#auguts hard to talk about
Life is full of surprises. Life is not a return to normal. Life is not full of us who can apparently easily deal with a stoma.
Life is full of surprises. Life is not a return to normal. Life is not full of us who can apparently easily deal with a stoma. Good for people who can but let’s get realistic. The whole business can be messy, degrading, and at least partly limiting. Less than two years ago I had to have a permanent stoma. I named it after a colleague who was full of crap but once did me a massive favour. Loud farting was the first of many embarrassing events but not so funny are the occasional accidents – which shouldn’t happen but are common with having to wear a hernia belt. These aren’t funny especially if they happen somewhere difficult or at work. Cleaning up is usually not a problem but the smell and leakage are. Some foods and drinks are to be avoided – anything fizzy remains as such. Holidays are good – though insurance is difficult – and lacking in confidence means I wear special high waisted swimming trunks.
So in short I still struggle at times with my stoma but 18 months of experience has helped. If only it wasn’t for the damned hernia, the massive plastic surgery on my bum and a cancer spread to my lung all would be perfect.
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I am 71 years old. Diagnosed with Stage 3 rectal adenoma in March 2022. I had chemoradiotherapy and Contact Radiotherapy (Papillon treatment) as due to a rare neurological disorder, which compromises my daily living activities, I did not feel I would cope well with the proposed surgery and permanent stoma.
I had been ignoring an intermittent pain/ache in my left-hand side for over a year. The pain became more permanent and I started to notice my bowel habits change. I was a one time a day in the morning regular as clockwork for all my life. It then went up to 3 times and urgent and painful.
My bowel stopped working due to diverticulitis which caused a stricture. My caecum ballooned and this was removed together with 2/3 rds of the colon & a colostomy bag attached for 6 months. This was reversed after 6 months at St Thomas’s Hospital 6 years ago.
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Welcome to our #auguts campaign. This year we are focussing on the MicrobioME because gut health is unique to you. Discover our recipes, share your tips and get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
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