In the beginning The road to diagnosing IBD is often a frustrating process – overwhelming, scary, and embarrassing. Your whole world can feel like it’s being turned upside down. IBD can be a pain in the butt to diagnose (sorry, bad pun). Symptoms vary person-to-person. You may experience varying degrees of diarrhea, nausea, cramping, bloating, or fatigue. Initially, many chalk it up to nothing. IBD can be mistaken for a laundry list of different issues,…
Ostomy life After my ileostomy surgery, I don’t think anybody told me that I would need some sort of supportive belt or cover for my ostomy appliance. To be honest, I was so focused on healing at the time that the thought never really crossed my mind. But as I started to heal, and move around and go more places, I began to notice that my appliance would annoyingly flop around. It felt strange having…
Looking back… If only I had a time machine. If I could relay some wellness advice to the “me” of 4 or 5 years ago (the “me” that was sick and struggling and suffering), what would I say to that person? There are a few things I know today that I sure as heck wish I knew then. Things nobody told me. Things I learned the hard way. Some by trial and error. Some I…
I never leave the house without it Call it what you want…Every Day Carry Kit…travel-satchel…man purse…for those living with an ostomy, having the essential “gear” with you at all times is essential. I take mine wherever I go. And to tell you the truth…I rarely, if ever, need to use the stuff inside it (99.9%of my appliance changes are done at home). But it gives me peace of mind. And, on that rare instance where…
