Home Page

Schedule of  Upcoming Meetings

      • (Virtual) May 13th, 2025 7:00 PM Pacific Time
        • Monthly Zoom Meeting. For more information please contact us.

What Happened at our April 8th Virtual Meeting

Overview: 

Treasurer Annette chaired the meeting as President Chloe had a conflict.  The meeting began at 7:30 pm  with 14 members in attendance.  The meeting covered various topics related to ostomy care and upcoming events.   Members shared personal experiences with different types of ostomies, discussed management techniques for various activities, and provided advice on dealing with skin irritation and leakage issues.  The group also addressed organizational matters such as upcoming elections and future speakers.

General Meeting Announcements:

Officer Nominations (effective June 1, 2025):  Annette encouraged anyone interested in nominating themselves or another member to do so because election (if needed) will occur in May.  Currently, we have Dave Bunger for President and Steve Ehret for Treasurer – thank you both.  Positions are typically held for two years.  

Joanne and Nancy will be manning the SVOSG table at the Santa Clara Senior Center “Be Strong and Live Long” health and wellness fair on Friday, May 9th from 12-3pm.  They changed the format this year to 4 consecutive mini fairs held inside the senior center.  Please feel free to drop by at 1303 Fremont Street, Santa Clara, CA.  We’d love to see you!

We are glad to announce that our May 13th speaker is the popular Dr. Michael Gerald, an ostomate and psychologist who specializes in mental health and self-acceptance counseling.  As regular members will attest, this is a meeting you don’t want to miss!   

In July we will have a presentation from Stomagienics, the maker of Stoma Genie.  

We encourage all of you to let us know what speakers or topics you want covered at our meetings!  Dave is talking with his Physical Therapist about presenting to us about strengthening your core.   

Round Robin:

We welcomed new member Cam, who had colostomy surgery just 8 weeks ago, and recent member Denise, who had an emergency colostomy in October 2024 and is scheduled for a reversal in June 2025 (and who is enjoying her teacup Yorkie pup!).   Cam had concerns about colostomy pouch emptying when hiking trails – one suggestion was to empty and bury it, the other was wearing ColoMajic biodegradable liners, but they only work with 2-piece bags.   

We were glad to see Susan F. again, who has had a successful continent diversion (Kock pouch) for years after experiencing pouching issues with her original ileostomy.   

Angela shared her tip that she wears a 2-piece product for everyday and a closed end juvenile pouch when exercising and travelling for simpler disposal.  

Susan C. has a permanent colostomy due to colon cancer and continues to have skin issues around an inverted stoma that is aggravated by her chemo regimen.  She has regular follow up with her ostomy nurse.  Nasacort spray and VASHE wound solution have been recommended to our members by their ostomy nurses to treat mild skin issues.

Babette had surgery in January, with a 15 day stay complicated by BP issues.  She is still wearing drains post-surgery and finds it challenging to dress around them and go anywhere; she is being seen this week for drain assessment by the Interventional Radiologist.  She’s grateful for her supportive family and care giver husband.  

Steve just had his 10-year stoma-versary which he received due to bladder cancer.  He has typically been trouble-free; however, he recently started experiencing a new type of leakage between the two components of his appliance after 6-7 days of use.  To address this, he has reduced his wear time to 3-4 days which took care of the problem.  Steve mentions he doesn’t use barrier rings (like Eakin seals) as they make removal more complicated for him.  He reports his skin is in good condition with no irritation.   Steve also received his Global Entry for international travel, which he will be using next month for his upcoming trip abroad!

Harriett is recovering well from her hernia repair surgery and was glad to learn she does not have a new hernia; she said that always wearing a hernia belt has greatly improved her wear time.  

Chris mentioned that she had the same surgeon as Babette (Dr. Patel at Kaiser) and had to deal with drains also and provided encouragement.  She is looking forward to her long anticipated robotic hernia repair on 4/16 and is very confident in her surgeon.  We’ll be thinking you of next week Chris! 

Dave is finally home after six months of hospital and SNF stays.  After being immobile for so long he is relearning how to walk, getting in-home physical therapy.   He encouraged the group to let officers know what topics they would like to cover and presenters for future meetings.

Eric is going on 9 years with his stoma and everything is working smoothly.

Derek’s stoma management is good, but he is dealing with knee issues.  

Joanne went for a second consultation re: repair of her parastomal hernia and has decided to postpone until she loses 20 lbs. and see what the difference is.  She has no pain or appliance issues with her urostomy.

Ajit (urostomy August 2024) had some issues with minor pouch leakage which he has resolved.  On a CT scan in February, they saw something on his thyroid and an ultrasound and biopsy showed it to be benign.  He’s looking forward to a trip to India next month (but not the heat!).

Terry is status quo; she used Nasacort spray on skin irritation that helped.  

Margot’s colostomy is just part of “normal routine” after 15 years, no issues.   

Chloe is focused on completing her Master’s Degree and planning her wedding in June!

Meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Joanne Harris, Secretary

What Happened at our March 11th Virtual Meeting

President Chloe Moody called the meeting to order at 7:05pm with 18 people attending.  

Our guest speaker was Lorie Dankers, TSA Spokesperson, discussing travel with an ostomy.  Lorie shared a personal story about her husband’s recent unexpected passing in February, and his organ donations which supported over 50 people.  

TSA Operations and Upcoming Changes

  • TSA screened 904 million passengers in 2024, averaging 2.47 million per day, with the busiest days occurring around holidays.  
  • TSA’s biometric (facial matching) technology is now used at about half of the US airports; this is a faster voluntary method for agents to match a traveler against their documentation.  The pictures are erased immediately after use.
  • Recommends adding California mobile driver’s license (mDL) to your phone’s digital wallet, which can be used at TSA checkpoints.  Instructions for applying are on the DMV website.
  • Real ID is required as of May 7, 2025 (postponed since 2008!).   It is very important to have a compliant ID or an alternative acceptable form of identification to avoid delays at security checkpoints.
  • Passport Cardcan be used as ID for domestic air travel, and entry by land and sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and Caribbean; it is not valid for international travel by air.  It is the size of a credit card vs. a booklet.  You can have both a passport booklet and passport card.

TSA Procedures for Ostomy Travelers

Lorie discussed TSA procedures for travelers with ostomies and medical devices. 

  • Metal detectors don’t detect ostomy bags, but body scanners will show them as anomalies.  
  • Recommends enrolling in TSA Pre-Check to use metal detectors and avoid body scanners.  
  • Ostomy scissors are allowed through security as medically necessary items. 

Global Entry and Mobile Passport Benefits

Lori discussed the benefits of Global Entry and Mobile Passport Control for international travel. 

  • Global Entry allows for expedited Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing,
  • Approval requires an application providing travel history and biographical information, background check, in-person appointment and fingerprinting.
  • Mobile Passport Controlis a free app that can be used for expedited global reentry for U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents and certain visa holders; it is not suitable for immigrants or those requiring a visa. 

Steve asked about the implications of conditional approval for Global Entry, and Lori clarified that conditional approval does not grant Global Entry status.  Lorie checked with CBP at SFO and found out that if there was a government shutdown, CBP appointments would go forward but in a limited capacity as it not an “essential function” of the CBP officers.  

The group discussed the need for better education of flight attendants about passengers with ostomies and their potential urgent bathroom needs; Lorie will contact her counterpart in the Flight Attendant Association and provide that contact information to us.

General Business Updates

San Jose State University WOCN Training:  Huge thanks to Ajit and Raji for representing SVOSG at the March 9 ostomy nurse training!   It was a large class, and they had many questions during their presentation.  While the nurses “wear” an appliance as part of their training, they greatly appreciated Ajit’s offer to show them the real thing!  An excellent tip for the future was to bring more samples of the items in our “tips and tricks” (VIVA paper towels, Osto-EZ Vent, Flonase, etc.).  

Officer Nominations:  The current officers’ positions expire at the end of June, 2025.  Please be prepared to nominate members (or self-nominate) for President, Treasurer and Secretary at the next meeting, as we will hold the election in May.  Steve accepted Joanne’s nomination for Treasurer, and Dave Bunger self-nominated to serve as President.  

2025 Dues:  A big THANK YOU to those that have paid their dues for 2025.  The rest of us can send a check for $20 made payable to S.V.O.S.G.

Dr. Michael Gerald, mental health and ostomy self-acceptance expert, will be our guest speaker at the May meeting.

Chloe shared the sad news that Diana Collins, member since 2019, passed on Feb 24, 2025.  (Diana moved to assisted living in January 2024 and acclimated well to a new lifestyle and made new friendships.  Unfortunately, she had a fall last September requiring a hip replacement, and she never regained mobility.  She developed pneumonia in February and elected to enter hospice care.  Please contact Joanne if you would like to be advised when her memorial service date and time is set.)  

Upcoming UOAA events:  The UOAA 9th National Conference will be in Orlando, FL August 14-16th.  They will have several tracks with multiple options for every ostomate.  More information is on the UOAA website https://www.ostomy.org/2025conference/  

Roundtable:

We welcomed a couple of new members to our meeting this month:  

  • Rose K. and her husband Gregg shared her health journey, and concerns about her upcoming outpatient stem cell transplant at Stanford.  She has been on ostomate for about a year and has some related pain.  It was suggested that she see the WOCN clinic at Stanford.  Nancy offered to share her experience with her ileostomy, Stanford ostomy nurses and clothing/fashion tips offline.  
  • Susan C. has had challenges finding the right appliance fit for her inverted small ostomy, following an emergency colostomy for perforated colon in November 2024.  It is complicated by mucocutaneous separation, and it was suggested she try Marathon liquid skin around the wound.  (Annette said Medicare covers this, so it’s likely her medical insurance would too – if not, Medical Monks or Amazon carries it.). 
  • Ann B. had surgery 9 months ago and changed her medical coverage from Kaiser to UCSF in 2025.  She is going to investigate a reversal, but the timing isn’t good since she has recently lost members of her support network.   

Nancy got a recommendation from her Ostomy Nurse for VASHE Wound Solution for parastomal rash or irritation. She also has had good luck with Nasacort for minor irritations.  

 Respectfully submitted,

Joanne Harris, Secretary, SVOSG

What Happened at our February 11th Virtual Meeting

President Chloe Moody called the meeting to order at 7:00pm with 19 people attending.  

We started the meeting with guest speaker Richard Kennedy, Director of Operations for Confidence Plus (Scotland), who told us about their product Confi-Plus.  This is an accessory product that is designed to absorb output and alleviate the worry about accidental leaks by providing the wearer time to replace a failing wafer before a catastrophic leak happens.  You can reach him at richard@confiplus.com if you have any questions.  You can request samples on their website www.confiplus.com.    

General Business:

2025 Dues:  A big THANK YOU to those that have paid their dues for 2025.  The rest of us can send a check for $20 made payable to S.V.O.S.G.

SJSU WOCN Training:  THANK YOU to Ajit, Raji and Debbie for volunteering to represent SVOSG at the March 9 ostomy nurse training!  I hope that all members will have a chance to participate in the future, as it is a very rewarding experience (we present twice a year!).  

Reminder about Election of Officers:  As the current officers’ terms expire the end of May, and we are soliciting nominations for President, Treasurer and Secretary for an effective date of June 2025.  Positions are held for 2 years.  Thank you to Dave for self-nominating for the role of President and thank you Harriett for agreeing to coordinate the tally.  Derek has been our webmaster for years and we are very grateful for his ongoing support.  Feel free to nominate or self-nominate for these roles:  

President: Creates agenda and facilitates monthly meetings; receives and responds to email inquiries sent to support@svosg.org; attends quarterly online UOAA ASG meetings; performs other duties as needed, e.g. represents SVOSG at outreach events.

Treasurer:  Collects and records dues; manages (mostly on-line) bank account; completes IRS Form 990-N to retain non-profit status under UOAA umbrella; maintains all fiscal records; pays UOAA annual dues and zoom costs; performs other related duties as needed, e.g. attends quarterly UOAA ASG meetings and outreach events.

Secretary:  Maintains membership distribution lists; sends monthly meeting reminders, takes minutes of meetings and distributes same; receives and responds to email inquiries sent to support@svosg.org; performs other duties as needed, e.g. contacting speakers, represents SVOSG at outreach events.

Scheduled Speakers for Future Meetings:  

March 11:  TSA Spokesperson Lori Dankers will present.  Several members encouraged the use of TSA Precheck and noted that many credit cards will reimburse the cost, especially if affiliated with earning miles!  I will ask Lori to include any tips on how to best interact with the on-board staff regarding ostomates’ needs during flight.   

May 8:  Dr. Michael Gerald, mental health and ostomy self-acceptance expert

We are still hoping to have presentations from an Ostomy nurse and Surgeon with hernia specialization. Harriett suggested having our partners speak on what their life with an ostomate has been like – that would be an interesting meeting!   

Upcoming UOAA events:  The UOAA 9th National Conference will be in Orlando, FL August 14-16th.  They will have several tracks with multiple options for every ostomate.  More information is on the UOAA website https://www.ostomy.org/2025conference/  

Roundtable:

Lots of good news and stability was reported by most of our members.

  • Nancy shared her success using Nasacort spray on mild skin irritations, as recommended by her Stanford Ostomy nurse.   
  • Chris had her second hernia surgery consult and feels very comfortable about her surgeon.  She anticipates an April surgery date, and thanked Harriett for giving her the courage to push her doctors to get it evaluated.
  • Joanne also thanked Harriett for being the catalyst for her scheduling a hernia consultation!
  • It was great to see Daniel, who got his ileostomy in 2021, as his work obligations often conflict with our meeting schedule.  He has been living a great life with travel for pleasure and work, and after his first year he has had no problems.  
  • Terry has joined a support group for the visually impaired as a proactive measure to deal with failing vision.  (She shared that she has spoken with Virginia Larsen, who moved to Portugal, and Virginia loves her life there!)   
  • Harriett is due for a post op recheck from her hernia surgery; fingers crossed no new hernia found.  She strongly advises wearing a hernia belt as general prevention.  Her ostomy nurse gave her a recipe for “constipation cure cookies” that work great!
  • Debbie was hospitalized for recurring UTIs and said this is more problematic for her than her ostomy because of the havoc antibiotics do to gut health.  
  • Ajit said things are good 6 months post-surgery, and feels he’s his pre-chemo self, back to his normal weight and hair growing back!  
  • Eric is stable and had his 9-year stoma-versary.
  • Steve, John, Annette and Margot are doing fine.   
  • Virginia is doing well, and shared that a flight attendant had no problem with her using the first-class section restroom when the one in coach wasn’t available right away. 
  • Eta is doing well and making changes in his lifestyle to meet his goals!

Unfortunately, several members continue to deal with health issues and hospitalizations.  Dave is at Stonebrook Health and Rehabilitation (Los Gatos) to gain strength and mobility after a lengthy hospital stay and can restart his chemo.  He feels like there is “light at the end of the tunnel” (and it isn’t a train)!   Derek continues to have wound care and is glad that his insurance approved skin grafting procedures.   

Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.  

Respectfully submitted,

Joanne Harris, Secretary, SVOSG

What Happened at our January 14th Virtual Meeting

President Chloe Moody called the meeting to order at 7:05pm with 15 people attending.  The meeting started with a slide show of photos from the December 7th holiday meeting, which was attended by 17 members plus 6 spouses and 1 fiancé.  Everyone enjoyed the in-person socializing, the great food contributions and the raffle!  Thank you to the organizers, Annette and Joanne, and to Chloe for helping the day of, and to Dana for helping organize the raffle gifts!   

We then moved to general meeting business followed by a roundtable where we welcomed several new members and shared some tips. 

General Business:

2025 Dues:  Thank you to those that have already paid their dues for 2025.  The rest of us please send a check for $20 made payable to S.V.O.S.G.

SJSU WOCN Training:  Vivan Wong, Ph.D., R.N. and head of the only WOCN training west of Ohio, has asked us to present to the current class on March 9, 2025, from 10 am – noon.  We share our diagnosis and reason for getting an ostomy, our life since, and give tips and tricks that will help them be the WOCN we all wanted after our surgery.  THANK YOU to Ajit, Raji and Debbie for volunteering and representing SVOSG!  I hope that all members will have a chance to share their story in the future, as it is a very rewarding experience (we present twice a year!).  

Election of Officers:  The current board’s term expires May 2025 and it’s time to start thinking of nominating (or self-nominating) members for all three positions!  Positions are held for 2 years.  Here is a summary of responsibilities:

President: Facilitates monthly meetings; receives and responds to email inquiries sent to support@svosg.org; attends quarterly online UOAA ASG meetings; performs other duties as needed, e.g. represents SVOSG at outreach events.

Treasurer:  Collects and records dues; manages (mostly on-line) bank account; completes IRS Form 990-N to retain non-profit status under UOAA umbrella; maintains all fiscal records; pays UOAA annual dues and zoom costs; performs other related duties as needed, e.g. attends quarterly UOAA ASG meetings and outreach events.

Secretary:  Maintains membership distribution lists; sends monthly meeting reminders, takes minutes of meetings and distributes same; creates meeting  agendas (this can be assumed by the President); receives and responds to email inquiries sent to support@svosg.org; performs other duties as needed, e.g. contacting speakers, zoom management, represents SVOSG at outreach events.

Note:  An important non-officer position (that Dave has performed very well in the past – thank you!) is contacting speakers for our monthly meetings.  We are also grateful for Derek’s help maintaining/rebuilding our website -we can’t thank you enough!  

Speaker Suggestions:  A discussion of what the group would like to hear in 2025 was held.  Suggestions that people expressed interest in were:

  • WOCN – skin care, general info (Raji to contact UCSF)
  • MD – re: general post op info, hernia prevention and treatment (Raji to contact UCSF)
  • TSA – how to sail through security, keep supplies with you on plane, general rights as an ostomate.  Dave has contacted Lori Dankers, TSA spokesperson and she will present at our March 11 meeting!
  • Patient Advocacy –their role in complex medical situations, resolving billing disputes, facilitating communication between patient and care providers, finding resources; private pay vs. covered by Medicare
  • Confi-Plus – new accessory that creates a pocket around flange for extra leak security – samples given at holiday party and they will be at our Feb meeting
  • Product Reps – new products and services, especially for skin care health. (Hollister, Coloplast)
  • Michael Gerald – speaker for accepting yourself and life with an ostomy
  • Cancer CAREPoint – services they provide and to whom

Your suggestions are very much appreciated, so please continue to share your ideas!

Upcoming UOAA events:  The UOAA 9th National Conference will be in Orlando, FL August 14-16th.  They will have several tracks with multiple options for every ostomate.  Chloe, Eric and Derek have all attended in the past and highly recommend it!  More information is on the UOAA website https://www.ostomy.org/2025conference/  

If you missed the Jan. 15, 2025 Ostomy Academy webinar “Reflections in the Mirror: Feeling Confident with your Ostomy”, you can watch it (and others) on the UOAA website https://www.ostomy.org/ostomy-academy/ or on their YouTube channel  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-OHWQ4jULs.  (I watched it and highly recommend it, as it was full of practical advice, funny and would benefit anyone who might be struggling to feel good in their own skin, ostomy and all.)

Roundtable:

Many members had a very nice holiday – Harriett is recovering well from hernia repair surgery but is having some new issues with leakage and wear time.  She also shared that considering the devastating fires in southern CA, she checked her “go bag” list and realized she hadn’t put packing ostomy supplies on it!  A good reminder for all of us.  Her best news is that her granddaughter is now cancer free!  Nancy was enjoying her annual trip to AZ, her former home.  Raji had a wonderful 12-day trip with her family to Japan and said TSA Precheck and Global Entry is FABULOUS!  Chloe had a memorable time in Mexico over the holidays.  Eric is doing well, as is Steve (despite a lump scare which turned out to be nothing -great news).  Carol is having a procedure that hopefully will reduce her interstitial cystitis pain.  Chris is seeing a robotic surgeon about hernia repair this month, her second consult – very disappointing to finally get a referral to a hernia surgeon and then being told “I don’t do parastomal hernias”!  Ajit is doing well but is concerned about parastomal skin dryness; he will be flying to India in 2025, so Steve was able to share his long-distance travel experience with a urostomy legbag.  Eta, a new member, and Harriett shared the barrier protective wipes that they use, which they feel keeps their skin healthy (Cavilon skin barrier wipes and Adapt no-sting protective wipe/Hollister #7917 respectively).  

We welcomed new member Denise, who had an emergency colostomy in October 2024 and was looking for a support group and guidance.  We also welcomed Eta who has had his colostomy for 5 years.  We think you’ve both found the right place for support, tips and tricks and community!  Welcome to our group!

Unfortunately, several members continue to deal with health issues and hospitalizations.  Derek is still getting wound care for sores that developed months ago but otherwise is doing ok.  Dave zoomed in from Good Samaritan hospital where he was been for the past several weeks dealing with effects of multiple myeloma and blood sugar issues.  The good news is he said he felt the best he had in several months the last two days, and we hope that he continues to improve.  

Dave is contacted ostomy support groups in the So Ca fire areas to see if they need supplies (they didn’t at this time).  He also suggested that everyone have business cards to distribute in case they happen to meet folks who could benefit from our support.  I’ll be sending some cards and SVOSG information to a nurse at Good Samaritan.  If anyone would like to have SVOSG business cards, please send me an email.  I will give you my address so you can send me a self-addressed stamped envelope that I’ll use to mail back 10-15 cards to you.  FYI, the best way for interested people to get in touch with SVOSG is through the link on this website: https://svosg.org/contact/ . (Harriett, I got your request for cards!).     

Thanks to all who shared so openly.  Special thanks to Harriett and Nancy, who have spoken with several new and established members about their experiences.

Meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m.  

Respectfully submitted,

Joanne Harris, Secretary, SVOSG

Previous Meetings…