“Stoma Facts!

Did you know…? Gas passes freely from the stoma which means it makes a good amount of noise, sometimes at the most inappropriate of times.“

“Stoma Facts!

Did you know… There are no muscles controlling the stoma. That means it does what it does best, whether you like it or not.“

It’s day 6 of Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week, and I give you the first of my (poorly drawn) infographics about stomas.

“Stoma Facts!
Did you know… Stomas appear to dance. Yes, they move around on their own, therefore, giving the appearance they are dancing.”

Travelling with a stoma, part 2

So I went to Lincoln (which is about 200 miles-ish north from where I live) to visit family over the weekend. We travelled by car, which is usually a 4-5 hour journey. It was the first time I’ve travelled in a car for any real length of time since getting baggie so I had some concerns about having to make extra stops as well as the position of the seat belt. As it turned out, we didn’t have to make extra stops because my stoma was thankfully very inactive for most of the journey. Also, because it’s getting pretty cold now, I had a thick coat on which kept the seat belt away from my stomach.

As for supplies, I did my usual and packed more than I needed, just in case. We were only there for three nights, which meant two changed for me, but I still brought an extra bag in case something happened.

I didn’t run into any issues with baggie over the weekend aside from the cold causing my muscles to ache a little. Other than that, I had a great weekend.

Sorry for a lack of updates

I’ve been pretty busy recently; I started counselling last week to try and help with a few things I’ve been struggling with recently. My first session I didn’t think went so well because my therapist seemed a bit uncaring and disinterested because I scored low on the risk assessment. I thought I’d give it one more try before asking to change therapists and I’m glad I did; today’s session went much better because we went through some things (not everything) in depth and she seemed a lot more interested in what I had to say. She even gave some advice on something I’ve been struggling with for a while now but haven’t been able to talk about. I hope these sessions will be helpful in the long run but I guess it’s still early days.

In other news, I’m going to visit family up north this weekend which I’m hoping will help relieve some stress. It’s going to be cold but I’m prepared for that; I know the cold can make my stomach muscles hurt so I’ll be bringing a load of heat pads and my hot water bottle with me.

I hope everyone is having a safe Halloween.

It’s been 6 months since the blob was formed so I’m celebrating the new life it has given by decorating today’s baggie.

My CT scan has been moved due to work commitments but it’s only by a week so not much of a wait.

I’ve finally heard from the hospital; I’m having a CT scan next week to see what’s going on with my liver. Here’s hoping for answers.

I won’t go into detail about it but I decided to start counselling. I had my first initial appointment today and I should hear about further appointments with a councillor within the next week.

So, the stick is back in use, at least for now. I’m finding my middle is very sore throughout the day and using my stick to move around when not at home helps take some of the strain off my muscles. It also gives me a little bit of security in that I know I’ll be able to get home eventually with it. Whereas without it, I’d feel stranded if I found walking too hard.

It sort of feels like I’ve taken a couple of steps backwards but I know it’s not something I can control. That doesn’t make it any easier to deal with, but I’m dealing. I hope.