06/17/2022
INSPIRING OSTOMATE FEATURE! 😍🤩
Here's Natalie's story!
In 2020 I randomly started experiencing IBD symptoms such as blood in stool, increased bathroom frequency, and stomach pain. I didn't think much of it at the time as I was relatively healthy (or so I thought). Eventually my pain got super bad and I couldn't keep any food down, so I went to the ER.
After multiple trips to the ER, I was finally admitted to the hospital. I was in the hospital for 10 days, and then my colon perforated. I went into emergency surgery and was told I was going to need an ileostomy. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.
At the time, this diagnosis felt like the end of the world. I was only 20, so having an ostomy felt like the worst possible thing to happen to me. Though it wasn't. I would have died without it.
My ileostomy was temporary, so I had it for 1 year and a half, and then chose to have a jpouch created, which I have now had for 2 months. I now poo from my b***y instead of a bag.
When I had my ostomy, it was my boyfriend and family who really got me through the harder days. Whether it was a reminder of my strength and how far I've come since my surgery, or even just a shoulder to cry on. They were always there.
A struggle that I had overcome as an ostomate was honestly just self acceptance. I hadn't known anything about ostomies prior to having one, and at first felt very traumatized by it. I felt as though it made me disgusting and never wanted to look at it. It took me a solid year to learn to love my ostomy, but I got there. I wouldn't have been alive without my bag. I learned that it may have been a part of my body, but it didn't define who I was or what i was capable of doing.
Thank you again for reaching out to me you guys are awesome! 🙏🏽💪🏽
- Natalie
