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I am rather a sociable being and love the bones of my friends. Having a poorly child will show you very quickly who the real ones are, the ones that reach out. The ones that have the difficult conversations then entertain your anxieties and dramatics in times of hardship. Child-care has always been an achilles heal for us with a child with both an ostomy and a feeding tube. 

On a walk the other week with my children’s dad I realised I needed to empty my stoma and we were in the middle of the moors and there were no bins for miles; for me to empty into a disposable bag and pop it in. So obviously I had to empty off the beaten track which is not my favourite thing to do but I was more shocked at what he said to me when I told him I needed to empty. 

Did you know that GP’s in the UK get less than 2 hours training on eating disorders in their medical degree (sourced here)? It’s simply inconceivable. The topic of eating disorders was something I never had to give much thought about until I had my son, yet now it consumes most of my thoughts. Eating disorders awareness week is a chance to share our stories and connect with like minded people.

As I've been building my confidence, learning all things stoma life & sharing my experiences along the way since 2011, I have always enjoyed helping others. I have built my Instagram following of just over 9,000 followers (how crazy is that?!) in 3 years to share my reality of living with a stoma and my day to day life.

Today is Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) & I always count my lucky stars that thanks to my stoma, it is a day I can now enjoy and not dread. In the stoma world, we can also speak of pancaking, which isn't so tempting or enjoyable! To read more about this, you can check out my blog post I wrote in 2020 here.

What we eat before and after can change dramatically however for some people that just isn’t the case and they are most definitely the lucky ones! Over the past six years of having my ileostomy my diet has had to change a few times due to either intolerances or learning that certain foods I could eat now give me blockages or are more prone to allowing my stoma bag to leak. There sadly isn’t a one diet fits all which I often think is a particular shame because it would certainly make my life a heck of a lot easier.  Some people have the added issues of being diabetic, celiac or have a lactose intolerance then there are those who are...

February 17th has been marked as National Random Acts of Kindness Day celebrated by individuals, groups and organisations nationwide, to encourage acts of kindness. The dedicated website highlights the #RAKTIVIST MOVEMENT asking people to share their own and shout out about them. Here are some of my favourites:

Hello Comfizz readers, As always, I hope this blog post finds you well & if it doesn't, I'm sending you healing hugs & I'm just a chat away over on my Instagram. It is nearly Valentine's Day again so I wanted to do another blog post on stoma life & relationships. If you want to read last year's Valentine's post, you can read it here. I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk to you about my experience with wedding planning with a stoma & the things that may cross your mind such as choosing an outfit, food, emptying your bag & drinking alcohol.  A little intro on my other half & I In 2017, I met my...

It's that time again when my baby boy (not so much baby anymore) has his birthday and this year he turns 6! He has come so far, and exceeds all expectations with a big personality to match. With that light at the end of the covid tunnel looking brighter and brighter each day, many children have been having birthday parties where possible.

For some who have been living with a chronic illness that meant it impossible to continue in a chosen career, it’s simply heart breaking. In 2012 I graduated a Design Technology Teacher, and was excited to start sharing my passion and enthusiasm for teaching and building relationships with students, nurturing the next generation with creativity, and teaching practical skills they could use in the future. Teaching has always been a vocation, not just an occupation. I count myself lucky that I found it as many can go through life not knowing what they want to do.