Back in early February I had my first Astra Zeneca/Oxford Vaccine and my experience wasn’t good, how will I get ok with the second?
Read moreRunning Ultramarathons with a Stoma and a Parastomal Hernia
Before I had a stoma I had completed half a dozen ultramarathons and it had my favourite race distance but when I had surgery in January 2019 I wasn’t sure how having a stoma would affect running those distances.
Read moreMy Experience with the Astra Zeneca ‘Oxford’ Vaccine
Being on the clinically extremely vulnerable list due to taking immunosuppressants, I was scheduled to have a COVID-19 vaccine by February 15th and this week I received my appointment.
Read more2 Year Stomaversary
Today marks the 2 year anniversary since I had my old bum sewn shut and had a new one installed. It’s been a long journey but as I enter the third year with a stoma I feel as though I’m now on track to something closer to normal.
Read moreA Year Of Colostomy Irrigation
In 2019 I hadn’t been getting on well with the colostomy bag and was getting fed up with having to get up in the night to change the bag. My team of colostomy nurses recommended that I try irrigation and after joining a colostomy irrigation Facebook group and asking some questions decided to give it a shot. In early January 2020 I completed my first irrigation with the aid of a stoma nurse and I’ve continued ever since.
Read more24 Miles, 24 Hills, 24 Hours
In early December a challenge appeared on my radar called The Longest Night and I instantly signed up. I had heard of the other challenge that was held back in June called The Longest Day where runners would head out on the hour, every hour for 24 hours during the longest day of the year. The format was going to be the same but most of the runs would be taking part in darkness.
Read more24 Miles in 24 Hours
On paper, running 24 miles in 24 hours doesn’t sound that difficult and is easily achievable but breaking down that distance over 24 hours may be a different thing altogether.
Read moreThe Wound is Finally Healed!
It’s been a long journey, a very long journey. But I’ve arrived. I’ve arrived at the point in my recovery where my Ken Butt wound has finally healed. This is another milestone in my recovery that I can tick off.
Read more#StomaAware
Saturday 3rd October is Ostomy Awareness Day and to coincide with this, ColostomyUK is launching a new campaign called #StomaAware. The aim of the campaign is not just to make people StomaAware on that day, but to make people in the UK #StomaAware every day of the year.
Read more300th Visit to the Nurse and 1 Year Since the Last Surgery
This time last September I was heading into surgery for the second time after the main colostomy surgery in January 2019. Complications had arisen and a non-healing wound and fistulae that had formed a track inside meant that the best option was to reopen the perineum and let it heal again with the aid of a VAC.
Despite some lingering issues, things have been better this year than they were last year and the outlook is looking better than it ever has been in the last two-and-a-half years.
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