Learn with Comfizz
Mental Health

Tuesday 19th May is World IBD Day. With this coming up, I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about Comfizz and the impact they have made on my stoma journey. How I got my stoma At age 7 I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Crohn’s Disease can be anywhere from your mouth to your bum, but a lot of people typically have it in the small intestine. This was where it was diagnosed with me. Being scared as a young child of having scopes (endoscopy/colonoscopy & I still am now, I can just push myself through it), I didn’t undergo tests to keep an eye on things as frequently as you maybe would with an adult with bowel...

It is nothing new to hear that I don’t have an issue with my ostomy or the bag or people knowing about it or even seeing it! However something has always stopped me from wearing itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikinis even long before having my first surgery and that is my confidence around my stomach. We all have parts of ourselves we aren’t keen on or society shakes fist have made you feel less than because you don’t look a certain way but it is taking little steps to change your mindest on your body that is often the hardest.  So my stomach always looked bloated and never slim because I was always impacted from being constipated thanks to the then undiagnosed...

Some of us may have seen the memes about how us social recluses or those with social anxiety have been preparing for this our whole lives but I can honestly say that at first I laughed at it and although I use it as a deflection of how I really feel; yet this lockdown is going to break me mentally. Just a little bit of context it has been 4 months since I last thought about ending my life and just over a year ago that I acted out on my plans. With the local mental health teams just pulling out entirely when I needed them most I spent last summer not leaving the house; I couldn’t even bring myself...

Understandably, what is going on in the world right now with Covid-19 can be very daunting & scary at times for a number of reasons. We have all had to make changes, some of them quite dramatic, in a very short space of time. Some of us may have sadly experienced the virus closer to home or have tragically lost someone as a result of Covid-19. There is so much uncertainty around what may happen or how long adapted life like this will pan out, but I wanted to take this opportunity to hopefully provide a little bit of reassurance on living with a stoma at this time, & hopefully answer a few questions you may understandably have. If I...

Trigger warning: 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 also include mental health support links in my previous post & there is a Samaritans link at 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. Understandably, having a chronic illness & having surgery of any type can have a huge...

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...

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...

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...

Hi Comfizz readers! Over the next few weeks, I will be writing about several elements surrounding the invisible disability of mental health. In these posts, I will be discussing various mental health matters & sharing my own mental health experiences, as well as including some useful mental health contacts & some tips I find help me. This week is the NHS’ #SelfCareWeek which ties in nicely with me starting this mini blog series. I will be including a self-care post closer to Christmas which I am super looking forward to writing. Mental health is something I have a lot of experience with & is also something I am very passionate about. So, what is mental health? Having a look around...