It is present
It is on the fringe…
New symptoms
Rear their head…
Isolated and alone
We pray to our Heavenly Father…
Our body
Becomes a prison…
Trembling and tingling
Unsteadiness abound…
At that time
Fear grows…
Reading scripture
Quiet whispered prayers…
Looking out the window
The distraction of falling leaves…
For a moment
The world is still…
Then thoughts swirl
Eyes cannot focus…
There is a quiet calm
Fear has receded…
The symptoms still strong
Courage now a soft blanket…
There has been a lot of stress at work due to coworkers giving notice and the subsequent hiring and training involved. As the office Manager, the training falls squarely on my shoulders. As any of you in my position know, you get to balance doing your workload while training and making sure that everything else necessary to run the office is taken care of.
Add to this scenario, our outside activities ramping up…..son now in Karate, Wednesday Night Church (Youth Class), and Cub Scouts…..not to mention it is now Blacktail season…..so we are trying to get some hunting in as well.
You guessed it! I have caught the cold/crud going around our area! Thursday late afternoon, I could feel the tell-tell scratch in my throat…..then the headache and nasty pressure in my sinuses. I came home and said that I am definitely sick! Our son asked “you’re sick?” And I told him yes.
The next morning I could tell that he was a bit worried. He asked me a couple of times “are you okay?” Then it dawned on me! He was worried that I was “sick” again! He was not understanding that all I am dealing with is a simple, head cold/sore throat.
I was able to calm his fears quickly. “No, I am not having problems like before! I have a head cold and sore throat…..my body is just tired from this…..and my body does not like the medicine that I have to take for the symptoms.” There was immediate relief on his face! “Oh! I thought you were “sick” again, Mom!”
Oh he questioned me Friday when I got home about how I was doing. He was glad to see that I sat under a blanket and rested Saturday….he did check on me……kept track of how I am feeling……it is without that serious worry now though.
And, yes…..I learned a valuable lesson! I need to take the time to explain to him what is wrong if I am not feeling well. Even though I have had a great year…..(no surgeries or serious incidents)……all that I have been through is still very fresh in his mind. More than I had realized!
Just shy of three years since my colostomy (repair of rectal prolapse, pelvic mesh repair and hysterectomy) and almost two years since making it permanent (removal of rectum). One year ago the removal of ovaries and Fallopian tubes.
One year of no surgeries! One year of learning to adapt the LowFODMAP diet to help control the last of my gut challenges. All is going well!
As I have posted, I was able to enjoy a vacation with my husband and son. A wonderful road trip that lasted 8 days. We covered a lot of ground. Did a lot of hiking. Had our own snacks and are out.
So empowering! Life has improved so much for me since this procedure!
I find a lot of negative postings and thoughts in regards to ostomies. I know that I am not alone in saying it is not the end of the world. It is a beginning! It is the opportunity to regain one’s life.
I am enjoying life to the fullest! I am exercising, shooting a bow (my first ever), fishing, shooting guns, hiking, playing, swimming!!!!
It IS different. As you will see in postings with a stoma, you have no control over your “output”. It happens when it happens. You do adapt and learn the tell-tell signs of your body. For example….if the stoma is protruding you know that there will be output…..there is a bit of sensation in the gut area, so you know that there is some action.
It does take time to become accustomed to your new body. It took me almost a year before I showered without a bag/barrier. It was very scary at first! However, I now enjoy that time. It allows my body to breathe….to be cleansed with warm water. (I quickly learned to have a washcloth handy in case things started to “move”.)
I am so thankful for a supportive husband and son! They have been so helpful and nonjudgmental! Our son even came up with the name for my stoma sounds. (Yes….you still pass gas….and no….you have NO control.) We refer to them as tummy toots or as our son says “Mom’s Elk call”!
Believe me! Very embarrassing the first time in a grocery store line! Thankfully our son was with me. He just laughed and looked up with a big smile….”Mom, good elk call!” We both laughed.
Since then, I have learned that I can place my hand strategically to help muffle. I have learned to feel the nuances of my body….to understand when a movement (gas or otherwise) will occur. There are times I am caught off guard. It is going to happen. Embrace it with a smile!
I would never go back to the pain…the misery that I was dealing with. I am thankful that I have this “new” me. I am looking forward to running again! And I am looking forward to many years of hunting/fishing with my husband and son.
Mom Is Sick -- For Parents & Kids 
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