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In this post, I discuss mental illness in some detail so before you read on, please do so with caution/self-care steps in place or avoid if you are mentally struggling. Remember, my inbox is always open on my Instagram and via e-mail: hashtagstomabags@gmail.com. I will also include mental health support links if you scroll down to the end of this post. Please remember that the views in this post are my own only. I am not a professional and am in no way giving concrete advice. If you are worried, it is always best to consult a medical professional/someone you trust. What is a disability? Disability means different things to different people, therefore is a term best explored with sensitivity. Disability as a...

Being intimate with an ostomy can be incredibly daunting especially if it is with someone new or not long after surgery. Today is Valentine’s Day and whether you make a big thing about it or not you can often feel like it is made into a way bigger deal than it needs to be! Here are a few of my tips and tricks that I have read about or tried and tested for ostomy intimacy! Oh er! I have like many people had my own worries when it came to my ostomy but thankfully for me I managed to work through them with 00Steve but I understand that isn’t that easy for everyone. Some of my issues around intimacy were:...

On Thursday it was “Time to Talk” day and for the last few years I have written a post on it but this time it was a bit more difficult because I want to talk about the worries I have behind the possibility about having another surgery. You would think that because I live with an ostomy and have done for the last 4 years that the idea of more surgery wouldn’t phase me but sadly it does.   I saw my colorectal surgeon last year and we discussed the fact that my stoma output keeps pancaking which causes leaks; this is happening way too frequently and is down to the slow peristalsis of my bowel due to the hypermobile...

Taking your “dating status” out of the equation, having a stoma as a fact on its own and/or mental health problems can definitely be enough for one person to take on. However, it is also something that many potential partners would more than happily support you with. I’d say with either of those matters taken into account, dating is a very personal and different experience for the individual & should never be done before you feel ready. So you’ve had stoma surgery, when will you know you’re ready for dating? As mentioned above, this is something that will differ for everyone. I wouldn’t say there is set criteria to look for that ticks all the “I’m ready” boxes, but more...

Something I get asked a lot about is drinking alcohol with my ostomy; which makes me laugh because I don’t drink that often anymore but when I’m in the mood for it I sure do enjoy a drink. Last night was my birthday and I had a night out scheduled so I thought it was the perfect time to talk about having a boozey night when having an ostomy.  I have a few things that I like to do when it comes to preparing myself for a night out so that I don’t feel worse for wear in the morning, it isn’t a perfect prevention for hangovers but it definitely helps! drink a dioralyte or an electrolyte solution before you go out...

Define mental wellness Mental wellness is not necessarily just to do with not having a mental illness. It is to do with a largely positive thinking mind and one that knows how to use resilience in order to function in an individual’s best interests. It is being able to go about our lives and make decisions that will positively impact our lives, where possible. Define mental illness Mental illness is a general term, usually used to define disorders that negatively impact your health, down to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Mental illnesses are influenced by a number of factors, but having one usually means that our daily lives are negatively impacted in one form or another. Whether that impact...

Starting the year as I mean to go on but what exactly do I mean by that? Well it is obviously around my stoma but it is divided into three parts! They are: my ostomy supplies my diet my fitness They look like the beginnings of resolutions but I’m not thinking of them as such, so how do I plan on doing this? Firstly the stoma supplies – as we all know the NHS isn’t in exactly the best position to keep providing us with ostomy supplies on a free prescription we need to keep on top of what we have and how much we are ordering. Now this can be a bit of an awkward one as we try...

Welcome welcome! Happy New Year from the whole Comfizz team! How crazy is it that we have entered into a new decade? I know to some that probably isn’t anything special but this is the first decade since the millennium that I have actually paid attention to that!  As I mentioned in my last post I spent the week between Christmas and New Years down with family in Cornwall and the holiday itself was lovely – we took our nephew along with our two to the castle’s at Falmouth (Pendennis) and St Mawes plus St Michael’s Mount. I’m a history buff and I don’t care! My stoma had however other ideas and from the drive down to the day we drove back...

Myself and the Comfizz team hope you had a lovely Christmas Day and Boxing Day!! I am currently in Cornwall for a few days in between Christmas and New Years Eve, this is our second time doing this since having my ostomy and this time we at least don’t have a 6 month baby to think about. It is Button’s second time in a hotel the first being when we stayed in the Lake District for Ra-Ra’s staycation birthday weekend. Last time we stayed in Cornwall we were able to stay at 00Steve’s Dad’s but they had visitors so we are 3 miles down the road. Even though I am no stranger to the whole staycation thing and have gone...

So this is going to be my fourth Christmas with an ostomy and every year I find something different to make the festive period a bit easier for me, especially as I work, have kids and I do all the cooking! I like my ostomy to work with me not against me!   Obviously the first thing I like to do is have all of my supplies ordered and then I start filtering out my supplies to the tower of drawers I have in my bathroom, refilling my emergency kits that I keep in my handbags and then I pop the extras in clear boxes on top of my wardrobe. I also being the one that cooks the food in...