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.