CAPITAL REGION OSTOMY ASSOCIATION

 YOUR CAPITAL AREA OSTOMY SUPPORT GROUP FOR OVER 70 YEARS!

WWW.CAPITALREGIONOSTOMYASSOCIATION.COM

Email: CapitalRegionOstomyAssociation@gmail.com

American Cancer Society – Hope Club   1 Penny Drive, Latham, NY 12110

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IN PERSON Meeting at Hope Club in Latham

April 13 , 2023, 7 PM

Guest Speaker

Mary Bagnoli

Transportation and Safety Administration

Albany International Airport

Mary Bagnoli from the Albany Airport TSA unit will join us again to answer questions about the needs for an enhanced license/ REAL ID for travel.  A regular driver license will no longer be a valid form of identification to board a plane after May 7, 2025. She will also share the TSA  procedures that might impact those with ostomies during entry screening and highlight what TSA is doing to improve the identification step for passengers and TSA officers.

NOTICE

We will pull out the ostomy supplies from the storage area this evening. Our goal is to see what we have, pull any outdated supplies, and organize and inventory what we have. Over the past few years the needs for extra ostomy supplies has dwindled. If you need, or if you know someone else in need of, ostomy supplies, please let us know. Excess supplies, or those close to expiry, will be donated to the Veterans Miracle Center in Albany.

If you would like to participate in our group, or would like more information, please contact us via email or the American Cancer Society Hope Club at (518) 220-6960 or contact Phyllis Gibbons at (518) 371-8368 or Karl Popp at (518) 265-8960.

Sometimes Patients Simply Need Other Patients

Coming Soon ………  In the May newsletter look for a “Get to Know Me” column. We are please to provide a closer look at the supplier representatives for our area. They are our go to contacts for our direct to the vendor ostomy product support.

MAY 11 MEETING will be a ZOOM CONFERENCE CALL WITH OUR OSTOMY PRODUCT VENDORS, COLOPLAST, CONVATEC, AND HOLLISTER, PROVIDING INSIGHT TO NEW PRODUCTS AND HOW THEIR COMPANY SUPPORTS OSTOMY PATIENTS. More details will be provided in the May meeting announcement.

Association News

Our first in person meeting was held on March 9. While the gathering was small in numbers, the discussion left us all leaving with new information and smiles.

We have completed the necessary Form 990N filing with the IRS to maintain our Federal tax exempt status. This is an annual requirement.

Hope Club is now open to visitors on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday each week. The phone is answered daily.

Hope House Programs: Should you have interest in any Hope Club Program, please call Hope Club at 518-220-6964.

Calendar of Meetings

Our April13 meeting will be held at the Hope Club in Latham at 7 PM. Our guest speaker for the evening is Mary Bagnoli from Albany Airport TSA. Come share and learn !

February 9 Zoom Conference Call               Joni Richter, ACS Hope House	July 13 Meeting at Hope Club Round Table Discussion by Ostomy Type
March 9  – Meeting at ACS Hope Club Round Table Discussion by Ostomy Type	August – No Meeting
April 13 Meeting at Hope Club                 Speaker – Mary Bagnoli Transportation and Safety Administration Albany International Airport	September 14 Meeting at Hope Club Aja Levenson, LMSW New York Oncology -Hematology (NYOH)
May 11 Zoom Conference Call               Ostomy Vendor Presentations Coloplast, Convatec, and Hollister	October 12 Zoom Conference Call  Ostomy Distributors Presentations Byram Healthcare and Edgepark
June 8 Meeting at Hope Club               Kristen Hazelton-Hardy, WOCN Casey Gebhardt, WOCN Albany Medical Center Hospital	Nov 9 Meeting at Hope Club Round Table Discussion by Ostomy Type
	December – No Meeting

Dues or donations

For the past 3 years the CROA has not asked for members for financial support. This year we are asking those chose to remit $10 dues, or some like to call it a donation, to offset copy and mailing expenses, website maintenance fees and a donation to our host sponsor, Hope Club. Please send your check to: James Brady, Treasurer CROA, 33 Farley Drive, Rensselaer, NY 12144. Thanks.

If you wish to remain on, or be deleted from, our mailing list, please call Diane Viglucci at (518) 783-5174 or Karl Popp at (518) 265-8960, and PLEASE leave a message with your name, address and phone number, or email the information.

What is a stoma?

A stoma is an opening on the abdomen, where a small portion of your intestine will have been brought to the surface of your belly and sewn in place. This type of operation normally happens if you’ve had an injury or disease in the bowel and allows your body to expel feces in a different way. A bag is then worn over the stoma to collect any waste.

Approximately 725,000 to 1 million people are living with an ostomy or continent diversion in the United States, and approximately 100,000 ostomy surgeries are performed each year in the United States. (1)

Normal Stoma Appearance

Through regularly checking your stoma, you will come to know how it normally looks meaning you can spot issues early on. A healthy stoma will be pink or red in color, moist and slightly shiny.

Your stoma can change shape or size over time. This can mean that your bag no longer fits properly, and your skin could be exposed to the contents of the stoma bag. To avoid this issue from arising, every few months you should check the size of your stoma. A cardboard measuring guide is normally included with your stoma bags and can be used to check the size of your stoma. If you need help, speak to your stoma nurse and then can show you how to do this and, if necessary, offer some advice on products that fit better.

Checking your stoma

When changing your stoma bag, it is a good idea to assess your stoma and the surrounding peristomal skin to check it’s in good shape. Things to check are: 

• Is the hole of my baseplate the right size for me? If feces come into contact with the skin, it can cause soreness and irritation of the skin.
• Is there any redness, irritation, cuts or broken skin. If you do have any of these things, then your stoma nurse can recommend products to help with this.
• Does my stoma look healthy? Does anything look unusual or different to you. If there is anything unusual then contact your stoma nurse for advice.

IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, CALL A WOUND CARE NURSE!

We are very fortunate to have excellent Certified Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses CWOCN in our area. They are important to our quality of life. They are a great resource!!!!

Traveling with a Stoma

Here are some tips for traveling with a stoma. A little forward planning will minimize your frustration.

Make sure you have enough supplies!

This may sound obvious, but you will also need to take into consideration that a change of climate could require you to change your pouches more regularly. Heat can cause pouches to become unstuck, and a change of diet can cause constipation or an upset stomach.

It is probably worth taking at least double the amount you would normally use. Remember that your ostomy supplier may need a couple of weeks to deliver your supplies so order them in plenty of time. Remember you can not take a pair of scissors onto a plane. Plan to pre-cut your wafers.

Prepare a travel kit with what you need for a quick change Each of the ostomy supply vendors make available a travel kit upon request. One may also prepare a sandwich bag with a wafer, pouch, 2 wipes, a waste bag, paper towels, and a barrier strips, if needed.

Pack your ostomy supplies in hand luggage

If the worst happens and your suitcase goes missing at least you will have your ostomy supplies. It can be very difficult and expensive to get hold of additional supplies in a foreign country. It would be worth asking your airline if you can have extra hand luggage, which they can give in certain medical situations. Be sure to take the international support phone numbers for your ostomy supplier. They truly bend over backwards to help travelers.

Adhesive removal wipes may be better to take than sprays, and remember any liquid sprays need to be 3 oz or less to carry on board a plane.

Travel Insurance with a Stoma

Make sure you review your insurance coverage for travel coverage, especially when going outside the US. Some plans require you to pay for services provided outside their normal coverage areas and then have you submit for reimbursement. One approach to cover this is to have a credit card set aside specifically for medical needs while traveling. Some card companies require prior notification that you will be out of the country. This may be necessary as a means to avoid “prior approval” for emergency services, if needed.

CARRY AN OSTYOMY NOTIFIOCATION CARD

The United Ostomy Association (UOAA) Travel Communication Card found at (https://www.ostomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/travelcard_20230111.pdf) and B&B “Just Can’t Wait Toilet “ Card from Europe (https://www.bladderandbowel.org/help-information/just-cant-wait-card) are worth a look. You should always carry A CARD STATING YOU HAVE AN OSTOMY. This is especially important in the event of an accident.

If you are traveling abroad, get a current list of English-speaking doctors in the areas you’ll be visiting. The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT) at 716-754-4883 or www.iamat.org publishes lists of English speaking doctors who were trained in North America or Europe and are available in many countries around the world.

Additional Resources

The American Cancer Society has an excellent be page on traveling with an Ostomy.

Working, Staying Active, and Traveling When You Have an Ostomy… https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/surgery/ostomies/stomas-or-ostomies/sports-and-exercise.html

Air travel security will generally let you carry on all medical supplies. You may want to review the Transportation Security Administration’s information at: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures. For specific ostomy information, use the drop-down menu under Disabilities and Medications.

Hope Club! Many on-going weekly and monthly eventshttp://www.cancer.org/about-us/local/new-york/hope-club.html

 

American Cancer Society – Hope Club   1 Penny Drive, Latham, NY 12110

Find the emotional support you need – in a group or one to one. Call for more information: (518) 220-6960

Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses (WOCN) are located across our region. To find a nurse near you to go: http://www.wocn.org/page/Nurse_Referral or visit our web site.

Helpful Contacts
Albany Medical Center Hospital	Albany, NY	518-262-3958
Bassett Health Care	Cooperstown, NY	607-547-3456
Benedictine Hospital	Kingston, NY	845-437-5000
Eddy Visiting Nurse Association	Capital Region	518-274-6200
Eddy Visiting Nurse Association	Catskill, NY	518-945-5530
Glens Falls Hospital	Glens Fall, NY	518-926-6272
Memorial Hospital	Albany, NY	518-471-3321
Samaritan Hospital Ostomy Clinic	Troy, NY	518-271-3280
St. Mary’s Hospital	Amsterdam, NY	518-225-7775
St. Peter’s Hospital (SPHP)	Albany, NY	518-525-1980
Visiting Nurse Association – Albany	Albany, NY	518-489-2681
American Cancer Society	Hope Club	518-220-6964

Suppliers
Hollister	http://www.hollister.com	1-888-808-7456
Coloplast	http://www.us.coloplast.com	1-888-726-7872
Convatec	http://www.convatec.com	1-800-422-8811
Distributors
Byram Healthcare	http://www.byramhealthcare.com	1-877-902-9726
Edgepark Medical Products	http://www.edgepark.com	1-800-321-0591

The information, views, and opinions provide by the group is not intended to be, nor should they be construed as medical advice. Please seek the advice of appropriate medical personnel with regards to any medical condition or treatment.