Fun Fact 3: An ostomy is not the end of the world.
This one is more a stigma that Iβm debunkingβa stigma I myself was guilty of. To quote an article by the United Ostomy Association of America (UOAA). βOstomy bags are not tragediesβ¦ Ostomies make it possible for people to keep living when illness, injury, or pain have tried to take that away.β
When I first started down this road, I said a colostomy bag would be the βworst-case scenario.β I said I wasnβt old enough to have an ostomy bag. My doctor told me she has a 7 year old patient with one and didnβt I feel like a chump.
My ostomy improved my life in ways I didnβt expect. Itβs true that I never felt pain from my rectal polyp, but what I did feel and did not even realize was constant bloating and discomfort. Those of you with glasses, remember when you first put them on and realized the world wasnβt supposed to look that way? Itβs the same kind of feeling. I didnβt realize my body wasnβt healthy, until it was.
I no longer have to keep track of where the bathrooms are in a public place because I may need to go now. I donβt have the constant worry that public outings will end in embarrassment.
Is it an adjustment? Of course. Are there days of frustration and sadness? Absolutely. But those are natural moments we all have to deal with in life. And in hindsight, I think those moments will be fewer and far between than the ones Iβve already overcome.
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