If you are new to having a stoma then this article is for you. I am not a professional by any means, but a normal guy who has been through it. The whole gambit of emotions of surgery and the thoughts of having a ostomy bag with me for the rest of my life was a scary thought. But like everyone I realize I am not the only one to have gone through this. And the truth is that, is the best part. It really is awesome to know the millions of people before me who have lived and truly had awesome and great lives with a stoma. What does that mean to me? It means that the majority of things have been discovered and figured out. It means so many failures and embarrassing nightmares that people have gone through, don't have to be mine or yours. I love that fact and with information available this day and age we can be so far ahead of the old curves. So let's go through my journey of finding some really great gear that helped me live the active life that I love.
The first place I always like to talk about is going to your pharmacist. This is a local store that is usually near you and I have found it to be invaluable to my life. Even with all the amazing information online and yes I will get to that in a bit, in-person talks are still the best. I mean it, I was really terrified to talk about my stoma before my first pharmacy visit. I went in like I was buying condoms and had to ask for help to find it. The pharmacist actually led me to the aisle and started talking about the different items he brought in and why he did it. I heard stories from his customers and shared expereince and I was able to learn a whole lot and for the first time, I was comfortable talking about my stoma in public. I really can't thank that Doctor enough, because it gave me the confidence to go out and talk about my needs and wants with my stoma. So if you have a local pharmacy go and find out what they have. Ask questions and know what is available if you need something in a pinch!
The next area that I ended up learning about great ostomy gear from was the internet. Of course, I went to my Doctor and learned tons from my ostomy nurse first. But the internet is full of forums that lead you down rabbit holes from spelunking with a stoma to diving. These activities are things I am not a fan of doing, but hey there is a topic on them and that is something. What I found was a ton of people who were in my boat and who were willing to talk about successes and failures when it came down to it. Rather I was on Instagram, Youtube, or a forum this was the main point. I got to learn from others and see lots of bad and good things.
I am always a fan of talking to the creators of products as well. They make gear for a reason and not one size fits all. So don't be afraid to shop around.
No comments:
Post a Comment