Hey guys. I haven't posted in awhile so here's an update. 6/16 ostomy due to diverticulitis, sigmoid colon removed. 1/17 reversal done. 3/16 reversal unsuccessful due to leakage, sepsis and near death thing. Back in bag. 9/17 take down again but wake up to illostomy for reattachment recovery.12/17 went in for illostomy take down and wake up with bag again! Turn's out colon not dilated enough. Since then I've gone through two colon dilation procedure's with another day after to marrow. I'm really, really trying to be patient and go with what needs to be done but waking up with that bag after the last hospital visit got to me a lot. I'm fighting off depression as best I can but its getting tough. After four surgery's my body looks like a 2 year old tried to draw a tic tac toe board on me. I'm not really concerned with how I look, but I am worried about how I feel. I've got a lot of surface pain spot's and numbness. Oh and I don't have to worry about making babies anymore. Thank goodness that's OK by me. Anyhow, I hope this next dilation is the last and I can finally get my bag removed for the last time. Happy new year everybody and god bless.
Hey Irjosh, I'm so sorry to read about all your stuff. I'm not a doctor, and most of what I know about ostomies is from my own experience and what I've learned from folks here. I think you're a heck of a lot stronger than you think. Fighting off depression takes more energy than anyone can imagine unless they've been there. Having had my ostomy for about six years, I'm comfortable with it now and don't really care that so many folks think that's like the end of the world. It's not! Maybe you should just give yourself a break for a while. Heal. Get comfortable with your tic-tac-toe belly and bag. Hey, what do I know? It's easy to tell others what they should do. I'm just trying to empathize from my own experiences, which weren't that pleasant.
By the way, you have every right to be depressed and downright pissed off if that makes you feel any better.
With sincere respect,
Mike
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Hi gang,
I was thinking what a great resource this site has been for me since I found it. It would have been really helpful, but maybe a bit scary, to have found it before my ostomy, but that's water under the bridge. But I got thinking about it, and now I'm questioning why doctors and hospitals don't provide this site's contact info to any patient even considering an ostomy today. And how can we change that so potential ostomates can learn about the road ahead for them by getting on here and asking questions before the docs go chop-chop. How exactly do you get all hospitals to provide their patients specific information, like this website?
I just happened to find this site something like 4 years after my ostomy when I Googled "ostomy forum" or something like that. But I never found it during previous searches.....so I found this site pretty much by pure luck. We need to find a way to make this site available to new or soon-to-be ostomates......as that's when we really need to commiserate with fellow ostomates. Anybody have any thoughts on how we do this?
Thanks,
Bob
Hey mike. Thanks. Really. I like having someone. It's comforting to know somebody's looking out. It makes me want to look out for others also but I sometimes don't feel worthy to do that. Dumb, I feel. I do want to help other's. I'm going through it too. Fuck!!! I know all of us want to say fuck it, BUT. Fuck!!!!! Damn. fuck. Im just trying to get on with my life like us all.
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