“In order for me to get here, I had to go there.” I’ve never really sat down and thought about what having a chronic illness actually means. It means a great deal of things to different people, so there is no one true answer to what having IBD actually is like. The wide spectrum of symptoms, side effects and general wellbeing leads us down very individual paths. My path…
ostomy
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Advice: How to Solve Peristomal Skin Issues
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 stoma care nurse for further assistance. 1. Change of stoma size This is important to note in…
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Learning to Not Sweat the Small Stuff
I am constantly reminded that my life is different. I look back in time, to years gone by and remember just what I’ve been through. Things are different. So much has changed. Not only is my own life different but I am different too. I’m learning to not let the small things bother me as much as they used to. I have had to accept this since I was diagnosed…
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What I’ve Learnt after Six Months with an Ileostomy
“I’ve learnt that this learning experience isn’t over and won’t ever really be over. And that is okay. I am fine with these challenges because I know I can do them, whatever my stoma throws my way.” Extract from my November post “What I’ve Learnt After Three Months with an Ileostomy” *** Six months. Half a year. It feels and sounds like a huge amount of time.…
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My Ostomy Appliance Change Routine
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 stoma care nurse for further assistance. I’ve had my ostomy for six months now. And throughout that…
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Travelling Solo with an Ostomy
So last week I travelled alone. Not unheard of right? Some thing people do all the time; without hesitation, without thought, just ordinary and normal. Not for me. I’d always loved travelling – I spent a year living and studying on Vancouver Island, Canada as part of my degree, I travelled to and from university a lot and I generally got out and about when I could. But when the IBD struck…
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What I’ve Learnt after Three Months with an Ileostomy
Yes, it’s already been THREE MONTHS! Can you even believe it?! I know that three months is nothing in the scheme of things, and even three months out of 2016 doesn’t feel like an incredibly long time, but to me three months is a lifetime. When things don’t go right or you have problem after problem, even a week can feel like an eternity. That’s what I was experiencing before…
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Oh The Pain! Flapjackgate: My First Ostomy Blockage
What was suppose to be a relaxing weekend in preparation for holiday to Cornwall with Ben this week, turned out to be somewhat of a small disaster: Going to Good Hope A&E twice in the space of 12 hours. Oh joys. Saturday started off fairly normal – breakfast, shopping in Lichfield, food shopping in Tamworth, followed by lunch at home. I had made chocolate flapjacks the afternoon before and had…
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How do I hate something that has saved my life?
No, seriously, how? Maybe the question should be ‘CAN I hate something that has saved my life?” or even “Can I hate something that has CHANGED my life?” Because, I can hate the fact that my disease was so bad, they had no other option than to remove my colon and give me my ileostomy. I can hate that fact until the cows come home, it still doesn’t change what…