Firefighter with ostomy

I have been a firefighter for close to three years now. I have seen a lot of things in my years of being a firefighter. From my job, I had a life-changing accident that changes how I live my life now. I am happy that I am still around to this day to tell people about the accident so they can be aware of the dangers this job can have. I am a public speaker when I am not fighting fires. I use this opportunity to share my experience and connect with other ostomy patients like myself. If you have not made it to one of my events, then you are in luck; I am going to share with you what happened and how it changed my life. 

One day on the job, we got a call about a raging fire taking over a nearby factory. We did not know what kind of factory only got the location. We answered the call to action and rushed to get ready, throwing on our overalls and oxygen tanks and jumping into the truck. As we rushed through the streets to get to the factory, my fire chief told me I would be on the big truck ladder. I have only done it a few times, but I felt confident and was glad he trusted me to take on such an important job. When we pulled up, I could feel the heat from inside the truck. We rushed to get everything set up; I ran to get the ladder in place. 

After I got the ladder in place and began climbing up, I had a hose draped over my shoulder and climbed as fast as I could. Little did I know this fire would change my life. As I almost reached the top, a massive explosion erupted from the side of the building closest to us. It knocked me off my feet, and I benga plummeting towards the truck fifteen feet below me. I landed on my back. As soon as I landed, I knew something was wrong inside of me. An additional ambulance was immediately dispatched after hearing about this. The ambulance that was already there helped me up off the truck and to their vehicle. I was happy to be alive and walking, but I knew something was wrong. 

I was rushed to the hospital, where an x-ray was rushed to get done, and a doctor came to see me almost as soon as I got out of the x-ray room and into my own. He told me my x-rays did not look good, and I would need an ostomy procedure because my large intestine ruptured. I said, let’s do it and did not look back. Once the procedure was done, I stayed in the hospital for a few days, where I spent learning about ostomy and how to take care of my stoma and pouch. Just about all my coworkers came to see me, and they were glad I was still alive and could walk as a fall like that should have broken my spine. 

I am very reluctant not to have ended up with a worse result, all things considered. I use my experience to teach others about safety in the firefighter world. I am also trying to get improvements on the tools we use to aid in the reduction of injuries and falls as I had. I’m still able to do my job, but the boss refuses to put me on the ladder again, and I don’t blame him. I don’t want to go up a ladder again if I can avoid that. I’m so happy to be alive and walking. Even though I had an ostomy procedure, I am still the same guy I was before. 

Extreme Sports with a Stoma?

Being part of the new 2021 world I have a firm understanding of extremes.  The United States is now borderline totalitarianism and I am indeed starting off an article about stomas with that wild statement.   Because wild is what I am about and because I simply have a stoma does not mean that I am not able to do wild or crazy things.  What it means is that I need to prepare a little more and have backups in place something goes wrong, but really everyone takes a little bandage kit with them when they are extreme biking anyway.  Yes, you can indeed be an adventure mountain biker if you have a stoma.  Just because you had an Ostomy doesn't mean that life is over. As a matter of fact, life just goes on and doesn't really change that much for me. Instead of slowing down after I recovered I went the opposite route and sped up into doing extreme sports. Now, let's be real, I do mountain biking in a state with no mountains.  I am not super crazy or a professional athlete, but there are many with stomas that are.   I do consider mountain biking to be a bit extreme. Now granted I live in the midwest and that means that my mountains are not like Colorado. Although I have been out there and boy that is insanely fun. So how did having an ostomy work with biking in rough conditions?  It was a bit hard to start, but with conditioning, just like in any other sport I began to get the hang of it. 

So once your mindset is in the right place one thing that helped me was having the right gear.  Mountain biking brings out a lot of sweat and lots of jumps and jolts. It causes a lot of legs and abdominal strain too.  It is also possible to fall so protecting your stoma is a big part of the gear and having it be comfortable is super important. 

So I had trouble with seals and bags working well to start with. I was eventually led to called some online companies that sold in bulk after watching an online tutorial and started asking questions.  I finally got the courage up to call and I am glad I did.  These companies were really helpful and didn't sell me like I thought they would. Instead, I had a great conversation with someone that gave me test products instead. It was a no worries sort of exchange and I more than appreciated it.  

Now, not everything worked for me but I found a better bag and belt system. It gave me the confidence to do a trail and start having some fun again.  I got all strapped up and hit the local trail which is actually in the middle of town.  I skipped the jumps the first few times but really got comfortable with my body and the bike going up and down. So I was able to get back to finally doing what I loved and take it up a notch as time moved on. This was a big boost to my life and the quality of it. It doesn't seem like much but when you are sitting in surgery thinking all that is good is about to end it sure is nice to get that rush of joy from the trail. 

Get outside with your Stoma

There are some things in life that are simply not worth giving up.  For me, I try to keep the things that I love an open possibility no matter what the cost. But if you find out that an ostomy surgery is going to be scheduled and it is for you, your mind starts to wonder.  If this is you I want you to know that you most likely won't have to wonder about the possibility of going out and being active outside again.  I was totally afraid that my outdoor life would end once I got my stoma, but in fact, I was totally wrong.  I had a lot of fears that were not necessary and completely wrong.  This was a wonderful thing to find out, but a lot of it was more along the lines of me learning the hard way.  I had seen many people simply give up and live a sedentary lifestyle with a stoma in I was totally not a fan of it at all.  That is why I decided to step up my writing game and my availability to talk to those who are new to having a stoma.  My goal has been to give a truthful account of what it is like to get a stoma and how you can completely live an amazingly active and even wild lifestyle with a stoma.

 

The ability to go outside and enjoy the great outdoors was a part of my life that I didn't want to lose. I have always been an avid hiker, backpacker, and jogger.  These things are what give me joy on a daily basis and something that I really like to do.  So to me letting them go was not going to be a possibility unless there was no other choice. My journey to being outside has been just that a journey.  It takes a little time to go from the hospital to the great outdoors.  And for me, it took lots of research and time.

 

I first looked up what others had done and their advice was to get back into the gym or into the outdoor activities slowly. Even if your body is still in great shape it's important to make sure the rest of your body that just got through surgery catches up.  You are now more prone to having hernias and no one wants that to happen.  So for me, it was a process of heading to the gym and walking on the treadmill.  This was a huge step because it was outside my home and neighborhood and had a possibility of bad things happening in public.  So that is why I started slow and just walked for some time.  After a week, I added elevation and then slowly moved into doing ellipticals too.  It took me a few months to feel confident in my gear and in my ability to jog in public.  But each step was a psychological win and helped me move into a place that I could feel safe and be confident. 

 

I highly suggest hopping into social media and finding people with stoma's who workout and enjoy the outdoors.  Look at what they do and how they live.  It is really important to be able to do this and enjoy their journey and share yours with them as well.

Conditions And Symptoms Related To A Few Bowel Conditions

The first most essential point to take into consideration is that you can get help for all bowel conditions, and there is a complete cure available for most of those conditions.

There is tons of information available on the web about all bowel conditions, including fecal incontinence, colitis, IBS, Crohn’s disease, constipation, and all other issues. While you may not be able to grasp complex information related to those conditions, the basic information will help you know their symptoms. This way may be able to explain your bowel condition to the doctor in a much better way.

In this article, we will discuss those conditions along with their symptoms.

• If you do not have bowel movements three times a day or you have to strain excessively to pass the stool but still do not feel empty, you are suffering from constipation.
• If you have bowel movements three times a day and have more watery stools, you are suffering from diarrhea.
• If you have abdominal pain along with a change in bowel habits, and you have nausea, fever, and vomiting, you may be suffering from diverticular disease.
• Diarrhea, weight loss, and abdominal pain suggest that you may be suffering from Crohn’s disease.
• Bloody diarrhea, diarrhea with mucus, and a constant urge to go to the toilet even though you pass out nothing, you may be suffering from ulcerative colitis.
• If the stools leak out of your anus without you knowing about it, you may be suffering from bowel incontinence.

You must contact your GP immediately if you notice any of the following symptoms.

• Bleeding from the anus
• Blood in the stools
• A bowel habit change that lasts more than three weeks
• Tiredness and weight loss
• Abdominal pain

Approaching your GP about your bowel conditions

You can contact your GP for the treatment of your bowel condition no matter how severe it might be. He or she will run some tests to determine the problem and the stage it is in to formulate a treatment strategy.

Stoma for bowel conditions

Certain bowel conditions require a part of the bowel removed or bypassed. The second step of this surgical process involves bringing out of the end of the healthy GI tract through an opening in the abdomen to create a stoma. As a result, stools pass out through the stoma instead of heading to the diseased part of the bowel. With no sphincters in the stoma, there is no way you can control when to pass out stools, so you are going to have to wear an ostomy bag over the stoma to manage your stool evacuations.

A stoma can be temporary or permanent. If your surgeon finds out that resting the diseased part of your bowel will help it to recover, he will disconnect it from the healthy section of your bowel. He may do it by bringing an intestinal loop out through a cut in the belly and making an incision on the top of that loop to create a stoma, or disconnecting the diseased section and bring out the end of the healthy bowel.

You may want to discuss everything related to ostomy care with an ostomy care nurse.

Did your stoma ruin your vacation?

Flying with a stoma is not all it's cracked up to be but it is not the worst thing either.  Driving for miles with poopy diapers and my own stoma bags is not the end of the world too.  Does this sound like a nightmare or a great time?  Well, to be honest, I would say it is a little of both and a great way to make memories with family or friends for a lifetime and should not be halted because you have a stoma.  When you first learn that you are going to have surgery and will be living with a stoma it is really a scary time and it was rightfully so.  Your mind races and your heart just sinks.  The thought of living with a stoma is just disheartening for many.  On the other hand, it can save lives and many people have the opposite reactions because they are going to be safe and healthy. Either way, we all feel differently and it is all OK.  At some point, selfishness kicks in and our thoughts then linger to how good we will look, and will we ever be able to vacation again.  The answer is yes, you can and will still look good and most definitely yes you can go on vacation.  I like to plan my vacations wisely and make sure my health is going to be just fine as well.  

Don't fret too hard about the location and don't let your stoma lead the way.  The details and complications of how many diapers to bring and how much gear for my stoma I will personally need are really secondary.  Now that was a bit of a fib because let's face it those things do come first, but you must decide on the location and duration before the real planning can begin.  So know that if you are going to head to a sandy beach vacation that you will want to bring some extra gear. Sand and water ruin everything and that is just normal. Just be smart and be preparied

When ai am on the sand what do I do? Well, lots of things. I think waterproof gear is essential and it is also pretty cool.  For the basics, I buy a box of ziplock bags.  I like the zipper kind because I am a bit lazy and they waterproof just about as good as anything else.  I then double bag everything.  It takes a lot of zip locks but it is worth it.  Then I do it all again!  Why would I do it all twice?  Because things get lost or stolen on vacation.  Or even worse sand and water win and somehow find a way to destroy gear.  So take two sets of everything and separate them.  Pack one set in the trailer or car top carrier.  Just double up and be smart about it.

If you are on the sand, I actually take the gear I may need in an emergency and double bag it, and put it in a waterproof case or cooler.  I like Otterbox gear and find that it holds up well to beach destruction.  It seals out sand and water and if I need something I know that it will be the sand and water on me that causes an issue and that is great

Find the Best Ostomy Gear

If you just got out of surgery or are pretty new to the whole world of having a stoma then this may be a good article for you.  I struggled to find the right things that would allow me to live the life that I wanted.  This is not because I am unique or have a strangely shaped stoma, although some people do.  I think it is because I didn't want to change my life at all.  I enjoy being an active person and love being outside and enjoying the great outdoors.  I think this is why I struggled with finding gear that simply worked for me.  Now, I am by no means the most athletic person and don't pretend to be an expert but I know that we are all different that what works for one person with a stoma does not work for another necessarily.  So that whole issue got me into trouble and I want you to be able to avoid my mistakes and to find the perfect ostomy gear for you.  So here is how I go about learning about gear and where to find it.  There are many places to look and most have problems, but they all have benefits as well.

 

Now in real life, I still admit that there usually is nothing better than in person information from a professional.  That means that the best advice that I can give is to find knowledgeable people who have used the gear or create the gear to be the best option.  That means that my first suggestion is to go find professionals in the field and most people only have to look to their phone or right down the road to the pharmacy.  For me, it was going to my local pharmacy to talk to the head pharmacist that put me on the right path for learning. 

 

This gentleman worked for 30 years in the industry and had purchased tons of brands and talked with thousands of people who had a stoma.  He stocked the gear that worked for them and he had had hundreds of conversations about it.  This means that this doctor had a lot of experience in why he liked certain companies and what they did for his customers.  He spends probably 20 minutes talking me through all his gear and gave suggestions for me and also other places to look and shop.  His goal was to have the best basics for most situations, but he knew that for specialty gear that others could get it at better prices from online locations and he led people to those locations.  He also told me to talk to the big companies because they had customer service agents who were knowledgeable in their products and how they worked for different people.

 

So I took his advice and called those companies up and asked all the questions I had. In the end, they gave me way more questions and knowledge than I had even thought of.  This was amazing and they sent me some free samples to see what may work best for me.  The experience was positive and all these people and companies earned some loyalty. 

But I also cross analyzed this information with social media and online forums from people with stomas.   It was a great way to learn what worked best for me and I hope it does for you.

The causes of A prolapsed Stoma

A prolapsed stoma can be quite surprising and scary! But you shouldn’t panic, it’s not life-threatening in most cases. In a lot of instances, they’re treated without surgery. It’s common in some cases later on after the stoma forms. While prolapses occur in different kinds of ostomies, it’s commonly seen in the loop version. But we’ll discuss what happens, and some tips as well if it does. A prolapsed stoma of course is when it becomes way bigger than normal, sometimes extending much further outwards than it should.

 

Causes 

The causes usually involve the muscles getting weak. Other reasons may involve the following: 

• Pregnancy 

• Lifting too heavy 

• Weight gain or obesity 

When the abdominal muscles aren’t strong enough, this also causes the stoma to pop out, especially when you are moving about through the day. It can reoccur especially if you’ve prolapsed once. This if of course, due to the weakness that was created because of the abdominal pressure as well. 

What to Do 

The first thing is to not panic of course. But if it does happen, you should contact the stoma nurse. If it’s normal after surgery, then they’ll tell you how you can take care of this. If the prolapse is working normally and is a color that’s healthy or reddish, it means that it isn’t very concerning. However, you should get a ruler and monitor how big it is while you stand upright. You can then check it again and again as it gets bigger in size. As long as this does naturally reduce when resting or even lying down, it can be pushed into place gently, and it’s generally not a concern. You should worry if it’s purple or blackish, is painful, starts to ulcerate, or it doesn’t function period. 

Does it Always Change Appearances 

In most cases, it does, simply because it’s swelling and is bigger in size. However, you may want to cut the aperture size accordingly to prevent these leaks, the skin sores, and the ulceration that comes from this. The stoma nurse may show you techniques in order to apply your pouch without compromising how the adhesion fits, such as maybe putting a split on the paper that’s used to release and the like. They may also encourage you to use washers and seals to learn how to adapt your aperture of the pouch in order to protect the skin area, allowing for the prolapse to expand as needed. 

If the prolapsed stoma fills the pouch you’re using, the stoma nurse may tell you about some special types of prolapsed pouches that are longer and bigger, so that the bottom of this won’t rub the end of it. It also may be good to consider a two-piece system to help with the flange as well, since that may be an option for some people, but it may be a little awkward. There is also a support garment for this that you can wear. You may also want to consider the “stoma shield” as a helpful action, but only if the prolapse is able to be reduced. You should be careful of support garments or lighter clothing, since it can cause trauma and reduce the blood supply to the stoma. You may want to possibly look into surgical intervention if the blood supply begins to be compromised, especially if there’s an obstruction that’s associated with your stoma, and if it affects the quality of your life. You may want to talk to your stoma surgeon in that case, since they may do something to help you.