so bad ass sam cleasby

I <3 MY STOMA

After a year of blogging here at So Bad Ass I am OVER THE MOON to see so much about IBD, Crohns, Colitis and living with an ostomy in the media.  It is a really exciting time and Im so pleased to see stories and pictures in the news and going viral.  As you may know my aim is to #stoppoobeingtaboo and so it is fantastic to see the disease and treatments being talked about.

Im loving the bikini shots doing the rounds, I have been open and shared my photos for the last year as I think it is so important to demystify and show the reality of having an ileostomy or colostomy bag and so I think the other people sharing their pictures are just brilliant.

 

 

ileostomy bag and fashion swimwear

 

 

I am now 7 weeks post pouch surgery and so I am learning to live without my ileostomy after 9 months with my stoma and bag but it got me thinking about how that bag changed my life so massively.  After ten years of ulcerative colitis and endless hospital stays, medication and different treatments I had surgery to remove my large intestine and an ileostomy formed.

For the first time in so long I suddenly felt like I had some control back in my life.  Don’t get me wrong, it was major surgery and the recovery was tough but I was no longer going to the toilet 20-30 times a day, I wasn’t bleeding or in pain and it changed my life in such a positive way.

It was a big decision and a terrifying one, but it was the right thing for me and I honestly did love my stoma.  It was a funny little thing, I had no control over it and it bubbled and trumped whenever it felt like it.  I named it Barack Ostoma (no real reason, I just love a pun and it made me laugh!) and it allowed me to go traveling to Vietnam and Australia just three months after surgery, something I couldn’t imagine trying to plan whilst being ill with Ulcerative Colitis!

And so today I just want to celebrate my stoma and ask you to share my post, let’s show the world what is under the bag.  It isn’t terrifying or ugly, it isn’t dirty or something to be ashamed of, it is a surgical alteration to the body which changes lives and helps people live again.

I <3 my stoma.

What do you think of it?

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Love Sam xxxx

6 replies
  1. Darcy Dewar
    Darcy Dewar says:

    I think you are amazing Sam! And, if like my ex mother-in-law, your Stoma is a farty animal! They amaze me, how we can alter our bodies to ensure life is just incredible and should be celebrated!
    Your writings always leave me in thought, and with a smile.

    Love Darcy xx

    Reply
  2. Darcy Dewar
    Darcy Dewar says:

    I think you are amazing Sam! And, if like my ex mother-in-law, your Stoma is a farty animal! They amaze me, how we can alter our bodies to ensure life is just incredible and should be celebrated!
    Your writings always leave me in thought, and with a smile.

    Love Darcy xx

    Reply
  3. Pamela Conley
    Pamela Conley says:

    Sam, did your hair fall out when you got your ileostomy? If so, how did you deal with it and when did it stop falling out?? Does it grow again? I have only had my ileostomy since July 12, 2017 and have lost half my hair!! I don’t know what to do. Should I cut it until it gets better? Is there anyone who follows your blog that has experienced this??

    Reply
    • sam
      sam says:

      I am always losing hair since the op, I think it is more to do with the stress on the body of surgery rather than specifically to do with the ostomy. My hair is very thick but Im losing so much that I am going to get it cut short. If you are concerned you should speak to your doctor x

      Reply

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