Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Area Ostomy Support Group


Traveling Library

The books listed on this page are available through our traveling library. The books are brought to each meeting and can be checked out and returned at the next meeting. If you live in the area and would like to check out one of these books but are unable to attend a meeting, please contact us to make arrangements.

The books can also be special ordered from local booksellers or purchased from online booksellers. Our organization is an Amazon Affiliate, and we receive a commission on any Amazon purchase made using any Amazon link from our website. We also have an Amazon Associates Store (aStore), from which you can purchase these books plus numerous other books and items that Amazon sells. Our organization assumes no responsibility for orders placed with Amazon. To visit our Amazon.com aStore, click here.

Positive Options for Living with Your Ostomy: Self-help and Treatment
Author: Dr. Craig A White
Publisher: Hunter House, Inc., Alameda, CA 94501-0914
Paperback, 128 pages
Year Publisher: 2002
Summary: Contains information on regaining confidence and control after ostomy surgery. Provides support and reassurance for patients with colostomies, ileostomies, and urostomies. Covers practical and emotional aspects and provides psychological advice that doctors, surgeons, and nurses may not give.
Note: This book is also available in hardcover (list price $22.95)



The Ostomy Book: Living Comfortably with Colostomies, Urostomies, and Ileostomies
Authors: Barbara Door Mullen and Kerry Anne McGinn, RN, BSN, OCN
Publisher: Bull Publishing Company, Boulder, CO
Paperback, 334 pages
Year Published: 2008
Summary: This is the third edition of the award-winning classic for the person who has or will undergo surgery for a colostomy, ileostomy, or urinary diversion, as well as for family, friends, and health professionals. The book is both a complete reference book on the subject, and moving, often funny and heartwarming account of the experience of having an ostomy---and the good life that can follow it. Written by a colostomate and her daughter (a certified oncology nurse).
Note: The original edition was published in 1980.

Living Well with an Ostomy
Author: Elizabeth Rayson
Publisher: Trafford Publishing, Victoria , Canada
Paperback, 178 pages
Year Published: 2003
Summary: A guide to day-to-day ostomy care. Contains hints and tips for natural solutions, advice for coping with the physical changes to your body, and information for children, young adults, and seniors with ostomies. Covers basic information about the various types of ostomies, what to expect from ostomy surgery, as well as psycho/social issues that may surface as a result of ostomy surgery. This book also includes new information on homeopathic and natural remedies for dealing with the ongoing care of an ostomy, and contains a resource section with additional sources.
Note: This book had a second printing in 2006.

Alive & Kicking
Author: Rolf Benirschke (with Mike Yorkley)
Publisher: Rolf Bernirschke Enterprises, Inc., San Diego, CA
Paperback, 298 pages
Year Published: 1996
Summary: The true story of an NFL star's battle with ulcerative colitis and ostomy surgery. He was an up-and-coming placekicker for the San Diego Chargers, but then a little-understood intestinal illness turned Rold Benirschke's life upside down. A remarkable account of a young man who battled against insurmountable odds. Despite four major abdominal surgeries that left him near death and wearing an ostomy pouch, he surprised his medical doctors and teammates by returning to the NFL for seven more seasons.
Note: Some editions of this book were published by A K Productions and Firefly press.

Great Comebacks from Ostomy Surgery
Author: Rolf Benirschke (with Elaine Minamide)
Publisher: Rolf Bernirschke Enterprises, Inc., San Diego, CA
Paperback, 207 pages
Year Published: 2002
Summary: The inspirational story of 15 people who have survived and thrived following ostomy surgery. Includes stories about Rolf Bernirschke (author of Alive and Kicking; Marvin Bush, son of George and Barbara Bush and younger brother of President George W. Bush; and Ken Aukett, past president of the United Ostomy Associations of America, and his wife Linda, also an ostomate; and other twelve other remarkable people.

Embracing Life - Great Comebacks from Ostomy Surgery
Author: Rolf Benirschke (with Elaine Minamide)
Publisher: Rolf Bernirschke Enterprises, Inc., San Diego, CA
Paperback, 192 pages
Year Published: 2009
Summary: This book is a follow-up to Alive and Kicking and Great Comebacks from Ostomy Surgery. It contains 12 amazing and inspirational comeback stories from ostomy surgery.

Second Act: Life After Colostomy and Other Adventures (hardcover)
Don't Die of Embarrassment: Life After Colostomy and Other Adventures (paperback)
Author: Barbara Barrie
Publisher: Scribner
Hardcover and paperback, 256 pages
Year Published: 1997 (hardcover), 1999 (paperback)
Summary: A remarkably candid and informative first-person account of surviving colon cancer and living after a colostomy. A helpful guide for anyone facing this life-altering surgery. The author, Barbara Barrie, was a Tony nominee for her role in Company and an Academy Award nominee for best actress in Breaking Away . For several years she played Mrs. Barney Miller on the television series and also played the feisty grandmother on the televison series Suddenly Susan.
Note: The book was published in hardcover and paperbook. The titles are different, but the content is the same.

Yes We Can! Advice on Traveling with an Ostomy and Tips for Everyday Living
Authors: Barbara Kupfer, Kathy Foley-Bolch, Michelle Fallon Kasouf, and W. Brian Sweeney, M.D.
Publisher: Chandler House Press, Worcester, MA
Paperback, 298 pages
Year Published: 2000
Summary: This pocket-sized reference guide explores issues beyond standard medical explanations and shows that port-surgical travel is not only possible, it's easy! Three people with ostomies and a surgeon have teamed up to prove that ostomy surgery does not have to affect a person's lifestyle.

Straight from the Gut: Living with Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis
Author: Cliff Kalibjian
Publisher: O'Reilly and Associates, Sebastopol, CA
Paperback, 432 pages
Year Published: 2003
Summary: Living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be a major challenge. However, learning about the diseases, state-of-the-art treatments, and ways to manage symptoms enable people with IBD to make educated decisions about their care. The author was diagnosed with IBD over twenty years ago at the age of 13. Throughout the book, Cliff has included the warm and wise voices of over 40 people who have “been there, done that.”

Bag Lady
Author: Sandra Benitez
Publisher: Benitez Books
Paperback, 216 pages
Year Published: 2006
Summary: Sandra Benitez is the author of several novels. She was also the recipient of Convatec's 2006 Great Comebacks Award. Bag Lady is the true story of Benitez's struggle with ulcerative colitis and the ileostomy that she ultimately had to have.

If the Battle Is Over, Why Am I Still in Uniform?
Author: Brenda Elsagher
Publisher: Expert Publishing, Inc., Andover, MN
Paperback, 158 pages
Year Published: 2003
List Price: $14.95
Summary: Humor as a survival tactic to combat cancer. Using a mix of humor and reality, this book describes one woman's faith journey through colorectal cancer. This book will make you laugh and cry, and will give you a better understanding of what it means to battle cancer and survive.

I'd Like to Buy a Bowel Please!
Author: Brenda Elsagher
Publisher: Expert Publishing, Inc., Andover, MN
Paperback, pages
Year Published: 2006
Summary: This book is a compilation of stories from more than 80 people who all have ostomy in common in some form or another. The stories are written by caregivers, ostomates, and medical staff, and are filled with humor, hope, and a slice of the ordinary of life living with an ostomy. You'll also get educated on the various reasons people need an ostomy and how this drastic surgery has been not only a life saver, but a life-enhancer for many.

Bedpan Banter: Medical Stories of Humor and Inspiration
Author: Brenda Elsagher
Publisher: Expert Publishing, Inc., Andover, MN
Paperback, 200 pages
Year Published: 2010
Summary: Contains 110 funny or uplifting (or both) stories from 81 doctors, nurses, patients, and caregivers.

Excess Baggage
Author: Tracy Lea Carnes
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.
Paperback, 200 pages (Kindle edition also available)
Year Published: 2008
Summary: Written by an ileostomate, this humorous and honest novel offers up an inspiring glimpse at ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease through the eyes of a 30-year-old woman dealing with ulcerative colitis, its treatment and the complications it brings into her life.

Caught Holding the Bag
Author: Peter McGinn
Publisher: Booklocker.com
Paperback, 232 pages
Year Published: 2005
Summary: An ostomy mystery novel. Fiction. A woman, Patti, wakes up from ostomy surgery thinking her life is over. Then she meets another woman, Lorraine , who is thriving after ostomy surgery and who demonstrates to Patti that her life may only be beginning. Lorraine soon starts to have her own troubles, though, when her ex-husband dies violently and mysteriously. Patti helps Lorraine uncover the truth and is reunited with her high school boyfriend, Robb now a police officer investigating the case. The book uses wit and humor to tell the moving story of a woman who rises above life-altering surgery and unexpectedly seizes control of her life for the first time.

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