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My ileostomy was a total surprise. I woke up from a very long coma, panicking, trying to breathe with a trach after months of intense Fentanyl nightmares, having undergone dialysis, sepsis, tracheostomy, mucous fistula, ileostomy, no hair on the back of my head, just scars from excessive time on the pillow, significant muscle degradation. I'm sure there's other stuff, but you get the picture. I was a bit of a mess.
Because I couldn't walk after six months in a hospital bed, I was placed in an assisted-living facility, which was a lot to deal with, although I made for an interesting resident compared to what the team was used to, apparently, lol.
I stayed there for a month or three before campaigning with doctors and surgeons to go home. Begging the surgeons and my GP, I finally got home and was lifted upstairs by four very strong guys, and my surgeon visited me at home while I did my best to try and find some kind of normal. Instead of driving my M4, I now tried to use my wheelchair, my new stair lift, and a fancy electric scooter, LOL.
So essentially, by my own design, I had to kind of find my way: how to wash, how to walk, how to eat, what to eat, can I have alcohol? What does my love life look like for the rest of my life? At first, it was embarrassment at my lack of ability to move and wash myself… and I still have issues with that now.
I'm blessed with a strong family that has stood by me while we establish what the new me looks like!
So stumbling across this place and reading some of your stories has given me hope, made me happy, made me laugh, and gave me advice on all the things that I actually needed but didn't know where to find.
Anyway, I'm seriously rambling. I look forward to getting to know some of you, sharing experiences, and offering support for people that come through the door behind me. Now I know how important sites like this can be!
