You Can Still Enjoy Your Life With A Stoma!

So many people fall for the trap that life after an ostomy has to be boring. In fact, from the outside looking in, one might think that life after an ostomy is one of complete isolation, abandonment, and destitution. I am here to tell you that that is simply not the case! As someone who has had an ostomy in the past few years and has lived life with a stoma ever since, I can tell you from firsthand experience that living with a stoma does not have to be boring. In fact, living life after an ostomy is pretty much similar to how life was before it. If you are worried about getting your ostomy and not being able to get your life back, I hope this article is comforting to you. You can totally live your normal life after an ostomy, a stoma will not stop you!

One thing that was worrying me before getting my ostomy was that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my favorite foods. I talked to a lot of people, doctors, and other experts about their opinions on eating after an ostomy. To my relief, it is true that eating after an ostomy is a little bit different than beforehand, but not life changing by any means. I personally enjoy going out to eat a lot at nice restaurants with my friends, family, coworkers, and sometimes even with complete strangers! I especially enjoy fine dining that involves a lot of wine, cocktails, steak, and seafood. One of my favorite meals ever was at a nice steak house where I enjoyed a 300 dollar steak. Honestly one of the best things I have ever eaten. I can tell you with great certainty that my stoma never stopped me from enjoying things like this. So if you enjoy eating all your favorite foods right now, you can definitely enjoy those same foods after your ostomy as well! Just make sure to take things slowly at first and listen to what your body is saying to you while you are eating.

Another part of life I enjoy is being outdoors. I love going up to northern Michigan to my cottage on Hamlin lake in the summers, and I was originally worried that my stoma would impact the way I spend my time outdoors. I can also tell you that your stoma does not limit your ability to enjoy being outside and doing various activities! I love to spend time in the water and at the sand dunes, and they have specially made ostomy pouches that can take on the day with you in any outdoor activity. I love hiking as well, and making long trips with a stoma is truly no problem as well. I just keep lots of ostomy gear on hand in the case that I have an emergency related to my stoma pouch or something like that. Traveling is also completely in your ballpark after an ostomy too! No worries about long car rides, plane traveling, and even walking around! You can really do anything after your ostomy, you are basically a superhero with a little bag attached to your abdomen.

 

I hope this article was helpful for you in your weird time of getting an ostomy. The surgery can be scary and overwhelming, but the doctors will take good care of you and your stoma.