My visits to the bathroom are now of normal length, and when I leave the bathroom, I still have my strength. Gone are the days when I felt like a Yo-Yo attached to the commode, now, if I wish, at sunrise I can be on the road. It's like the chains that held me back have at last been severed, and I am free to live my life, knowing the storm I weathered.
It's just one year ago this week, when "rosebud" my friend, was born, my friend, my stoma, my new lease on life, although she once had a thorn. The thorn I know was in my mind, a tiny, festering parasite, and in the months, while my body healed, I fought this evil mite. I fought to evict the hold it had upon my suicidal mind as it told me I was no longer normal, but of another kind. "Give up", it said, "what's the use, you'll never be the same". But being the "same" I learned is not the name of the game.
I am happy to say I won the war, although the battle wasn't easy. I plucked the thorn with my bare hands, although it made me queasy. An ostomate need never be alone, there's always someone to reach out to. Your ET Nurse and your friends at UOAC are always there to help you. But my friend, deep in our hearts, we both know there's only one person we can rely on, that person is you, that person is me, and that you can bet your life on. Good Luck, you have the guts, I know - even more than you had before, but only time will show.
