Nadine Coyle from Girls Aloud Stands Up to the Neg...

After all the controversy in the Ostomy community from the conclusion of Grey’s Anatomy, someone far different in the Entertainment industry has popped up on the radar about Ostomy.

“Girls Aloud” is something I’ve never heard of before, but it’s an English/Irish girl band who formed on a British TV show called Popstars: The Rivals, which doesn’t seem too far different from “American Idol”.

One of their singers, Nadine Coyle, has a unique connection to Ostomy, and she intends to do something to combat the negative stigma surrounding Ostomy surgery, and the life-changing decisions involved with choosing to have Ostomy surgery.

According to the BBC article, Nadine’s close friend, a hair stylist, had Ostomy surgery in January, bring the negative stigma of the surgery to her attention.

Nadine has teamed up with Vanilla Blush, founded by Ostomate Nicola Dames who designs and models lingerie for women with stomas. Vanilla Blush aims to end the negative stigmas that women with ostomy surgery can’t be sexy or comfortable in their own skin! A quote from Nadine sums it up:

“I was amazed at the negative connotations that surrounds people with a stoma and also shocked at the lack of exposure in the mainstream media. This is one taboo which I am right on board in helping to smash.”

Nadine will be a celebrity spokesperson for Vanilla Blush and will appear in a nursing conference in Arizona. Here is her Twitter page.

Interesting Ostomy Products You May Not Have Seen ...

Most vendors of ostomy products provide pouches, wafers, adhesives, pastes, and even some skin products. But, there’s a whole collection of Ostomy products developed by creative and entrepreneurial ostomates who have sought extra convenience, discreetness, and safety.

Here are a collection of some of the products you may not have seen in stores:

Ostomy Armor – Ostomy Armor is a waist belt with a left or right-sided protective shield that fits over the stoma and pouch to protect it. It’s perfect for those who move a lot, preventing pouch punctures, leaks, blowouts, etc. OstomyArmor.com also sells Kevlar and Carbon Fiber pouched covers, so if you ever take a bullet, you’ll probably want it aimed at your Stoma.

My Heart Ties - Attractive, feminine ostomy pouch covers for women. These slip over an Ostomy pouch to make it look less “medical” and more “accessory”.

Ostaway X-Bag Disposable Bags – There are probably other opaque baggies similar to this made for diapers and such, but it’s an easy way to dispose of used Ostomy appliances discreetly and quickly if you’re in public. These baggies are leak-proof, help keep odors contained, and will fit the ostomy appliances of major brands.

Stomico Ostomy Wafer Pliers – If you’re cutting your own ostomy wafers, or cutting them for your patients, you can quickly and easily get a perfect cut with Stomico’s ostomy pliers and changeable cutting discs that measure between 17mm and 43mm.

Ostomy EZ Clean - EZ Clean is a system that fits to your home or apartment’s water supply. It attaches to a drainable Ostomy pouch to flush and clean it out quickly through a tap installed on the top. EZ Clean helps make cleaning out pouches easier, faster and more sanitary.

Osto-EZ-Vent – EZ-Vent is a pouch vent that can be installed on most ostomy pouches, designed for quick controlled relief of gas from an Ostomy pouch without removing it. It lasts for the lifetime of the pouch. (It also works on stoma caps and esophageal fistula pouches.)