[x_text]When you were talking to your surgeon about getting an ostomy, hopefully they told you you can do anything with an ostomy that you did before. Dating and sex are included in that blanket statement. Along with thousands of other people, I’m living proof that you can meet someone after you’ve had your surgery and fall in love/be fallen in love with. No relationship is perfect, but I’ll tell you one thing – none of the imperfections of my relationship have been because of my ostomy. If my vague story isn’t enough to convince you, I encourage you to read It’s In The Bag and Under the Covers by Brenda Elsagher. It’s a collection of stories told by ostomates and their partners about dating and intimacy and it’s really encouraging. All that is proof that you can date and find love with an ostomy, but despite that, dating can be scary in itself and you’ll be doing it with a big “secret” to reveal at some point so here are some tips and things to remember about sharing the news. I compiled this from my own experience as well as from conversations with ostomate friends and strangers (I asked for advice in some social media based ostomy groups). I asked people their opinions on when you should share the news and what kinds of tips they had, as well as how they would do it. Here’s what we all came up with:[/x_text]