Laugh with Brenda: Log on to Laughter
April 03, 2009

By Brenda Elsagher
 
I used to think, "Who has time in their day to read blogs, let alone write them?" And now I'm one of those people! I have Google Alerts™ set on my computer to receive all articles that pop up concerning colostomy. You can set it for anything you want to know more about, such as your latest heart throbs (Tom Cruise and Richard Gere are mine). Some blogs are very inspiring, especially when the writer appears to be honest about his or her struggles with physical challenges. 
 
I was a little shocked when I viewed a video of a guy changing his ostomy pouch, but I'm sure it was enlightening for many. Do a Google search for "colostomy" and most things that pop up are slanderous. It is an oftused reference when someone deeply wants to insult another by calling him a colostomy bag. Often these writers will refer to a boring event as comparable to caring for an ostomy. Come on people; let's come up with something more original!
 
I have to admit all this ignorance irks me. Many of these writers lump old age and colostomies together as well and this shows their complete lack of knowledge. Many adults with ostomies were also children with ostomies. I was 39 when diagnosed with colorectal cancer, not quite a senior citizen.
 
I urge my fellow blog and article writers to be more creative when needing to insult someone. Ostomy humor can be effective, but unless you have an ostomy or love someone who has one, you might not really know how to do it well. It can be done...and can have its funny moments. My book I'd Like to Buy A Bowel Please! is filled with true humor about living with an ostomy from 80 different writers. Having an ostomy can be life enriching in so many ways...not to mention prolonging.
 
As intimidating as all this technology is, it has been lifesaving for people as well. I have heard stories where someone posts a concern about an unusual symptom or strange disease and another person in another part of the country or world writes to him or her. Lo and behold, they compare notes and get a life saving idea! Even our United Ostomy Association of America has set up technology so people with ostomies can exchange information. This electronic reaching out may not be as personal as a face-to-face meeting, but friendships have bloomed, and marriages have been created via cyberspace. 
 
Now Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, and a plethora of other hosting sites allow people to exchange information or make business contacts. Some even connect to your phone so you can get instant messages all day long. It's hard to keep up and must we really? I talked to someone recently whose husband challenged the family to get through a week without using cell phones, TVs, or computers. After all, they were on vacation! He even threw $1000 into the mix and the mom won. The young adults didn't last more than a day.
 
So hop on your favorite search engine, heat up the latest hosting site and blog away...we only have this moment and if that makes you happy, go for it. You can read my weekly musings at C3Life.com or watch me do some comedy on my website at www.livingandlaughing.com. This is an exciting time to be alive, thanks to the speed of new technology. We've come a long way from the days of the battery–operated calculator! Now if they could just invent a microchip implant for my tongue that would make me spit out food once I hit my 1500 calories for the day I'd be in business! Who am I kidding? Instead of jogging, I think I'll stick with blogging for now.
 
Check out my website at ! It's packed with more stories, tons of free articles and there's a place to order books. You can even watch a video of me if you need a laugh.
 
Brenda Elsagher is a comic, national speaker, and author of If the Battle is Over, Why Am I Still in Uniform? and I'd Like to Buy a Bowel Please! Her third book, Bedpan Banter, will be out in May. Order these books at www.livingandlaughing.com. She also enjoys hearing from you at brenda@livingandlaughing.com or 952.882.9882.