Learn with Comfizz

Why Share, Why Blog? Living with an invisible illness is tough and most often we endure silent battles; we may look well on the outside but inside we are suffering. For some, sharing their experiences and stories is tough. I get this – it is personal, private and at times overwhelming. Wanting to share and talk takes courage and it opens you up to being more vulnerable. It opens you up to judgment and discussions; sometimes it’s something we do not want to have to deal with. I have always enjoyed writing. Since my school days, I’ve found writing a therapeutic experience. I never really wrote for anyone but me; that changed in university when I wrote for grades and...

 hopefully won’t have to use this either ever again (wishful thinking) or very rarely but I have spent a good chunk of my life in and out of hospital and I have learnt a thing or two that was helpful for admissions. So I thought for those who may be new to chronic illness I would do a little post on what I do for those just in case moments. I always have a bag packed because if I am in a lot of pain I really don’t want to be faffing about packing a bag, plus since having my ostomy 00Steve doesn’t know what I use – now don’t get me wrong he would definitely grab me some bags but...

This week I wanted to share a recipe that goes down well with my family and on the off chance I decide to eat red meat my stoma tolerates. Sadly I couldn’t get a decent picture of the meatballs as 00Steve and the kids tucked in before I get a chance to take a photo! But I guess that means it is just that tasty! Small wins I guess!! Ra-Ra also enjoys helping make the meatballs which is a great way to encourage your kids to eat better or just eat in general. 1 pack of beef mince 1/2 an onion red/white or 3 shallots 3 mushrooms – yes you may be able to eat mushrooms with little worry to your stoma...

This week I would like to talk to you about how you store your ostomy supplies! This is very individual and there is no right or wrong way to store your bits and bobs and sometimes can depend on how much space you have available to you and how many supplies you need at any one time. I myself have two systems I use in my house with regards to having limited space – an upright small wicker set of drawers in my bathroom that sits just to the right of my sink – this holds all of my “in use” items which means at any one time there should be enough for three bag changes. I top up these...

Hello and Happy New Year to all our lovely readers! I trust you had a nice time with family and friends or chilling by yourself if that is your thing?  Do you make resolutions/goals/mini challenges? There is a lot of negativity around resolutions hence the fact I added the other options. I personally prefer goals or challenges and this year I have made a few small goals. I want to be healthier and that doesn’t include anything to do with my weight which is quite a nice change of perspective. I want to be able to eat what I want but sensibly rather than eating like it is my last meal and not making decent choices. I want to be...

Now that doesn’t sound so weird as most of us probably had the nurses change it at some point since having our ostomy; heck some of us may have even had a loved one do it. Not me though well except the nurse part as that is a given! 00Steve, nor my family have changed my stoma bag – they have been there when I have done it myself before but other than maybe glancing they  haven’t had much to do with it and that is the way I like it! So who is the person then that I let change my appliance? Well as you may know I work in a building of extra care and support flats for...

Christmas with an ostomy can be a scary thing what with potential visitors, visiting others and the Christmas feast to contend with. However it isn’t something to worry too much over and after your first festive season under your (ostomy) belt you may think to yourself what is all the fuss was about. This is my third Christmas with my ileostomy although the first doesn’t really count as i was three months pregnant and completely off my food. I wanted to share my top tips for “surviving” the festive season with you all – now bare in mind I have an ileostomy so these may not affect you but hopefully at least something is of use! I have in my...

Christmas can be an already hectic time of year for all of us worrying about supplies and having enough could also be a worry so I have compiled a list of supplies and their last dates for ordering supplies although sadly some have already passed. If this is the case please get in touch with your stoma nurse and see if they would be able to give you a box to tide you over. Most of us shouldn’t really need that many extra supplies as the festive season isn’t that long so if you are going to order or grab some more supplies be mindful it shouldn’t be a case of stockpiling items but just what you need. Let’s face...

Now you may be wondering why I am writing about cervical smears on an ostomy related blog but you might be surprised to hear that ostomies more often than the others; urostomies can be formed due to radiation damage from having cancer treatment. For instance cervical cancer can be treated by both external and internal radiation in the pelvic area. Last year I had a long over due smear test and they found high grade pre cancerous cells which if were left over time (up to 15 years) could have turned into cervical cancer which is a terrifying thought. It was pretty hard on my dad as he lost his sister when she was 17 to cancer and his dad...

You may have noticed across social media that this week is Crohn’s and Colitis awareness week; both of these are forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and make up a substantial amount of the ostomates in the world. I wanted to talk to you a little bit about what each one is according to the medical information you can find on various outlets. Firstly we will start with Colitis as more people on social media seem to have Crohn’s and Colitis isn’t mentioned as much or so I feel – maybe this is because once you have an end ileostomy you can’t have active disease or if you have a Jpouch you may go into remission hopefully long term but not...