What is a stoma?
The stoma is an opening in my belly’s wall that brings through a small piece of bowel in order for waste to leave my body. My stoma is in place to bypass part of bowel, to allow it a chance to fully heal post bowel resection (removal of part of my bowel) but there are many different reasons people have a stoma when they can’t have bowel movements in the usual way (poo 💩).
Does it hurt?
No, the bowel itself has no nerve endings so you cannot feel a thing, which in itself feels weird as you would expect to feel something!
Sometimes the general area feels a little uncomfortable, the skin can feel a little red and irritated but it is new for me and my skin has not had the opportunity to find the stoma and the bags, the weight etc normal.
Why did you have a stoma formed?
After months in pain, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, more specifically in that moment, I had a perforated bowel caused by Crohn’s that was flooding my body with toxins. I needed emergency surgery to remove the broken section of bowel and had a stoma formed to allow the remaining bowel the chance to heal. The plan is for the stoma to be reversed (reconnected) in the next few months to a year.
How long have you had it?
June 20th 2022 – so not very long at all!
What was your first reaction to it?
Day one, pure horror.
You have to remember, it was an emergency surgery and I was not expecting it at all. I have also asked for and am yet to receive any help from the Mental Health team to come to terms with it all as for me it was a major trauma.
I think it was around day four or five that I even looked down at my stomach. My surgeon asked if I had looked and I said no, his response was by not looking at I am keeping myself in hospital for longer as I need to be able to look after it when I go home – ignoring it won’t get me home.
How do you feel about it today?
Horror very quickly became fascination. It is so interesting and clever when you understand how it works!
The history of stoma’s is super interesting, the thought process goes so far back! There has been a lot of geeky googling over here 🙈
Without it, I would be dead. Not much more to it than that! 🤷♀️
Have you named it?
Yes 😆 In my mind at least.
Mo.
Short for MoFo.
Short for Mother F****r.
Plus … When it runs, it runs fast.
Also for any old school Eastenders fans, a stoma is not just ‘a size’ it changes size throughout the day so I have Big Mo and Little Mo.
So yes, my Stoma is called Mo.
What advice do you have for anyone having symptoms like you did?
Trust your gut – literally. You know your body better than anybody else does. If you think something is wrong, trust that instinct until you feel comfortable that you concerns have been explained.
How do you sleep?
It all depends on my anxiety level. Regular Leanne anxiety plus the new fun anxiety of will my Ostomy Bag burst during the night and I awake in a river of shit? This has never happened and hopefully never will but it’s always in your head … 💩
I cannot sleep on my back all night as the my skinny arse issue makes it painful* so I sleep on either side with a pillow in front of me as per the above I am afraid of sleeping on my front! I set an alarm for 02:30 and 07:30 to get up and empty my bag, this allows me to relax more get more quality sleep in between.
Hopefully as time goes on, this will become unnecessary but a Leanne without sleep is a very dramatic toddler and no one needs that drama – I have enough real drama going on!
My unwilling journey with Crohn’s Disease 