I totally freaked out this morning after looking at my stoma. Let me back up a bit though.
Chemo makes my guts slow to a crawl. I will go from normal to nugget output like whoa. It usually lasts a couple days after chemo and then things go back to normal output. This time, it did not go back to normal. I made it a point to eat foods that are good for "normal." I drank lots of water. Usually this does the trick.
Not so this time! I looked at my stoma this morning and it was all swollen and sad and awful. I decided I needed a professional to take a look. After searching all over the place for my ostomy nurse's number, I thought I would just stop by and see if she could help me out.
Things must happen for a reason, because my nurse happened to be in (even though she had planned to take the day off). She was glad to help me out, and suggested a remedy. I was so glad she was in the office.
My own remedy, coffee, actually got things moving so I'm no longer freaked out. And I have a plan for the next time this happens.
Fellow ostomates, I wanted to share this story to let you know that we all have bad days with our ostomies. Most of the time I actually like mine very much, and I know that's not the case with everyone. This weekend was pretty terrible though, not something I want to repeat.
So glad that you got things figured out!
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