What I’ve Learnt and Achieve in the Last Twelve Months with my Ostomy Year Four with Priscilla has been quiet, compared to other years. She settled down into a new routine after proctectomy surgery and wound day surgery. She even remained calm when I came off my medication and we came into 2020. Then COVID happened and well, I got some bad news. But what did the next twelve months have…
-
-
Has my Bag Improved my IBD?
It is the week before surgery. I knew the closer we got to my date, I would begin pondering things. August has a tendency to bring up some pretty miserable memories, as well as great ones. I’m coming closer to the anniversary of my stoma surgery, a period in which I was the sickest I’ve been since having IBD. The days, weeks and months that followed that surgery, were filled…
-
The Perfect Storm
Inspired by writingfortheloveofit – Perfect Storm which can be found here. “Have you ever thought about your life as the perfect storm? Let’s think about it for a moment. A “perfect storm” describes an event where a rare combination of circumstances aggravate a situation drastically. (Wikipedia) Has there ever been a time or times in your life where you have thought that nothing else could possibly go wrong and then something…
-
August – you get me every year, without fail.
Inspired and a follow up to my 2018 post “Oh August, Why do You Hate Me?” Something about being in August makes my brain itch. The eighth month of the year, used to be my downtime between school years, between my years at university and it used to be the time I used to relax. But since being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, it has been my body that fails to…
-
When Does Having an Ostomy Fade into the Background?
Inspired and a follow up to my 2017 post “When Does Having an Ostomy Feel ‘Normal’?” and my 2019 post “This is Not My First Choice“ In a very similar vein to my post on ‘when does having an ostomy feel ‘normal’?’, today I want to talk about how it feels to have a stoma bag; and if it can ever fade into your subconscious. Now, #stoma101 – a stoma…
-
A Guide to Summer with an Ostomy
Inspired and an follow on from my 2018 post “Surviving the Summer with an Ostomy: A Guide” Disclaimer: This information is based on my own personal experience since my ostomy surgery in August 2016 and is not intended to replace medical advice from a trained professional. If you are requiring advice regarding your own stoma, routines which might benefit you most, or products that suit your needs best, please contact your…
-
Frustration: When nothing feels like ‘good news’
Inspired by my 2019 post “Pain: When does Acute turn into Chronic?“ The shock on my face when I was told I was needed at SAU – our Surgical Assessment Unit – for a consult on a large peristomal hernia was a classic moment; right up there with coming round from a scope with a NG tube and needing a subtoal colectomy and my Infliximab antibodies being the highest on…
-
Reflecting on 2020 – The Six Month Update
Inspired and an follow on from my 2019 post “Reflecting on 2019 – The Six Month Update” Gosh, it feels as if it’s taken a long time to get to the end of June but also, where has it all gone? Most of 2020 has been consumed by lock down and this pandemic so it would be impossible to do this post -reflecting on January to June – without mentioning…
-
The Mental Struggles of Chronic Illness
I’ve thrown alot of curve balls lately. So many. Too many to count. I secretly thought this lock down malarkey was going to be a breeze – in simple terms, being at home for months on end, I’ve done that before! – but no. My disease was cackling in the background, just taunting me. With all that’s been sent my way – thank you, whoever is up there – I…