A Bigger Life

JOURNEY STAGE

IT'S A START

Bringing comfort and clarity to the what, why and how of an impending ostomy surgery.

NEW WAY FORWARD

The first 90 days. Helping hand, with you through recovery, adjustment and easing back into being and feeling yourself.

TO A BIGGER LIFE

Settling in. Support, ideas, encouragement and experiences all on offer. Lifetime members welcome!

Introducing: A Bigger Life Community

We have developed a new ostomy community on abiggerlife.com to create the opportunity to connect with other ostomates, clinical advisors and share experiences about living with a stoma.

Video: Living a bigger life with an ostomy

We’re here for anyone around the world whose life has been touched by a stoma, offering support, advice and encouragement. Whether you have impending ostomy surgery or you’ve been an ostomate for 50 years!

Keith

A positive outlook makes anything possible

I’m lying here tonight and I’m so thankful for our wonderful NHS. Just over seven years ago a surgeon skillfully removed my colitis ravaged bowel and gave me a stoma for life. It’s a quality of life I could only have dreamed of when I was so ill.

Clare

Weighing the pros and cons of revision surgery

I have a very irregular shape to the base of my stoma and I have always had trouble cutting the wafer hole correctly. If I manage it the odd time, I need it to be placed absolutely correctly. How does everyone else manage who have strange shapes? I know that I need further surgery for stoma revision but am quite anxious about the outcome. I have some pros for stoma revision but also a few cons.

Andy

Needing the toilet when you are out and about

At some point after the birth of your stoma, you will want to venture outdoors – it’s totally natural and expected that you will be anxious about being too far away from a toilet. A public convenience can often have small cubicles, making changing, emptying or cleaning up difficult. Here are a couple of options for anyone in the UK that might help you feel more confident when you are out and about.

A safe and welcoming space for ostomates,
friends, family and
caregivers to easily connect
with others.
Join our community now.

Latest Articles

Lauraine Clarke

Say NO to Dr. Google!

Google is great for many things but if, like me, you have anxiety issues, I would strongly repeat what my consultant said 35 years ago, leave the doctoring to the doctors.

Frequently asked questions about stoma support belts and hernia belts

There are many questions surrounding stoma support and hernia belts, we have created a handy guide to answer the most popular questions to give you a little bit more guidance.

Ways to obtain your stoma supplies

There are various ways to obtain your stoma supplies after you are settled on your prescription on your appliances. Here are the common to way to obtain your supplies.

Dealing with liquid stoma output

The output from your stoma can vary over the course of days, weeks and months. We have a few tips for you if your output becomes very loose.

Caitlin

Don’t forget to look after yourself!

Getting a stoma for many people will mean the end of extreme pain and illness, so it can be easy to forget that you still need to look after yourself.

Clare Mee

How friends and family can help after stoma surgery

As a friend or family member it is also important to stay positive for your loved one after stoma surgery, let them know how well they are doing.

Looking after your abdominal muscles following stoma surgery

Your abdominal muscles are important to look after, especially in the first 6-8 weeks following your surgery. Here are a few ways to protect your abdominal muscles after stoma surgery.