Your opinions please..

[Aisha]

السّلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
I know we have quite a few medical students here so I'm hoping you can help.. Everyone else is welcome to comment too :)

I've been thinking about setting up a website for Muslims with ostomies. There are a number of reasons for this:

- I haven't been able to find much information regarding rulings of Salah, wudhu, Ghusl etc and this can be very very confusing for someone who's just had a stoma formed. In the future, I hope to work on some leaflets which hospitals and Stoma nurses can pass on to muslim patients if they wish.

- support: there's quite a lot of support available online through some websites and Facebook groups, but it's always better to read uplifting Quranic Ayaat and Ahaadith as it takes most people months to realise that there isn't in fact anything wrong with them and this is all a test.

- raising awareness: this makes me feel quite upset. It could be just a cultural thing but many people see this as something 'wrong', 'shameful', 'defective' and 'disgusting'. It's neither of those things. Trying to come to terms with the op AND hearing very unhelpful comments really doesn't help. It's no wonder some people never come to terms with it. As Muslims, we ought to be far more understanding and supportive. It could happen to anyone at any time.


Regarding the Masaa'il pertaining to wudhu, Ghusl etc, there's a well-known Mufti who's agreed to verify everything we put on the site alhamdulillah. One of his students is doing research into this issue so inshaAllah we should have that information soon.

A brother has very kindly offered to set up the website so that's taken care of too.

I think we'll start off with issues relating to an ileostomy as I'm not too familiar with the other types.

I wanted to ask if you think it's a good idea and if there's anything else I haven't thought of. I understand it might take a while to get it up and running what with having to write all the content etc..

Would anyone be willing to contribute to the site please? It a worthy cause and will inshaAllah be a means of reward :D even if it's just a few lines with advice from the Quran etc.

More info regarding the issue: http://www.stomawise.co.uk/types-of-stoma/ileostomy
A stoma's story: http://www.stomawise.co.uk/diet/a-stomas-story

(Yes, one of the aims if this thread is to raise awareness too. If it helps even one person then alhamdulillah)

I'm not very good at writing my thoughts down so I'm hoping this made some sort of sense. Please do comment to let me know what you think.

[Alpha Dude]

Wa alaykum salam,

I think it's an excellent initiative ma sha Allah. It might be a good idea to have a q and a section where people can ask the mufti for any questions they may have too.

[Insaanah]

:wasalam:

:ma: sis

May Allah make it easy for you and accept from you, and may it help and be a source of advice and guidance for many, ameen.

[Aisha]

Wa alaykum salam,

I think it's an excellent initiative ma sha Allah. It might be a good idea to have a q and a section where people can ask the mufti for any questions they may have too.

JazakAllahu Khairan. That's an excellent idea, I hadn't thought of that.

:wasalam:

:ma: sis

May Allah make it easy for you and accept from you, and may it help and be a source of advice and guidance for many, ameen.

Ameen thumma Ameen.

And by coincidence, I've been told today that there's a Stoma nurse who's writing a paper on Muslims with an ostomy and whether I'd like to contribute. May Allah help us in our efforts and make them successful. Ameen.

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[Muhammad]

:wasalamex

I agree that this is a great idea and will :ia: help many others in similar situations.

I'm sure you've already checked, but would be good to see if any similar websites/organisations exist, and then you can collaborate with them. I came across this but can't tell much about it because I think you have to register: http://www.muslimostomy.com/

:ia: over time and as more people contribute, you may also consider including advice for a broader range of issues.

May Allaah :swt: bless this effort and magnify the rewards of all those who contribute. We ask Allaah :swt: to grant good health and protection to all Muslims, Aameen.

[Aisha]

Ameen thumma Ameen.

And JazakAllahu Khairan for the link.. I'm still not sure how I managed to miss it! I was probably drugged up with morphine at the time lol. Looks like a brilliant site. Seems it's been set up by doctors/surgeons.

I think we could probably still help people with our idea though.. I hope.

EDIT: phew, it was only created 2 months ago so makes sense that it didn't come up in search results when I first started researching 5 months ago!

[Periwinkle18]

What do u want me to do sis?? :) :hmm: u didn't tell me about ur brill idea on whtsapp lol will talk to u abt it over there..

I could help with the spreading awareness part I guess.

[Muhammad]

Yes, I am sure you can still help people with your idea. Most likely you will have ideas and perspectives which the site might not have. You could consider contacting them to discuss your thoughts and take it from there.

[~Zaria~]

:salam:

Alhamdulillah, this is a great initiative, and I can feel how passionate you are about this - and passion is one of the most important keys to the success to any project, in shaa Allah :)

I've had a look at the website that brother Muhammad has linked - its a nice effort, and in shaa Allah, they will also be able to help many people through it.
Personally, I felt that it somehow lacks an islamic 'feel' (perhaps it was the hijab-less ladies pic that greeted me, which made me feel like this.... :/).
Also, it appears that the fatwas are only available to registered users, and not to the public at large...

So, I think that it will still be great to have an alternative site that a muslim patient/ family member can turn to - which i hope, can be open to everyone, and will also have a motivational and uplifting effect by means of a deeni component.
(perhaps a section that has inspirational lectures on dealing with trials in life, links to quraan, etc?)

In addition to your above points, I think the web-site will do really well, in shaa Allah if it has the following components:

- A dedicated gastro-entorologist: who can answer questions from a medical point of view (e.g. questions that patients with Ulcerative Colitis may have about their medication, or patients with colon cancer and their options to management etc).
- A surgeon who performs these procedures (to answer surgically-related questions).
- A dietician (if possible)
- A stoma sister (if possible) - to answer questions related to stoma care, etc.
- A section that actually explains what an ostomy is, when it is indicated, how the procedure is performed, what it will look like after surgery, etc....

With time, in shaa Allah, you can also consider having support group meetings for both patients and their family members......sometimes, it can make a big difference for patients to be in the company of others who are actually experiencing what they are going through, and who are facing exactly the same fears, challenges, etc.

A short story from me (you guys should know that Im full of stories by now, lol :p):

A few years ago, one of my colleagues was diagnosed with rectal cancer - at the age of ~27.
She had surgery, radiation therapy and chemo-therapy, and alhamdulillah, the cancer is in remission.
Motivated by her experiences, and recognizing that there was a lack of cancer support for muslim patients in our community, she started a cancer support group - where patients and family members can meet, share their experiences and motivate each other on.
Alhamdulillah, it was very well received, even though its been quiet in the last year (as she has since married and now has a child :))

I thought it was an amazing life lesson of how Allah (subhanawatáala) can place trials in ones life.....and then, completely turn their lives around when they least expect it.

There's a saying: 'The wound is the place where the Light enters you.'
SubhanAllah, how true it is.....it often takes some type of ordeal (a loss of something or the other), that can completely change a persons life, and make him/ her a beacon of hope for others as well.

So ukthi, I salute you for your taking this on!! :thumbs_up


May Allah (subhanawataála) bless your efforts, and make it a means of helping many others.
Ameen.


:wa:

[Aisha]

Yes, I am sure you can still help people with your idea. Most likely you will have ideas and perspectives which the site might not have. You could consider contacting them to discuss your thoughts and take it from there.

Will do inshaAllah.
I was quite surprised to see that the Mufti who's answered some of the questions and produced a booklet for a hospital here in Birmingham is actually known to us. Not only that, but he's taught some members of my family. I intend to contact him inshaAllah to ask if his answers could be made available to others too. It would be really helpful.

:salam:

Alhamdulillah, this is a great initiative, and I can feel how passionate you are about this - and passion is one of the most important keys to the success to any project, in shaa Allah :)

I've had a look at the website that brother Muhammad has linked - its a nice effort, and in shaa Allah, they will also be able to help many people through it.
Personally, I felt that it somehow lacks an islamic 'feel' (perhaps it was the hijab-less ladies pic that greeted me, which made me feel like this.... :/).
Also, it appears that the fatwas are only available to registered users, and not to the public at large...

So, I think that it will still be great to have an alternative site that a muslim patient/ family member can turn to - which i hope, can be open to everyone, and will also have a motivational and uplifting effect by means of a deeni component.
(perhaps a section that has inspirational lectures on dealing with trials in life, links to quraan, etc?)

In addition to your above points, I think the web-site will do really well, in shaa Allah if it has the following components:

- A dedicated gastro-entorologist: who can answer questions from a medical point of view (e.g. questions that patients with Ulcerative Colitis may have about their medication, or patients with colon cancer and their options to management etc).
- A surgeon who performs these procedures (to answer surgically-related questions).
- A dietician (if possible)
- A stoma sister (if possible) - to answer questions related to stoma care, etc.
- A section that actually explains what an ostomy is, when it is indicated, how the procedure is performed, what it will look like after surgery, etc....

With time, in shaa Allah, you can also consider having support group meetings for both patients and their family members......sometimes, it can make a big difference for patients to be in the company of others who are actually experiencing what they are going through, and who are facing exactly the same fears, challenges, etc.

A short story from me (you guys should know that Im full of stories by now, lol :p):

A few years ago, one of my colleagues was diagnosed with rectal cancer - at the age of ~27.
She had surgery, radiation therapy and chemo-therapy, and alhamdulillah, the cancer is in remission.
Motivated by her experiences, and recognizing that there was a lack of cancer support for muslim patients in our community, she started a cancer support group - where patients and family members can meet, share their experiences and motivate each other on.
Alhamdulillah, it was very well received, even though its been quiet in the last year (as she has since married and now has a child :))

I thought it was an amazing life lesson of how Allah (subhanawatáala) can place trials in ones life.....and then, completely turn their lives around when they least expect it.

There's a saying by Rumi: 'The wound is the place where the Light enters you.'
SubhanAllah, how true it is.....it often takes some type of ordeal (a loss of something or the other), that can completely change a persons life, and make him/ her a beacon of hope for others as well.

So, I salute you for your taking this on!! :thumbs_up


May Allah (subhanawataála) bless your efforts, and make it a means of helping many others.
Ameen.


:wa:

JazakAllahu Khairan sister, those are brilliant suggestions. I'll be taking them on board inshaAllah.
The story was really inspiring mashaAllah.
It's what gave me this idea in the first place - I thought I had been fully prepared for surgery but once I actually had it done I realised I wasn't. There was also a distinct lack of support and advice available for Muslims who've had this procedure. It got me thinking... I couldn't be the only one feeling this way, there had to be others. So inshaAllah if I made the effort to set something up, it could be a form of Sadaqah Jaariyah for me and would help others too. Another thing which spurred me on was when I heard of a sister with an ileostomy who had no idea of the rulings which now applied and hadn't prayed for seven years, thinking she couldn't imsad I understand that not everyone has access to a scholar. For many, the Internet is the only source of information.

I want to say JazakAllahu Khairan to everyone for all the support - I didn't expect this much help! May Allah reward you all with nothing less than entry into Jannat al Firdaws without Hisaab. Ameen thumma Ameen.