My aim with is to create a fun, positive and interesting community that is open to all (with or without an inflammatory bowel disease - IBD). It is a place where we can learn more about, spread awareness of and embrace our lives with IBD. I want to encourage people to share their stories, emotions and feelings about living with an IBD. No topic is taboo! I will also share personal experiences of my struggle with Crohns, having surgery, travelling the world and living life with a stoma. I hope I can instil some wisdom and have a bit of fun at the same time. As the name suggests, I also want to promote that having a stoma can be sexy!!! We may not have the internal parts of our bootys anymore, but we have our stomas, and I'm not ashamed to get my stoma-licious belly out! It is a work in progress at the moment, but my aspirations are that Stoma-licious will evolve into something great! I want to encourage discussion, inspire others, impart knowledge, reduce stigmas and demystify IBD. There are already a lot of incredible pages out there, but I hope Stoma-licious is unique and a valuable Australian addition to the IBD activists. Together we create a united front in growing awareness and a greater acceptance of IBD in the wider community.
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About me:
I was diagnosed with Crohns disease just after my 30th birthday. My life was put on hold as I struggled to do the normal, everyday things I had always taken for granted. As anyone with an understanding of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) knows, it can be a daily battle to get out of bed, leave the house, and live a normal life. The symptoms take over and can be debilitating. After 4 years of far more downs than ups, I eventually decided to go down the path of surgery. It wasn’t an easy decision – knowing I would have a permanent stoma. Within weeks after recovering from surgery, I knew I had made the right decision. For the first time in a long time, I felt well. I felt like a new person! Not long after surgery, we made another big decision ….. to travel the world! We spent 10 months travelling through South Africa, Europe and Asia (where my partner of 17 years and I got married)! Along the way, I decided this was my opportunity to share my story and help bring IBD and
Travelling with a stoma can be daunting, and whilst there certainly may be a few hiccups along the way, I hope my story helps and encourages others, and shows that there is and can be a life for those with IBD, and with an ostomy. Life with a stoma can be challenging, but it really has given me my life back, and enabled me to fulfil some lifelong dreams that for a long time I feared may never be possible.
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Any information expressed in Stoma-licious posts are based on my own personal experience. I am not a doctor or nurse and what works for me may not necessarily work for you.
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I am also available to speak about my experiences at support groups or any event. Please contact me at: stomalicious@outlook.com
