Hi everyone…
Does anyone have a success story or a positive statement they would like to share? I am in the thick of my testimony I see the light, but I am not there yet. I love the support and networking these sites have to offer, but sometimes I get scared by the unsuccessful stories.
I could use some positivity right now
I would of been dead by the age of 25 without my ileostomy this year I will be 55
Life is what you yourself make of it, you can sit and wallow in self pity all your life ( don't take the wrong way I'm not saying do) or get out there and live it...I choose Life
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I began my Urostomy life February 27th, 2023...a month and a half ago. I stumbled upon this site from another on Youtube and website called VeganOstomy and between that site and this one, most of my fear and worry of not having any answers other than calling the Dr's office recording menu and hoping to hear back in the next day or two for an answer to leaks, skin irritations etc, or just feeling alone and the "no one understands" thoughts I had to look forward to in my mind were all put to rest by these two websites and the community here at MaO!! I have been here for a few weeks now, and the help and support offered by the members here is just amazing!! The information and support is absolutely priceless for anyone recently out of their surgery and have tons of questions or had it for years...sit down...have a good read and you will see for yourself!!
I always remember the admonition that "when one door closes another one opens." Life has many ups and downs. I spent over 3 months in the hospital and rehab, there were a couple of times I didn't think I would make it. My wife and family would not let me give up and I am thankful. When my journey began the one thing I didn't want was to be saddled with a pouch. So many things went wrong and I ended up with a colostomy. 5 months after returning home I am managing the ostomy well — no leaks, odors, blockages, etc. I am happy with the outcome and I am able to eat foods that I have been avoiding for 14+ years. I have indeed made lemonade with my lemons. I was very aggressive in learning as much as I could about my colostomy — contacting vendors to get free samples for my experimentation. I expect the light you are beginning to see to shine very bright for you.
I would be dead without mine. I was well on my way. 7 months later all the cancer is gone and I am still here to watch my grandkids to grow up!
Similar to the other replies, I wouldn't be reading these posts today because I wouldn't be here if not for my stoma.
Before she passed away, my mother was really angry with me for a long time for making the choice for her to save her life at the cost of her colon. (She was on the operating table for a broken hip at the time.) She hated her ileostomy at first and told me many times I should have just let her die. Instead, I asked the surgeon to save her, and I never regretted it. In the end, neither did she. She found joy each day in many things, she didn't like her ileostomy, but she loved her family and the time she got to spend with them.
I would have died without my colon resection, and it's a choice I could never regret. Yes, there are days that it sucks, that comes with the territory. But walks on the beach with my wife, the moments we share, the time I get with my son that I wouldn't have had. You can't put a price on that.
This is the very best choice I could have made. To live, just in a new way.
And now I've found this community of people who share because they care.
Look for all your moments of joy in each day, find your happiness knowing that the stoma made it all possible.
My very best to you on your journey.
Chiming in with the others as to my ileostomy saved my life. 37 years this month. When you're feeling down or lonely be your own best friend.
I was close to dying. Finally had surgery. Ended up with a colostomy. I will never forget waking up in the recovery room at 4:30am. The horrendous pain I had been suffering from for many weeks was.....gone! I laid there and just cried. Even now as I write this I'm getting a little teary eyed. It was amazing. Before surgery I had said goodbye to my wife.
It was emergency exploratory surgery and no one knew what was going to happen. I thought I was toast. 3 weeks later I returned to work and my active, busy life.... with a colostomy.
I was depressed initially and then decided to FIGHT back and strengthen my faith; Gods will not mine. I have been feeling so great after my last surgery and since I started healing from the initial shock. I recently had my 8th surgery and I went into it with strength and faith and have been strong and faithful since. Sometimes I hear others stories and or when my physician speaks statistics it scares me. Just wanted to hear some happy. Thank you for your input and yes you are 100% right.. you have life and the ability to live and enjoy it. That is a blessing!
hello jesb xo
your depression will come and go there are triggers out there that cause it. i take you have a partner plus kids/ family to help get over it faster than to stew on it. your family nor your friends will understand what changes your body is doing, its all on how you deal with stress. when i first got my colostomy like many others i found this site long time ago, i was able to ask questions or just to vent my problems. i believe in voicing out or just a good scream once in a while is healthy, to vent not needing anyone to comment or ask if everything is ok. but some people cant tell that you are just needing to vent and let out your frustrations.
G-Day JESB XO, My favorite saying is "A Stoma never killed anyone, but a Stoma as saved many lives" Regards IGGIE
My success story is that I survived a horrible medical ordeal and a colostomy saved my life - like many people on this site. There were days when I felt like I wasn't going to make it out of the hospital - sometimes I couldn't even speak, I could only cry when I saw my family because I wondered if it would be the last time I saw them, especially when I had 104.2 fevers for days on end and the docs were running out of things to try - nothing was bringing the fevers down. Seeing the fear in my loved ones faces was the worst. I just had to cling to blind faith and hope that my prayers were answered. And they were. I too was blindsided by the initial shock of a colostomy, and It is normal to get depressed - but don't let it consume you...you are stronger than you know. I have recently had my reversal, but I know I would have been ok even without it - not sure of your situation, but trust that it will all be ok.
I do believe my doctors saved my life! I had a hole in my esphogaus, after going to the ER, I was transported to a top notch medical facility. I had a stent placed, that darn stent decided to migrate to my sigmoid colon after a few weeks. I was in so much pain, but was just dealing with it, thinking my body just did not like this foreign object in my body.
After six weeks, the pain became unbearable, I called my boyfriend and told him I cannot take it anymore. Called my GI doctor on the way to the ER, he already had a medical team assembled.
Fast forward to surgery, I had the worst case scenario, they had to do a vertical incision, took out my sigmoid colon and whilst in there found a nasty large polyp on the left side of my colon. The surgeon removed that part of my colon. Thus work up, after a 4 hour surgery with a bag.
I have never lost hope, I am blessed that no cancer was found. The surgeon was most positive it was most likely cancer.
Than when I was scheduled for my reversal, they found a stricture in my colon. Surgery cancelled, onward to more procedures.
I am finally in the clear for reversal surgery on May 2nd. Even if that would not happen, I am most blessed to have a great medical team and have kept my fighting spirit through it all.
Love Jesb's post that a Stoma never killed anyone. I am on a first name basis with my Stoma! I talk to her often!
Kim
Kim, when my polyp was removed, the surgeon who removed it said it did NOT look like cancer - he said normally he can tell right away. He said he even rolled it around with his fingers and it didn't feel like cancer, yet it was! Thankfully mine hadn't spread beyond the polyp. So glad yours was not cancerous. I will be praying that all goes well with your surgery in May!
I have 53 years with my ileostomy. I was 22 and just married. I have led a very active life and continue to do so. I have 4 great children who are all married and ten grandchildren who are amazing!
I finished university are getting the Ostomy and went on to be an elementary school principal. I have done some traveling. Last November I was in Antarctica for 17 days on an expedition ship.
You have a bright future ahead . Be positive and stay focused on your goals.
Email me if you ever want to chat😀
Gary
I have my illioscopy since this past October,,,I had a tumor that was cancer,, had months of chemo then months of radiation,, but then they thought I had a stricture, but it was cancer as well,,, so surgery was my only choice if I wanted to live and I did. Honestly I am happy I am alive,,,,just had a C-scan last month and everything still looks good so I am happy. The pouch is a pain in the butt sometimes but it's worth it. I can have it reversed but my husband had gotten very sick right after my surgery and he has to have heart surgery in May, after he is well again, I might or might not get my reversal. Again, I'm happy to be alive.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the lights gets in
—Leonard Cohen
I died for 14 minutes. Two more minutes and the code would have been called. When I awoke, days later, I had an ileostomy. And I was filled with gratitude. However good and easy are rarely in the same sentence. I take a breath, I look for the light to illuminate the journey that life is, not the one I thought it would be.
Hello jess I went through a serious diverticulitis with perforation and underwent emergency surgery in May 2023, I had a colostomy for 10 months, until it was reversed on March 12th. I have always had a spirit of optimism, as I love my life and I was already happy tô be Alice and being able to be here with my son. The recovery is still going,but its amazing since day 1 post op. I hope it is the same for you too.
I’m going on 68 years having an ileostomy. I’m having a great normal life. Married 55 years with 6 grandkids. I feel very lucky and happy.
My husband had his ileostomy 2 years ago at the age of 79. He also had a prior stroke. Being a retired nurse I had no problem working with his ileostomy, but the first year was a lot of trial and error and joining this group was a life saver. Whenever we ran into an issue I'd ask here and would get great suggestions. We figured out what and when to eat prior to going out to a restaurant or when he goes to the gym. Now after 2 years ago it's just part of our lives and we've settled into a very normal lifestyle.
For years I was in tremendous amount of pain. Pelvic pain that affected everything in my life. My colostomy wasn’t planned. It was more of an emergency but I thank God I wasn’t alone. I am currently still in it as well. Just had a 13 hour surgery not too long ago with another surgery(not as long) soon.
my point is life is unexpected. Things get hard but you cannot give up even when your body is trying to. You’re the only one that knows your pain but don’t let it bully you. It doesn’t define you. Whatever caused you to get a colostomy does not define you. You’re strong and God is with you. Even on days when it feels like you’re alone. TRUST ME YOU’RE NOT
I am similar Ben- 28 when I had my ileostomy operation & I’m now 78
played rugby for 17 seasons & have visited many countries all over the world
I have tried to live a “normal “ life as far as possible & I think I have been successful
Quoting one of my fav writers, as a Buddhist I appreciate Kate Bowler’s perspective (Bowler is a stage IV cancer survivor) and 25 years ago when I was scared and thinking I was almost invincible I had a life saving radical surgery to get rid of a malignant tumor . . .
“I want to learn
how to hold joy and sorrow at the same time.
So bless us God, we who know that
right when life gets heavy or hard or too much,
we must carve a path to delight.
To do something for no reason whatsoever but joy.
Blessed are we who see the art in absurdity.
Because life is unexpected and terrible and wonderful and absurd.
So may we learn to embrace it all.”
-Kate Bowler
I have a totally positive story to my surgery and my stoma. I have a colostomy, I did not want it. It was a surprise to me when I woke up from surgery and had one, I went in for a colon resection came out with an ostomy. It only took me a couple of weeks to see the benefit to the colostomy than the way I had been living. I had constantly bowel blockages for over 30 years, Multiple visits to the hospital in each of those years. I had the surgery in April of 2017, I have only had a bowel problem twice sense then and both might have been avoidable if i had thought about what I ate. I am 77 and it is impossible for me now think of all the pain and suffering that I went through before having my ostomy. I am grateful for it and I am very grateful for my ostomy group that I attend once a month and keep in contact with the ladies of the group often. I have never had a problem with my Reno ostomy, I do have a problem with my stump of a colon but I deal with it.
I have had three colon cancer battles since age 53. I have had my permanent iliostomy for 4 plus Years. I am 72 years old, and I mountain bike ( carefully) , play pickle ball, travel, and have sheep on my friend’s farm. There are challenges. I find my stoma to be both yucky and amazing. BUT without it, I would not be here.
One of my favorite quotes from author Michael Singer-
“In the end, enjoying life’s experiences is the only rational thing to do. You’re sitting on a planet spinning around in the middle of absolutely nowhere. You’re floating in empty space in a universe that goes on forever. If you’re going to be here, be happy and enjoy the experience.”
Well, I was waiting to start a post graduate course when diagnosed with bowel cancer. The lengthy treatment and recovery caused me to loose my place on the course. However, towards the end of my recovery, I saw a MA course in social work, applied and graduated. Now I've been working in community mental health for 15 years! Is that positive enough?
George