ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

MARYLAND
OSTOMY ASSOCIATION, INC.
P.O. BOX 847
GAMBRILLS, MD 21054

OFFICERS
President:

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

Vice President Stan Novack

Secretary
Jamie Darr
Treasurer
Lyn Rowell
Webmaster: Janice Winters

410-255-6802
410-987-0094
410-672-6983

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dennis Fila
Joan Gardner
Ginny Gross
Stan Baker
Allyn Mellits
OSTOMY ADVISERS:
Irene Repka, RN, BS, CWOCN
Michelle Perkins, RN, BS.

Were on the Web! www.annearundelostomy.com

Volume 41

Number 3

December 2014

Please Come to our Annual Holiday Party!

Date and Time: Thursday December 4th at 7:30pm

Location: Belcher Building at Anne Arundel Medical Center
Bring: favorite treat to share and enthusiasm
Optional Gift Exchange for those wishing to participate (gift value under $10)

Note: Meetings are held at 7:30pm, 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 7th floor desk
for the room number.
If AA County Schools are closed due to inclement weather, there will be no
meeting.
NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO MEETING
IN JANUARY

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. DUES are $15 please make check out to
AACOA and mail to Stan Baker, 958 Fall Ridge Way, Gambrills MD 21054-1454

2014-2015

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: ______________________________________________________________________
What type of surgery have you had?
Colostomy
Ileostomy

Urostomy
Parent of child with

Spouse/Family Member
Other (please specify)

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

Finance
Program

Membership
Sunshine

Newsletter
Visiting

How did you hear about us?

Internet Search
Hospital

Other

Hospitality
Refreshments
ET/WOCN Nurse
Physician

OSTOMY ADVISORS FOR STOMA HELP
To consult with one of the ETs below, 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, CWON

Email: mperkins@aahs.org

Laura Alberico-Klug, RN, BSN, CWON
Email: lalbericok@aahs.org

443-481-5508
/ 442-481-5187

A WORD OF THANKS for their constant support of our

Chapter to: Anne Arundel Medical Center for providing
rooms for our regular meetings and special events. We
appreciate their support and assistance.

Items from this newsletter may be reprinted in

other ostomy newsletters, provided proper credit
is given as to source of material
REMEMBER!!! The entrance to the Belcher Pavilion 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 January 19th at 7:30pm

Fax: 443-481-5198

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

Live Well Live Independent Live Active

Happy Holidays!
'Tis the season for favorite things. Here are some of ours:
Nancy, our Licensed Nurse Practitioner, treasurers holistic therapy and
loves moist heat products. Our herbal moist heat wraps are
microwaveable and fabulous for any part of the body.

Colleen Simpson
BSN, RN, CWON

Theresa, our seasoned compression specialist of 25 years, loves the

Sockwell line. These therapeutic socks are designed for all day wear
or traveling. They are the solution to minimizing tired feel and legs
and maximizing circulation. They are made from renewable wool
raised locally.
My favorite product for this year is Medihoney. This calcium alginate
dressing has 95% active leptospermum honey which helps maintain a
moist environment conducive to wound healing.
Come in to find other holiday favorites including light therapy,
massage rollers and a full line of relaxing foot and back care products.
May you and yours enjoy the Holiday Season!
Colleen

TOWSON

HUNT VALLEY

6729 York Road

Baltimore, MD 21212

Toll Free: 1-855-AUSTMED

Phone: 410-377-5300
Fax: 410-377-5302

M-F 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Sat 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

10757 York Road

Cockeysville, MD 21030
Phone: 410-773-0300
Fax: 410-773-0301

December 2014

The Rambling Rosebud

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
This month our meeting is our annual holiday social. This is an evening to socialize and enjoy some
good food so please bring a dish to share. Also, back by popular demand is our OPTIONAL gift
exchange but you dont need to participate to have fun. Gifts should be under $10 and marked male
or female if necessary.
If you are looking to make some tax deductible donations before 2014 comes to an end, look no
further as an affiliated group of the UOAA, donations to the group are tax deductible.
Also, please note that our first meeting for 2015 will be in February there will not be a January
meeting since it would fall on January 1st.
Paul

Love Your Liver

American Liver Foundation (via Metro Wash By-Pass
& GB News Review & Green Bay Area

Why should anyone want to? you may ask.
Well the answer is simple. The liver is where
iron reserves are stored, as well as many vitamins
and minerals. The liver makes the bile that you
use in digesting the food you eat. Your liver
detoxifies all of the poisons which you put in the
your body, including alcohol, many over the
counter, - and even illegal drugs.
Your liver is where carbohydrates, glucose, and
fast are stored until you need them. Your liver
manufactures blood that circulates throughout
your body, and it makes proteins which enable
your body to grow.
Your liver removes air
pollutants that are not removed by the respiratory
system. The liver is responsible for the clotting
mechanism which keeps you from bleeding to
death when you cut a finger or nick yourself
while shaving. It helps the body to defend itself
against germs which otherwise cause serious
illness. In all, the American Liver Foundation
has a good case for suggesting that you love your
liver, with this advice:
1. Dont drown your liver in alcohol. Be on
the safe side by consuming no more than
one or two drinks a day.
2. Watch those drugs which you consume.
Drugs are chemicals, and while medicine is

sometimes needed, unnecessary

popping is a bad habit.

pill

3. Watch. Be careful with aerosol sprays.

Since the liver detoxifies what you breath
in, be aware that it must work overtime
when fumes from sprays and other
chemicals get into your lungs.
4. Watch what gets on your skin. The
insecticides you spray on your lawn and
vegetables can get to your liver via the
skin. Wear protective clothing to minimize
contact with skin.
5. There is danger in intimate contact.
Hepatitis viruses live in body fluids and can
be transmitted by intimate contact. Your
liver can deal with most viruses but
hepatitis viruses can be troublesome.
6. Dont eat too many fatty foods. Since the
liver makes cholesterol from saturated fats,
eating too much will increase your
cholesterol level.

HINTS
If your appliance doesnt stick well, are you
applying it right? Skin must be perfectly dry to
hold the appliance. Also, oily products such as
Vitamin E lotions and some soaps can cause the
faceplate to loosen and fall off.

THE MID-ATLANTICS 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

Weve 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:
Delivery anywhere in the United States
Free delivery available
Next day delivery is available
Large inventory of ostomy & wound care
supplies in stock (we stock an inventory of
over 5,000 boxes of supplies)
Customized hospital and clinic service
plans available
Northern Pharmacy and Medical Equipment
6701 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21234
Harford Rd & Northern Parkway
www.NorthernPharmacy.com

In-house Medicare and insurance billing

specialists
Personalized pharmacy/medical supply
specialist available
Easy ordering by fax, phone, online, or
in-person.
Toll Free 24 hour hotline
Acceptance of all major credit cards

SPEAK DIRECTLY TO OUR OSTOMY SUPPLY

MANAGER: KEITH CAPPS
Phone: (410) 254 2055 x249 Fax: (443) 740 9297
kcapps@northernpharmacy.com

November 2014

The Rambling Rosebud

About Colostomies
Via Philadelphia (PA) Journal via Oklahoma City
(OK) Ostomy News & Stillwater-Ponca City (OK)
Ostomy Outlook May 2002

There are several types of colostomies. The word

"colostomy" means to create a new opening in
the colon for stool to pass through. A stoma is
the opening on the abdominal wall for the
colostomy.
The location of the stoma defines what type of
colostomy a person has. An Ascending
Colostomy is on the right side of the abdomen
and is made from the upward (ascending) portion
of the colon. The stool is usually semi-soft to
liquid.
Bowel movements usually occur shortly after a
meal. The pouch should fit well around the stoma
without any skin showing. Stool will irritate any
skin that is exposed. If skin shows between the
stoma and pouch opening, a pouch with a smaller
stomal opening is needed or the skin should be
protected with paste.
A Transverse Colostomy is on the upper part of
the abdomen and can be located anywhere along
the horizontal (transverse) portion of the colon.
The stool is usually soft to slightly formed.
Usually a bowel movement will occur a few
hours after a meal. Again, the pouch must fit well
to prevent skin from being irritated by stool.
A Sigmoid Colostomy is on the lower left side of
the abdomen and is made from the downward
(descending) portion of the colon. The stool is
usually soft to firm.
After a period of time a person's bowel
movements may occur at about the same time of
day as they did before surgery. People with
sigmoid colostomies usually have a choice of
whether or not to irrigate. An irrigation is an
enema given through the stoma to help the colon
have a bowel movement at a certain time of day.
Whether or not a person irrigates is that person's
choice, depending on how regular bowel
movements were before surgery. Irrigation is not

painful but needs to be done on a regular

schedule to train the bowel with a new habit.
Regardless of what type of colostomy a person
has, once strength is regained, they may return to
a normal day's activities. Having a colostomy
will not handicap anyone in any way as long as
they manage the colostomy instead of letting it
manage them.
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 stoma
daily 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
6

November 2014

The Rambling Rosebud

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.
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.

Pouch Changes How Often

via Green Bay (WI) GB News Review &
Seattle (WA) Ostomist
This question is among those most frequently
asked, particularly by ileostomates and urostomy
patients. Like many other questions, there is no
one answer that applies to all ostomates.
An informal survey revealed that people change
their appliances as much as 3 times a day, and as
infrequently as every 2 to 4 weeks. Obviously,
there must be reasons for this great variation.
After pointing out that the great majority of
ileostomy and urostomy patients change in the
range of once daily to once a week, let us explore
some of the reasons. People on either side of this
spectrum can have a skin problem or skin which
is nearly indestructible. Some of the reasons for
the variation in time between changes include:
Stoma length: A short stoma exposes the
adhesive material to moisture which decreases
wearing time.
Amount or consistency of effluent: Profuse
effluent tends to loosen the seal.
Skin Type: Moist or oily skin tends to decrease
adhesion time.
Skin Irritation: Decreases adhesion. The
appliance should be changed more frequently to
evaluate the success of your attempts to heal the
skin.
Experience: Good technique, such as allowing
glue (adhesive) to dry well, increases adhesion.
Personal Experience: Preferences, convenience
and odor control.

A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the
lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the
manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why? they
asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting
in an open foyer."
7