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"Ostomy Bag Girl" on TV show Tosh.O

nogutsnoglory

Moderator
Warning: the video contains images of stoma, poop and colorful language if that offends you.

The comedy show Tosh.O featured Laura who has an ileostomy and makes fun of the subject matter while also creating awareness.

http://tosh.comedycentral.com/video-clips/y7oro8/cewebrity-profile---ostomy-bag-girl---uncensored

Most of the responses by Ostomates seem to be positive. I am mixed, while I do find it funny I do think that this can further gross people out about Ostomies. People should know that some of the things in the video like the transparent bag, emptying in the sink are not necessary for an ostomate.
 

afidz

Super Moderator
I have recently started following her on Facebook and youtube. She is an invaluable activist in the IBD community. I have even talked to her via private message on facebook. She wants people to know that having an ostomy is not a life ending deal. She is an inspiration to me.
I am a big fan of Tosh.o, so naturally I found a lot of humor in the magic school bus part of it. I thought it was very well done in explaining what an ostomy is and raising awareness of IBD
(but seriously, did he have to touch it???)
 

nogutsnoglory

Moderator
It's cool that it was during IBD awareness week and yeah totally gross that he touched it and it had poop around it.
 

afidz

Super Moderator
I love her analogy...you wouldn't ask someone to touch their asshole, its the same thing
 
I'll admit to being very apprehensive about watching this when I heard it was going to be aired, as Tosh has been known to get downright lewd. I felt he was very respectful to her and asked alot of the questions that most people would want to ask if they had the chance. Okay. perhaps not the one about the 2 yeast infections! :ack:

I think the touching of the stoma was his way of showing the world that it isn't anything you have to be afraid of.
 
I can't watch the video now as my sound's not working, but why is touching a stoma gross? I touch my stoma when I clean it. And when I first got it, I was curious. I asked my stoma nurse if it would hurt if I touched it, so she told me to give it a good prod to prove it wasn't painful. I think she was helping me see that I didn't need to go around worrying that it was too delicate to touch and making sure I wasn't grossed out by it. Though I do clean all poop off it before touching it.
 

nogutsnoglory

Moderator
It's gross because it's full of poop and mucus and stinks. It also feels weird to touch it. I clean my own but I definitely don't want to touch someone else's if I can avoid it.
 
I can't watch the video now as my sound's not working, but why is touching a stoma gross? I touch my stoma when I clean it. And when I first got it, I was curious. I asked my stoma nurse if it would hurt if I touched it, so she told me to give it a good prod to prove it wasn't painful. I think she was helping me see that I didn't need to go around worrying that it was too delicate to touch and making sure I wasn't grossed out by it. Though I do clean all poop off it before touching it.

I agree! My stoma nurse said "You gotta show it who is boss!" and patted it. She was showing me how it make it constrict and that it doesn't hurt. I think it's cool. I offer to let people touch mine when I'm changing the bag. It's cleaned up when I do.

Like I've said in other threads, we get to see things that most people will never see--and it's entertaining!
 
It's gross because it's full of poop and mucus and stinks. It also feels weird to touch it. I clean my own but I definitely don't want to touch someone else's if I can avoid it.
True. I guess my stoma being so inactive helps. When I take the bag off and clean it it's rare that anything comes out of it, so I can get it completely clean and touch it and leave the bag off for a while (I've taken to bathing and showering without it sometimes) and it stays clean long enough to do that, and doesn't smell either.

But when I was in hospital the stoma nurse taught my mum how to change my bag too, in case I ever get too sick to do it myself, and my mum wasn't bothered about touching it. I was worried I was grossing her out, but when I asked she said she'd spent too many years raising children to be grossed out by poop. ;)
 
My husband did my first bag change for me. I was still in the hospital and had my first leak. It was a bad day and at that moment I was feeling overwhelmed with everything. He took over and did a wonderful job. It didn't bother him at all!

Hooray for our wonderful support systems, UnXmas!
 
I love her analogy...you wouldn't ask someone to touch their asshole, its the same thing
Maybe I'm not logical, but I find a stoma much less disgusting; we don't have all the social taboos about stomachs, so something coming out of my stomach doesn't bother me nearly as much. And similarly, because we're so socially conditioned to find bums embarrassing, I'd feel far less embarrassed if someone saw my stoma - it's just not the same.
 

afidz

Super Moderator
I am not saying that touching a stoma is gross. Would you let a stranger touch yours?
Like she says in the video...you don't go around asking people if you can touch their asshole, its the same thing
 

PsychoJane

Moderator
If someone in Canada can provide a link that would be awesome, comedy central won't let me watch it... :( and I guess it's not as popular as south park, I can't find a streaming link elsewhere it seems.

Anyway, regarding the asshole analogy... I think I totally understand UnXmas point... even now... I don't want to have anyone deal with my bum, I hate my rectoscopies but I feel way less shy about my ileoscope. Just as much as I don't really care when GI needs to check with their finger in there, beside being way weird, it's not awkward but the opposite still is.

But Afidz, I don't think I would go around letting people touching it haha. Though, if a close friend really would want to... well I think I would not mind as weird as it could be. Strangely, that situation never happened in 14 years haha! I wonder why! :p
 
I am not saying that touching a stoma is gross. Would you let a stranger touch yours?
Like she says in the video...you don't go around asking people if you can touch their asshole, its the same thing
There's a novelty aspect though - when I was in hospital another patient did not have a stoma, but overheard me and another lady talking about ours. The lady without one was very curious and asked lot of questions. We weren't very good at describing it (she thought we meant we had holes in our stomachs) so she asked if she could see, so I showed her mine.

So because it's different and interesting, and because it's not as socially stigmatised as bums and various other "private" body parts, there's more sense and it's much more socially acceptable to touch and see stomas (imo).

(The video won't play for me either.)
 
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