This episode provides a practical, in depth look at urostomy pouch styles, including one piece vs two piece systems, adhesive barriers, convex vs flat options, drainage designs, and major brand differences. If you are selecting or reconsidering your pouching system, this guide walks you through the key decision factors and technical features that impact comfort, fit, and reliability. Learn how to evaluate function and lifestyle needs so you can choose the right system with confidence.

Episode 3: Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before Surgery

In this episode, Dawn shares the things she wishes someone had told her before bladder removal surgery. Not the pamphlet version. The real life version.

From recovery timelines and emotional surprises to stoma placement, weight restrictions, supplies, wardrobe changes, and the mental toll no one prepares you for, this episode walks through what urostomy life actually looks like in the weeks and months after surgery. Dawn talks honestly about complications, fatigue, grief, adaptation, and learning to trust your body again, all with humor and heart.

Whether you are preparing for surgery, newly living with a urostomy, supporting someone you love, or simply trying to understand what life after bladder removal involves, this episode offers practical insight, reassurance, and lived experience from someone who has walked it.

This is not about fear. It is about information, patience, resilience, and knowing you are not alone as you find your new normal.

Leaks happen. Laugh often.

Neobladder vs Urostomy

Choosing a urinary diversion after bladder removal can feel overwhelming. In this episode, Dawn breaks down the differences between a neobladder and a urostomy, looking at both the medical basics and the real life experience that no one fully explains before surgery.

Dawn shares her own journey living with a urostomy and her husband Alex’s experience with a neobladder, offering two honest perspectives on recovery, daily management, sleep, leaks, body image, and quality of life. Together, their stories highlight the pros, cons, challenges, and unexpected wins that come with each option.

This episode covers how each surgery works, what recovery can look like, common complications, hydration, mucus, UTIs, and the emotional adjustments that come with learning a new normal. You will also hear practical insights on asking the right questions, finding support, and giving yourself grace during the transition.

Whether you are preparing for bladder removal, supporting someone you love, or simply trying to understand your options, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and reassurance that there is no one right choice, only the choice that fits your body and your life.

Leaks happen. Laugh often.

In this first episode, Dawn shares how she and her husband Alex each found themselves living bladder free, one with a urostomy and one with a neobladder. It is an honest, human look at fear, relief, leaks, laughter, and the real work of learning how to live fully in a body that had to be replumbed.