This is a day in the life of Santabelle, he, he!
I hope we can all find humor in this story and the things we do for love!!!
My boyfriend, who is a commander in the Coast Guard, just suffered a seizure due to epilepsy. Ultimately, he cannot drive for six months, so I take him to and from his numerous doctors' appointments at the Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, MD. I dropped him off last week for one of his doctors' appointments and went back home to wait for him. When I came back to pick him up, I couldn't reenter the hospital building because I am not part of the military, so I was waiting across the street at the "kiss & ride" (Metro) in Bethesda. Since I do not have AC in my vehicle and it was 104 degrees outside, I was rather warm, so I decided to wait outside for him under a shady tree. Well, long story short, I locked my keys in my vehicle, agh! I called AAA, who came an hour later, and they were able to open my door in a split second! My boyfriend, at this point, was still at the Naval Hospital waiting to see his neurologist. Again, let me remind you, it's still 104 degrees outside! I am melting, but I'm still trying to act cool as in "groovy". My ostomy bag is really filling up at this point, and I had to start supporting it with my hand like a baby. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is located directly behind me, so I made a snap decision to enter the building. What else could I do? After all, when you have to go, you have to go. I entered the building, went through security, signed in. Security guards asked me which building I was going to and what my purpose was for entering NIH, and I answered, "I have to go to the bathroom, and any building that has a restroom will be fine," not kidding! Whew! I got to use the restroom and walked back to my vehicle proudly wearing my name tag.
Later that day, I had to drive my boyfriend to Union Station downtown in DC to the Greyhound bus terminal so he could catch a bus back home to NJ. Again, it was 104 degrees outside, and I might add the bus terminal had no AC. Some benign fans in the building were blowing warm air around, big deal!!! My boyfriend's bus was two hours late, agh! I left the station eventually after he caught his bus, hot, tired, and bedraggled at this point. I got lost in not a very nice part of town trying to find my vehicle. A bum asked me for my only bottle of water. I made a snap decision. I had to tell him "no" because I needed my bottle of water more than he did (plus there were people giving out free bottles of water at the station). I got lost again driving around in the city trying to find my way home! When I finally found Rt. 495, which is near my home, I almost stopped and got out of my vehicle to kiss the pavement! Soon after, I met my friend Millie to vent, only to have my poor ostomy bag give way because the adhesive on my ostomy bag had melted in the mere heat, and all the contents were flushed out all over my cute white summer pants!!! On the bright side, OxiClean works really well!!! Ahh, again the things we do for love!
That's why you are a survivor. Perspective is everything. Always measure whatever bumps lie ahead of you on your road with good judgment and some humor.
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Hi Mike and all. I am not sure how panoramic my perspective really is as my peripheral vision shrinks with each passing year. I can tell you that when I came to this website six years ago I was truly ;impressed by the positive attitudes of so many members, especially the younger folks who refused to let their ostomies define who they were or what they would become. I also came to appreciate that having an ostomy is not the same thing as having a disease. Pardon ;my pun now, but ostomies and cancer don't belong in the same bag. One is a solution, the other is a problem. Celebrating National Ostomy Day ;is also well outside my comfort zone. That's like celebrating National Wheel Chair Day. Come on!
I think there is a ;need for improved ;public awareness of ostomies, but I am not sure how that's best done. There ;remains ;some social stigma attached to our situation, and it's acutely felt among our young. We need to get out of the dark ages on this issue, but not by going 'in your face' to everyone else. I think Bill and NDY are 'spot-on' when it comes to telegraphing the right message to friends and family. People will know how to react when they ;see ;how we accept the cards we were dealt. I also appreciate the contribution some people here are making to this effort through their publications.
On a personal note, my son has been suffering from ulcerative colitis for years just like I did. I am very concerned because people with UC are at a higher risk for colon cancer. Years ago my GI told me to get annual colonoscopies to be on the safe side. I am glad I did because he eventually found pre-cancerous cells which led to several surgeries and my becoming an ostomate. Since then I have always ;conveyed a positive attitude to ;my son about wearing a bag because it has kept me alive to enjoy many more years with my loved ones. I think he got the message. We both go to the same gastroenterologist in NYC and get scoped on the same day. Father and Son moments!
Someone once wrote that our children are the letters we write to the future.
PB
It's been a long road, but I can finally laugh at myself. After all, what else can we do, Primeboy! :-)
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That's too funny, and I am actually reading and watching this happening in my head. LOLOL, it's really bad, but hey, been there, done that. I would have emptied under the tree. Nowadays, I just don't care, it's coming out, and that's all there is to it. Thanks for the tip. Hahaha, sorry darl, but I visualized your story. LOL, good on you... mooza xxxx
You're too funny! Unfortunately, there are way too many diplomats here in the DC area, so I'm trying to keep somewhat of a composure, but ultimately, I don't care. They're so stuffy here; can't wait to move! LOL!!! Ha, ha!!!
Avoiding Ostomy Bag Leaking | Managing Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden
...Seriously, you can't go to the bathroom in the bushes here in the DC area, and if they saw my ostomy bag, they would think it was some sort of terrorist weapon. And well, I'm just guessing it could be trouble for me, agh!!!
Funny story, Santabelle. I agree with you about the weather. Walking home from work some nights in this hot and humid weather, I can feel my appliance slowly coming off from the sweat. I can't wait until fall!
PJT, I always thought summer was my favorite season but I am now waiting for the fall too!!!
Well guys, have you tried other appliances? Oh, I got a little secret. If you need to empty, think about this one: an empty plastic coffee cup with a lid. Oops, not much of a secret now. But I don't know where I came up with it. Maybe some cheap big cups? Empty, ta-da! There, what about that then? Worst scenario, hehehehehe. You had keys in the car. Were there no shops around? Maybe a plastic bottle from anywhere! Told ya, I don't try to worry. Or maybe I lost the plot. Maybe I should've started Facebook. Hahaha, just watched the DVD. LOL. Okay, who wants to employ me? On pain meds, might have a few problems with instruction at first. Lololol. Awwwwwwww.
Sorry, not a job. Spelling might help. I said "SECRET", not "sevret". Lololol.
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