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Relationships

Dating has been something that has always been a worry for me, even before I had my stoma surgery in 2011. Having Crohn’s Disease, frequent accidents, wind & a lot of pain meant that I never felt super confident with dating or intimacy, but it was something I always pushed past because Crohn’s wasn’t going to take everything from me or leave me powerless, no matter how hard it tried. I’ve been in several relationships in my life & seen people in between for a few dates which haven’t gone anywhere. I’ve been on dating apps, met people online, met people through school and common interests & also through friends.

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:...

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...