the ER for fluid replacement by IV.

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests: I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water. I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down

October 2018 The Rambling Rosebud

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the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only 1 check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

TO TELL OR NOT TO TELL Via mayoclinic.com/health

It's up to you to decide who to tell about your ostomy surgery. It may make sense to tell the people closest to you. These people may be worried about your recovery, and explaining your ostomy may ease their fears. Talking with loved ones is also a healthy way to cope with your emotions.

Acquaintances may be curious about why you've been away from work or know that you were in the hospital and ask about your illness.

Think ahead about what to say when questions arise. You could say you've had abdominal surgery or use another basic description without going into details if you're uncomfortable discussing your ostomy with people you don't know well.

Other people will need to know about your ostomy for practical purposes. If you don't have a desk or locker at work to store extra ostomy supplies, for instance, you might need to reveal some details of your ostomy to someone at work so that such arrangements can be made.

Some people keep their ostomy surgery private, and others prefer to tell anyone who asks. Who you tell is up to you, but you may find you're

more willing to discuss the details as you become more comfortable caring for your ostomy.

I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it

YOU CAN HIDE YOUR OSTOMY Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Via the Visitor, Portland Maine, and Inside Out – Winnipeg, Manitoba

To you, the ostomy bag attached to you is painfully obvious. When you look in the mirror, you notice the bag under your clothes. You might think every gurgle and noise coming from your stoma is loud and heard by everyone in the room.

Most people won’t notice your ostomy unless you tell them about it. As you get used to your ostomy, you’ll figure out tips and tricks to keep the bag hidden and the noises to a minimum. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Empty your ostomy bag when it gets to be one-third full. That way it won’t bulge under clothes.

Work with your ostomy nurse to find the ostomy pouching system that works best for you.

If you’re worried about the odor when emptying your ostomy bag, ask your ostomy nurse or visit your medical supply store for pouch deodorants or air sprays to minimize odor.

Ask a close friend or loved one whose opinion you trust whether your ostomy bag is visible under your clothes or if the sounds your ostomy makes are as loud as you think they are. Everyone’s body makes noises and produces odors from time to time. While it can be embarrassing, don’t let a fear of what could go wrong keep you from going about your day.

A.A.C.O.A. P.O. BOX 847 GAMBRILLS, MD 21054