I suffered with ulcerative colitis from the age of 23, I had many symptoms that where undetected and mistaken for other things such as piles. My symptoms included loss of weight at a fast rate for no reason, blood in stools or just passing of pure blood. My symptoms went undetected for about six months which left me anemic and very tired all the time.
My worse nightmare was when I found out I had ulcerative colitis was the thought of having a colostomy bag as I hadn't saw one but a user of them had described them to me and carried around a massive holdall bag around with her saying that she had to take it everywhere with her. This really upset me as being only young I thought that I couldn't go out parting with friend's carrying a massive bag around. With this in mind when they told me that I would need a colostomy bag I was devastated and thought that maybe life was not worth living as at the time I was also single. I had lots of issues with having the bag and was upset for a few days until the operation.
The day of the operation came and I went down for the colostomy bag still with terror in mind still not having seen a colostomy bag yet as the operation was an emergency.
Coming round a few days later I was really scared about seeing the bag that was now going tho be part of my life, I remember a nurse coming and changing it for me which was not as strange as I had originally thought. Being inquisitive I asked if I could help so we did it together then after that I started changing it myself with confidence. (Bearing in mind I can now change it even after having a few drinks on a night out it is that easy.)
The surgery took a while to heal but I felt really well and was amazed by the way my life had changed with what felt like just a bag. It is the best thing that I could of had done to make my life become normal again and if people didn't know that I wore a colostomy bag then you would never know as it is really discrete.
If you show any signs of blood in your stools or a fast weight loss than be sure to ask for your doctor for tests as they are sometimes to quick to pass any tummy troubles off with IBS. If your do have to have a colostomy bag then I would advise you to ask your stoma nurse if you could have the number of someone who has had one so you can talk to them about any concerns you have, I have had the pleasure of meeting people who have had to have the surgery or might have to so they can ask questions as who best to ask than someone who as gone through it all and can give you first hand experiences that they have experienced during the surgery and after care.
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