Can we make a pact?

As a future J-Poucher (if all goes well), I use the word bag for my ostomy and pouch for my j-pouch. It's the easy way that I can differentiate without a long and difficult explanation. I have no issues with the word bag in addition to the fact that it's the word that non-ostomates are familiar with. It's plastic and like Shaz said - it holds stuff - sounds like a bag to me. However, I will do my best to respect your wishes and refer to it as a pouch when I post.

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Ducridr - 36 - female

Diagnosed w/ severe pancolitis 11/20/2007
Asacol - 6 (400mg) 2x/day, Xifaxin 2 (200mg) 2x/day, Prednisone 15 mg (started at 40mg Nov 08 - off June 09), multi-vitamin, calcium and vit d supplement, potassium supplement, B-12 supplement, Junel FE (BCP),metamucil capsule (1/day) Coumadin (for blood clot) 5mg/day, 1st Remicade treatment 2/4/2009, 2nd - 2/18/09. Currently getting Remicade every 4 weeks.

J-Pouch surgery #1 of 3 on 8/21/2009!!!
Surgery #2 scheduled for 1/4/2010

Post Edited (ducridr) : 12/15/2009 9:14:38 AM (GMT-7)

And so do pouches!!!  Hey, I don't expect people to change their vernacular for my sake.......do it for our sake!!!  The word "bag", as in "colostomy bag" has been used over and over and over, with such negative connotations by ignorant morons time and again.  As I said in a previous post, it even says pouch on the box!  After recieving my ostomy, my ET nurse corrected me when I used the "b" word, and the local ostomy association that I used to belong to also corrected those that used the "b" word.  I've been conditioned to use the word "pouch".  The "b" word repulses me, as it should you as well.

Actually, the USA Ostomy Associations would now prefer we call it a prosthetic due to problems getting insurance companies to cover ostomy products. They're trying to get insurance companies to recognise our bags, pouches, etc as a prosthetic (as in some people have a prosthetic limb, we have a prosthetic bowel) so they will cover them.

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Ileostomy for 33 years due to UC

Moderator of the Ostomy and Psoriasis Forums
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I'm not a complete idiot - some parts of me are missing!

With all of the issues we have to deal with now we're gonna get all PC with the terminology? For crying out loud people.... I say let's agree that we can each call our "?????" a bag, a pouch, or whatever the he** we want.

Until recently I had not been to this site for a couple of years. During the last few months of me coming here a one off experience I had here made me feel like I was such a bad person. I was shot down in flames for using the B word. In the same post that I had used the B word I had made an attempt at some humor too. I had used humor to try and make the situation we were all in (Having an Ostomy) to try and show the new or about to become new Ostomates that having an Ostomy doesn't in most case have to be seen as a negative thing and that regardless of our individual situations we were still People with individual personalities and we could still enjoy life and have fun. The person that responded to my post responded in a very negative way and made me feel like I must be stupid to refer to the pouch as a B and that I should know better.

The person that had responded to me in that way also said something extremely hurtful to me about the fact that I had used "baglady' as my forum name, insinuating that maybe that must be what I am(Someone living on the streets etc) I tried to not take those words too personally due to the other member possibly misunderstanding my intentions plus the fact I realised that they may be having a tough time with illness or ostomy or whatever at the time and were lashing out and I happened to get in the way.

I live in England and I have always used the word bag because thats what it was called in hospital, my Ostomy nurse used the term and I felt and do still feel comfortable with it.

vette guy, In your reply to Shaz you said..... " The "b" word repulses me, as it should you as well" .... Although I respect your opinion and feelings towards the word I can not agree that 'WE 'SHOULD' ALL' find the word repulsive because the reality is that many of us don't find it repulsive and if thats how we feel about it then thats just the way it is.

On saying that I do respect your opinion and I will keep that in my mind when I post but I am not going to promise never to use the word again because no doubt I will use it without thinking sometimes because it is natural for me as I am so used to it.

The capitals by the way were not me shouting I was usuing them as a highlight ;-)

Suzy (I tried changing forum name to just Suzy but it wouldn't let me so I have to be Suzy2 lol.

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Post Edited (Suzy (used to be known as bag lady)) : 5/21/2010 2:21:19 AM (GMT-6)