Does everything happen for a reason?

There are many reasons living with a chronic illness like Crohn’s disease is difficult. One of many things I’ve struggled with is having no real explanation for what caused this. No reason why. Why and how did I get Crohn’s disease? When I was first diagnosed I was forever looking for meaning and answers.

The need to have someone or something to blame can be strong and overwhelming. Something has to be responsible, right? Someone has to be held accountable for this crap that I am going through. There must be a reason.

Yes, it might be genetics, environment, lifestyle, or a combination of these things along with something else. It is still unknown and much of the evidence remains anecdotal.

With a chronic illness with no definitive cause, there often are no answers. There are no reasons. Nothing and no one to point fingers at. It just is.

So I, for one, often blamed myself. And the blame spiralled.

What lies beneath … the bag?

I posted a photo of my naked stoma (sans bag) on Facebook the other day. Someone I know quite well asked me, pointing at the weird little pink think poking out of my belly, “what exactly is that?”.

That’s my stoma, I answered. My small intestine. That’s how I poop.

She apologised for being ignorant, but really it’s not ignorant at all. I wouldn’t have had any idea before Crohn’s disease and knowing that one day I might have to have one what it was either.

Tips on changing your bag, showering + hygiene

As Ostomates, we all have our own individual technique when it comes to emptying and changing our ostomy bags. We have our personal favourite brands and types of appliance, different showering methods, even preference for how often and when we change our bag.

Stomas come in all sorts of shapes and sizes (and also have minds of their own!). Some may need more attention than others or take a bit longer to work out and get used to, but they all need a bit of TLC!

We can be pretty particular and meticulous about how we change our appliance, and that’s a good thing! There is no one correct way – it’s not an exact science!

Here are a few of my tips and what works for me and my permanent ileostomy!