Play and Have fun even if you have a stoma

When life comes at you fast and believe me if you have a stoma at some point it has, then you need to learn to live.  I mean take the time to be happy and work on your body to be able to do the things that you love.  I am not a big fan of living a life around being alone and especially when you have a stoma you should make sure you are happy and safe.  The lonely feelings after surgery go far beyond having a stoma, but sometimes when you have a physical lifelong change you can feel isolated.  Being able to have amazing gear and being able to be connected with people has allowed me to live a great life even with my stoma.

Well, let us just into how this is really done and done well.  I think that the best thing is to learn what makes you happy and go about it.  Personally, I am an outdoor person and it is part of my life.  The thrill of seeing new things or simply being out in the wilderness is what gives me joy and it is even better when I can share those experiences with others.  After my surgery, I was very afraid that I would never be able to do so again.  Without a doubt, my stoma gave me a lot of fear and I was afraid it would change my life for the worse.

But I researched and found people who were doing incredible things with their stoma. The coolest person I found was a professional cycler.  This guy had many national medals and then had to get an ostomy.  I thought his career was over, but instead, he decided to stay at it.  He even trained super hard to finish an iron man competition later on.  He finished an iron man in less than a dozen hours and it was incredible to see him do it.  The wild story of him being able to do something that most humans only dream of doing was inspiring.  My confidence took a huge boost.

This guy did incredible things with not the best gear either.   He didn't get a million dollars in super ostomy gear instead he did it like a minimalist.  That was the coolest part.  It led me on my journey to learn about connecting with others in the plan to find the best gear for me. 

Hopping online and getting into the web was the best thing for me.  At first, I only made comments, but through those, I found people had the same questions I did and ended up connecting and personal messaging a lot of people who were willing to help.  Now I am able to let people know what works for me in order to give them ideas on things to try.  That to me is the important part of ostomy gear and that is knowing that no all gear works for everyone.  It is important to be able to branch out and try things on your own.  We are all different so find what works best for you. Because in the end, you are what matter and your body is not the same as any one elses. So be wise and have fun. 

Playing Basketball with a stoma Guard

There are memories in my past that bring great joy.  I know in my past that the smell of sweat, wood, and pain brought joy to my life.  I know the sound of shoes gripping a freshly waxed wooden floor like the back of my hand.  That is because I am from the midwest and basketball has been apart of my life since I was born.  We are given balls to play with as kids and baby basketball hoops as soon as we can walk.  It is a part of life to learn the game of basketball and to try to make it professionally. 

Let me be real, there is not way that I am a professional and I knew as soon as I got an ostomy I never would be.  The thought of losing my favorite sport and activity in the world kinda broke me when I heard the news.  The life-saving surgery didn't matter to me, only the thoughts of what I would lose came to mind.  But I want to tell you there is hope and that your dreams won't be crushed by having a stoma.  No, I am not a professional basketball player, because I am not that good, but I am still able to play basketball with my friends and family.  It is a great thing to do and with a good stoma guard, I am able to do it with no issues. 

Don't be afraid, of contact.  Having good gear can protect you and keep your body safe.  I never take someone's fears and laugh at them.  I understand them because I have been afraid of losing my favorite parts of life too.  The idea of having an ostomy bag to carry around for life made me so angry when I was younger that I hated life.  That is pretty normal because looks and perception are reality.   But being a bit older and experiencing a whole lot more of life and I can firmly say that my life didn't change when I got my stoma.  My life allows me to be super active outside and I love that.

There is no doubt that good gear is the answer to being able to live a great and active life.  I am a big fan of testing things out and testing them hard before putting them on the court.  So I started my searching journey by asking my ostomy nurse and doctors all I could.  I learned as much as they did on the topic and they suggest I talk to pharmacists too because these guys know their stuff. 

I learned about ostomy guards from the pharmacist and that change my life. The pharmacist on my first visit was elated and helped me out and gave me lots of ideas on what to do when and where.  I went back a few years later and thanked him for being so kind to me and patient.  It was really a cool moment and he gave me hope even though I didn't know it at the time or appreciate it.  So that was a great starting point.  I then ended up talking with big companies and learning what options and cool gear were out there. What type of ostomy bags were the size and style I needed.  It was a cool thing to do and it helped me live happily.