Learn with Comfizz
Lifestyle

Are you feeling burnt out this festive season? Exit the busy of Christmas & welcome in the calm with our 10 days of self-care.⁠⁠ Starting Wednesday 28th December & running through up to (& including) Friday 6th January 2023, mark your calendars today & be sure to set that important "me time" aside.⁠

Christmas time can feel overwhelming for a lot of people at the best of times, then there's adding an ostomy into the mix! It's fair to say that you are not alone if you are worried about navigating Christmas, but thankfully, there are some top tips in this post from fellow ostomates...

When our son was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at the age of thirteen, my initial reaction was one of fear, what would this mean for him, how would his life change? Then disbelief, how could this be happening to our previously super healthy, athletic son? Then guilt, was it something I’d done to cause him to develop Crohn's, was it genetic or lifestyle, could I have done something different to protect him from this wretched disease?

Winter brings about many changes, some welcome, some not so much. I love nothing more than lighting every candle in the house, my twinkly tree on, the dark nights and watching GoggleBox on the telly under a throw with the family. But what does it mean for us ostomates? As we all know, we are all so different in the reason why we got a ticket to the club, and what impact that has on our wider health. For some the arrival of Winter may not change that much, for others it can present the need to adapt and tweak a few different things. 

It's getting colder in the UK, which means thinking of ways to keep warm and cosy again! One great way to do this, which is also beneficial to your body, is by cooking something warming and nutritious. Like everything in life and especially ostomy life, it's important to remember that everybody is different. The following recipes and blog post should be taken into account with your personal needs and dietary requirements in mind.  

Accessibility is something that those with an invisible illness can find challenging. Whether it be accessing a building, funding, benefits or services online, for me it can feel exhausting that you have to prove it constantly. All too many times in the ostomy community, we see stories about ostomates who have been denied access to leisure facilities, or questioned for their use of disabled toilets. 

This month I was lucky enough to win a spa day competition! You know when you get tagged in a million competitions by certain friends, well I can tell you its totally worth it! Its something as an ostomate that can feel quite daunting going to a spa. You may have worries about what swimwear to use, what treatments you would feel comfortable having, and how much you need to disclose.

Hot weather - you either love it or hate it! However, if you have an ostomy, it can cause problems. Hot weather can and does cause problems in ostomy life, but everybody is different and is affected to different extents. Knowing how to handle hot weather with an ostomy and how you may need to adapt your daily routine definitely helps and also enables you to feel more in control. Read on for some tips to help make the heat more bearable!

Having ostomy surgery can, naturally, be so daunting, then you've got all these life elements to think of that increasingly creep back in as you recover, including your sex life. Being concerned about intimacy is normal and you may have questions running through your head such as "will my partner find me attractive any more?", "will my sex life be the same as before surgery?" and "will having sex hurt me?"

It's been 2 years since my second stoma following age 2 1/2 when I had my first reversed as a baby. I went 30 years without one living with a J Pouch to find myself needing a second during the second lockdown. I count myself extremely lucky that I was given that surgery during the times we were living in.