We have an exciting new feature coming your way.
We will be talking with Ostomates and raising Ostomy awareness with Sarah.
My name is Sarah and I am 31 years old.
I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis which is a form of inflammatory bowel disease when I went just 16 years old, I grew up living with the disease from this young age and it was really difficult. I had 13 years of medications but in April 2019 I was admitted to hospital and had to have emergency surgery to have my colon removed as all medications had failed. My body had either got used to them, rejected them or grown antibodies against them.
I had surgery to have an ileostomy formed in April 2019, this is where the end of your small bowel pokes out through your stomach and a bag is attached to collect your waste. The thought of having a stoma had always seemed like the worst option for me. I always felt like a stoma would reduce my quality of life and the way it would make me feel.
However, since my surgery it has given me a new lease of life. I can actually say that having the bag has empowered me and made me feel more body confident than I have ever felt. I am pain free for the first time in a long while, I no longer take daily medications, I now have control over my life and the quality of life I have is amazing.
I am proud to be an ostomate and my aim is to raise as much awareness as possible via social media.
If you would like to share your story and discuss it with us in a one on one awareness feature please get in touch.
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