Whenever I hear of new ostomates, I always wonder What sort of questions do they ask? How much do they get told? How curious they are? and What is their medical background? Basically, I wonder how prepared they are. And if that preparation has come from themselves or from healthcare professionals. Because requiring a stoma comes from so many different medical conditions, I’m trying to go with the assumption…
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IBD Basics: Aminosalicylates – 5ASAs
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of IBD as well as some personal experience and should not be used as medical advice or a diagnostic tool. The suggestions given within are taken from sources laid out in the references header. If you seek advice regarding the things you experience within your own disease, please contact your IBD team for medical advice. If you are looking for the…
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Life Lately | Into Thirty We Go!
More of the same, ahead we go… My health has been so up and down of late; most of which needed some attention, I was completely unphased by my birthday on Monday! Processing and accepting where things are heading with each new issue is hard. And coping with anxiety doesn’t make any of this any easier; not that it would be easy without the anxiety.. I’ve had some time off…
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Open Letter to my Stoma
I turned 30 yesterday. Never in my dreams would I have imagined that I would be celebrating such a milestone with an ostomy bag on me. It’s hard to think about the future too much when you have a chronic illness because you’re never quite sure of where and what circumstances might come your way. It certainly gets easier as you become ‘used’ to it all, but you won’t ever…
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Ostomy Uncovered: How to Empty a Stoma Bag
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of stoma care as well as some personal experience and should not be used as medical advice or a diagnostic tool. The suggestions given within are taken from sources laid out in the references header. If you seek advice regarding the things you experience within your own disease, please contact your SCN for medical advice. If you are looking for the entire…
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IBD Basics: Corticosteriods
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of IBD as well as some personal experience and should not be used as medical advice or a diagnostic tool. The suggestions given within are taken from sources laid out in the references header. If you seek advice regarding the things you experience within your own disease, please contact your IBD team for medical advice. If you are looking for the…
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Deficiencies with IBD
What deficiencies are common with IBD? When you have a digestive disorder, your gut does not function as it should; which means it has trouble absorbing all the necessary nutrients from the food you take in. For many people with IBD; they can become, overtime, deficient in particular vitamins and minerals. Most commonly are: Vitamin A: Also known as Retinol; it helps your vision in dim light, your immune system…
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“What is a Stoma?” Part V: Managing – Mental & Physical Recovery
Disclaimer: This information is based on my own research into this particular aspect of stoma care as well as some personal experience and should not be used as medical advice or a diagnostic tool. The suggestions given within are taken from sources laid out in the references header. If you seek advice regarding the things you experience within your own disease, please contact your SCN for medical advice. If you are looking for the other…
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Life Lately | “And Another Thing..”
Do you ever have those moments when you just think ‘What else can be thrown at me?’ Not that I haven’t been feeling okay lately, but its been chock full of just things that need to be sorted and nothing is every simple with me. For one reason or another, every week for a while, I’ve had my blood taken. Sometimes for my IBD monitoring or a potential flare up,…