Hi @mlmcg,

Thank you so much for sharing your story; I'm certain that Connect members in this group will appreciate your insights too.

You may wish to view these Mayo Clinic webpages which have some great information related to ostomy and diet:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/ileostomy-diet/bgp-20056239
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colon-cancer/in-depth/ostomy/art-20045825
You can also listen to this Mayo Clinic podcast about ostomy misconceptions: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/ostomy-misconceptions/

Although this type of colostomy may be different, I'm tagging @dotty, who wrote about sigmoid colostomy with a Hartmanns Pouch; I hope she joins this discussion with her insights as well.