One of my most asked questions regarding my ostomy is what it is really like to live with it. Can I eat normally? Can I swim? Exercise? I always make it my priority to answer these questions with the upmost honesty and transparency because I never want to portray a false impression of what it is like to live with an ostomy. So, in honor of the #NoFilter campaign, which challenges you to share an unfiltered version of yourself, I am going to be lifting the veil on every day life with an ostomy.
To start, I would like to talk a little about what an ostomy is for those who may not have a clear understanding. An ostomy is an artificial opening in the body that is created to dispel waste from the body. There are several different type of ostomies, with the three most common being colostomies, ileostomies, and urostomies. I am living with an ileostomy, which is derived from my small intestine. The part of my small intestine that you can see outside of my body is known as the stoma. The stoma has no feeling and quite honestly feels really strange. Due to the fact that my ileostomy is incontinent, meaning that I have no control over when it is active, I wear an ostomy bag at all times to collect waste. This bag is emptied several times a day.
With my ostomy, I can eat the foods that I love (only avoiding several foods that can cause blockages or stomach upset), exercise regularly, swim, hike, kayak, and so much more. My ostomy has truly given me the opportunity to live life in a way that I would not have had the opportunity to otherwise and I will be forever thankful for that. Although not ideal, ostomies are often life-saving necessities for patients who suffer from Inflammatory Bowel Disease or other illnesses that affect the bowels. Now, while I incredibly grateful for the life that I can now live with my ostomy, I want you to know that living with an ostomy is not easy. After all, I am living with part of my small intestine on the outside of my body.
From severe skin irritation to blockages to a near constant battle against dehydration, living with an ostomy has affected my life in ways that I never expected and some days, these challenges are very overwhelming. For instance, just the last several of weeks, I have been dealing with severe skin problems. As someone with very sensitive skin, wearing adhesive on my skin 24/7 means that I am constantly working to stop my body from reacting to the material. Recently, my skin randomly decided that it had had enough and broke out into a horribly painful rash. Each morning before work, I tended to my burning, weeping skin with tears in my eyes only to put on a smile and tackle the rest of my day. It was not only physically painful, but mentally exhausting as well.
I do not want my words to scare new ostomy patients or patients who are facing ostomy surgery in the near future, but. I do want you to know that there will be challenging moments, but you will overcome them. Living with an ostomy has made me stronger than I ever thought possible. It has taught me patience and acceptance and how to love my body no matter what. I want you to know that while having an ostomy is not ideal, all of the pain that you have faced, all of the setbacks that have happened, they are worth it. YOU are worth it. I can only hope that by sharing my story, I have given you even a glimmer of hope that you can too make it through this. I hope that you believe me when I tell you that it DOES get better.
I am a firm believer that in life, we are never given more than we can handle. It may not feel this way at times, but it is true. I am proud to show my reality with #NoFilter. Thank you to DripDrop ORS for challenging me to share my reality and also for playing an imperative role in my health and keeping my hydrated with one less major organ.