@dlkfiretruck

Thanks, Linda.

@llholiday

Thanks!

@veganostomy

Hi Eric, and thanks for welcoming me into this community.  Absolutely, I would love to mentor anyone at my school about life with an Ostomy and IBD.  In fact, I'm going to tell our school nurse to let any of our students with ostomies or IBD to know that I am available to listen and talk with them if they ever need someone to talk to.  

Hi Glenn, Reaching out to those students could make a word of difference 👍

Posted by: @glenn-giroir

Fortunately, most of my stoma's talking occurs at night.  For the first few weeks, I would jump in my sleep from the feeling for something coming out of my abdomen and making noise while doing it.  It was a funny feeling when I got a big movement at the beginning.  It took a while for my mind and body to get used of that.  

Hi Glenn,

I have my stoma, which makes cute little squeaky noises, but I also have a huge hernia, where my small intestines are bulging out of my tummy, and that adds all new kinds of noises, as I can hear the digestion process. Fortunately, the noises aren’t super loud, or offensive. They are actually sort of cute. 

My wound from having my colon removed still isn’t healed and my husband changes the wound dressing every day. The hernia is bulging into the wound too, and depending on the timing, when we have the dressing off, we can see the hernia doing “the wave” if it is digesting food.  🤣

I recently had the occasion to educate someone about ostomies and was happy to answer all her questions. Teaching moments can be any where - even in a mechanic's garage!🚗

A PS to my last reply: We all have times when our stomas will "talk". Usually, mine does at the most inopportune times. However, most people don't hear it or they politely ignore the "music".😁

Headed out to school/work today for the first time as an ostomate.  Got the wrap.  Got the family love.  Feeling confident.  I'll give a report of struggles and victories this evening.    

p.s. It's COLD outside. 

I hope you had a great day, Glenn! It's always nice to see what our fellow ostomates look like. You have a fine looking family as well!

Stella

Hi Glenn, All the very best👍 Be a good teacher and go easy on the homework 📚 

 Hi Glenn,

Best wishes for your first day back to work!!  It sounds like you are well prepared, and you have a great support system, in your lovely family.  Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you. 

I forgot to reply.  I survived.  😄

Here is a recap:  The good

- I only emptied my bag once the whole day.  My stoma seems to be most active at night.  I ate lunch at school for the first time in 5 years!  Before surgery, I wouldn't dare eat before teaching a class.  No one can tell I have an ostomy.  Not like I care if people know, but I'm amazed at how well my wrap conceals the ostomy and bag.  Sounds were not a problem.  If they happened at all, they just sounded like stomach growling noises.  No biggie.  I feel good.  Not 100%, but I feel good.  My students were so nice in being very concerned about how I was doing.  I missed 2 weeks of last semester, and they knew I was having surgery.  I talked to them yesterday in more detail about what surgery I had and why I needed it.  One class got very into the conversation and had a very genuine interest in the details of the surgery and how it has and will impact me in the future.  It was a good conversation with 25 17-year-olds.  I also had a good talk with our school nurse, and she thinks our idea of making myself available to our ostimate students would be a great help to them.  She said that they are typically shy about it and some are very concerned about how it will impact their chances of dating, having friends, etc.  I can't get identity of  these students because of privacy issues, but they will know that my door is open anytime if they'd like to talk to me.  

The bad - Not much.  I guess just having to use the student bathroom for emptying the pouch, since the staff bathroom is too far away.  This pretty much amounts to using a public bathroom with multiple stalls.  No big deal, but sometimes it's not the cleanest.  But again, I only had to empty my pouch one time during the school day.  I guess I could time the emptying for my lunch or plan period and the then use the private staff restroom.  Another thing is that I can certainly feel that I am not 100 percent.  I don't have the stamina for all of the interactive things that I like to do in class, but having had the conversation with my students of my surgery, they understand.  This will return to me very soon, I am sure.  I joked with my students that I feel about 75% right now, but my 100% is so cool that the 75% just takes the edge off a bit.  😄

Overall, it was a good day, and it was fun to see my students again after a 4-week absence.  

So glad to hear all about your first day. Plus it’s only gonna get more normal with time 💪

Thanks for sharing that with us, Glenn. I am glad your first day back went so well!!  And I’m sure your students are very happy to have you back. That is great that you were open with them in explaining your surgery and your situation. 

I found my first week back to work after being gone was a lot of telling people my story too. Though I was out a lot longer. Out on disability for 6 months and then working from home for an additional 6 months. But I felt it was sort of therapeutic to tell people what I was dealing with, rather than trying to hide it. 

I bet, even at 75%, you are a lot of students’ favorite teacher!!

Glenn, it is great to read about your day - wonderful, really!

Hi Glenn,

Thank you for sharing your day with all of us. It's heartening to know how well it went for you and your bright outlook for the future on the job. It seems you have a lot of understanding and supportive people at work. What an enormous relief it must be to have that first day behind you. Again, thank you.

Hi Glenn,

Congratulations on your first day back! You have such an amazing attitude and your students are so caring and supportive as well.

Most people will not even notice an ostomy. I think we tend to be overly conscious of it at first. I know that I have gotten to a point where I forget that I have one at times. 

Thanks so much for sharing your story. I am sure it will be encouraging to other newbies as well as the to the more experienced.

God bless,

Stella

@sjlovestosing

I agree.  I am already finding myself forgetting that I have an ostomy.  That is a bit scary at times, though, because I worry that I will forget to check my bag and it will overfill.  I hasn't happened yet, but I wear a wrap, and I normally can't feel any weight from the bag.  Funny how the brain needs to be rewired.  I still catch myself wanted to run to the bathroom whenever I feel any grumbling in my tummy.  

That’s so great to hear! And also the feedback is so valuable to any one facing surgery! Real time success stories 😃