#21 ·
James Martin10 said:My mom has been living with an ostomy for about four months now. She’s been dealing with constant leaks, which has honestly been pretty discouraging for her, but she’s finally started getting back into swimming. It’s helping her realize things aren't quite as catastrophic as they first seemed.
She ends up changing her supplies way more often than what the standard medical guidelines suggest, mostly just because of those leaks. But she’s come to view it this way: the official recommendations are basically flawed, because if they were accurate, people would need much more supplies provided to them.
I think maybe he's feeling some shame regarding the ostomy. I know my mom went through that exact same thing—that mix of embarrassment and just the general discomfort of having something like that attached to your body constantly. But you'd be surprised by how common this actually is.
Watching other people share their experiences on YouTube really helped my mom get through it, so maybe that could help him too.
It isn't the ostomy itself or even the leaking that's the worst part; I think it’s more that people don't want to feel like they've "failed," and now they have to deal with this cumbersome accessory that, let's face it, can be pretty unpleasant.
If he heads down to the coast and stays in one of those high-waisted swimsuits, it might help hide everything when he steps out of the water.
He should definitely try to get to the beach. It really helps; I see how much being near the ocean lifts my mom's spirits and gives her a bit of strength.
Cancer is such a cruel disease.
Yeah... I totally agree with everything said here.