Life with a Stoma: The ups, the downs and the inside outs!
Where to start?
What and who led me to be here, and what do I hope to gain from it? If you’re interested then find out here.
See my latest Blog posts, and find out what nonsense has been going on in my stoma world lately.
The Story So Far…
Read about my pre-stoma life living with Ulcerative Colitis, and how my journey into Stoma life has gone so far.
Some pictures of me along my journey, and some fun Stoma related pictures too .
Terminology…
(and a bit of that Biology Lesson that many of us seem to have missed)! A breakdown of the language used around ostomies and explanations of the different types of stomas. Along with some really useful and informative links.
Terminology…
What is a Stoma – Stoma or ostomy, are words to describe the opening in a persons tummy wall, that enables part of the bowel to be brought outside. The purpose of a stoma / ostomy is to bypass or remove part of the bowel in order for the person to pass waste into a bag, rather than via their bottom. This can be for a number of reasons, and it can either be temporary or permanent.
Types of surgery – This section is complicated, so I’ll let the Chrohn’s and Colitis UK website explain that for you (just scroll down a bit and you’ll find it, amazingly informative website too, worth a look around whilst you’re there). I can tell you however that I have a permanent ileostomy. Permanent – as I had the entirety of my colon removed, along with my rectum. Ileostomy – as it’s formed with a part of my small intestine.
The words ‘Colon’ and ‘large intestine’ can be used interchangeably.
Interested in learning more? – If you know somebody with a stoma, or are potentially considering stoma surgery for yourself, this is a really comprehensive overview of Stoma life. I’d recommend giving it a read should you want to learn more, whatever your reason maybe.
Gallery…
My ileostomy and me 