Day to day life with a Stoma

It can be a devastating, psychological issue when faced with stoma surgery! In fact, it can seem like the world has come to an end and that we will never cope with such a thing.
   In fact, nothing could be further than the truth. Many people have a  stoma and they cope very well indeed. You may know somebody who has one. Or more likely, you may work with someone, or be a neighbour of someone who has a stoma and you never knew.
   You see, people may not advertise the fact that they have such a thing and you would never notice that they do unless, you saw them undressed.
   After the shock of realising that a stoma is inevitable and the intricacies of the surgery and recovery time, the natural way of thinking is, 'What will people say?' 'Will they be able to see it?' Many questions come to mind and they can consume a person. The fact is, the only people who will know about the stoma, is the people that we choose to tell. Otherwise, we can get on with our lives without them knowing there is any difference in us.
   Yes, it is different to live with one. Initially, it may even need counselling before a person can accept that their life will be changed in such a way. However, as in my case, it is far better to have one than to live with a terrible bowel disease that completely takes over one's life, such as ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease. Failure to have had surgery would have had a very detrimental affect on my life and it is possible that it may have led to bowel cancer. Therefore I am pleased that I now have my life back.
   It is not easy at times, but the positives far outweigh the negatives and out of a thousand things that I could do before surgery, I can still do about 999 of them.
   You may be facing stoma surgery. Or you may have recently had the surgery. Please be encouraged. Things will get better and you'll soon be back on your feet getting on with your life.
   For help in this area, why not consider purchasing my book ALL BAGGED UP. This will give you a comprehensive look at the surgery, tests, medication and general tips to living with a stoma.
   It can be obtained from Amazon.co.uk