Trying to fix my ostomy.

As a young child, I loved to make things with my hands, no matter what it was. I never expected to become an inventor who makes valuable things most people use in their daily lives. I got in an accident one day while I was with some friends that changed my life. I made a pact with myself when I woke up from the procedure that I was going to find a way to change the past and my accident. 

One day my friends and I were outside doing some skateboarding. We found a cool location to do some tricks and whatnot. I never expected it to go so wrong. There was a rail for stairs that I went on, but I knew it was risky. The other side of the fence was a drop that went straight down about thirty feet. I knew the risks but wanted to go for it anyways. I jumped on it, but as soon as I did, my board slipped out from under me, and I fell onto the rail then fell down the drop. I tumbled down and came to an abrupt stop after hitting a tree. 

When I woke up, I was laying by the tree and had a branch sticking out of my abdomen. My friends came to my aid within a minute of me waking up, and they called an ambulance. I was in a great deal of pain, but I was able to manage. When the ambulance arrived, they put me on a stretcher and loaded me into the ambulance. When I got to the hospital, they did remove the stick that was through my abdomen and gave me some bad news. If I wanted to have any kind of proper bowel movement, I would need to get a colostomy procedure. With a great amount of hesitation, I agreed, and the procedure was done. When I woke up from the surgery, I made a pact with myself that I would fix the mistake I made. 

I got to work as soon as I got out of the hospital on plotting how I could change what I did. After a day of pondering, I decided to make a time machine. I got to work on it, and I found out the secret in order to make it work. It took some time and a lot of engineering, but with enough ingenuity and hard work, I was able to get it working. I was able to go back and change the mistake that I made. With that change, I was able to avoid the need of getting an ostomy procedure altogether. Once I did that, I continued to work hard on more projects that I knew would benefit all of humanity. I’m sure you are thinking this is impossible, but so long as you put your mind to something, anything is possible. 

As far-fetched as this may seem, I promise I am telling you the truth. I can not prove myself because I broke down the machine so it would not be used with bad intentions. I’m glad to have been able to change my life and not have to worry about an ostomy and all the pains that come with it. I do not have anything against people who have an ostomy, if anything, I respect them immensely. 

Retired Secretary with a colostomy bag

I have worked in the school system for over 20 years.  I will be retiring on June 10th of this year.  To say that I am excited is an understatement.  I have had a good run for many years, with a few bumps along the way.  My daughter passed away about ten years into my career from a freak accident.  That was very hard to recover from.  My husband and I divorced five years after that.  Strike number 2  in this game of life.  Just when I thought the innings were done being played, I found out in a routine Colonoscopy that I have Colon cancer.  Wow!  That new about had me running for home.

I proceeded to get a second opinion which confirmed the diagnosis of colon cancer with immediate surgery needed.  To say I was disappointed was an understatement.  There was no history of colon cancer in my family, and not to mention I was about to retire in a few years and looked forward to having all my sick days cashed in and finally being able to do the traveling I have had to put on the back burner for way too long.

The surgery did go very smoothly, and I was pleasantly surprised with the pain tolerance I had.  Maybe being older and wiser had helped with that. With a few less sick days in the bank, I was able to recoup fairly quickly and continue working.  I was so thankful to have such a fantastic group of health care professionals.  The instructions and lessons that were given to me were life changing.  They were able to provide vital information such as the best pouching system to use and the best pouch deodorants or air spays that would minimize odors.  I was able to fit into most of my clothing due to where the bag rests on my body, and most importantly, I was able to eat most of the things I still loved.  All these little details made my adjustment period after waking up from surgery invaluable.    

Life seemed to get back to being somewhat normal post-surgery.  As I indicated, my diet did have to be altered some to make sure everything was eliminated quickly and smoothly.  I don’t recall ever talking so much about the restroom prior to this whole ordeal.  I haven’t ever felt like I needed to hide my situation from others.  I have always been a kind of go with the flow person, and I have always felt that if I can help someone by what I have had to go through in life, then the experience was not wasted.  

I have watched friends struggle with other medical procedures and the same procedure as me, and it always amazes me at how well health care providers and their staffs make it so easy to handle these bumps in the road, as I like to call them.  My colostomy bag is not something I would have chosen for myself or would wish upon someone, but the life saving measure that it has provided me can’t be ignored.  I’m thankful for the efficiency of those on my care team and the way they were able to put me back together in a sense and back in the game.  I have lots more innings left to play out.  

Principal with an Ostomy bag

Elementary teacher for 3 years, high school guidance counselor for 5 years, assistant principal for 4 years to principle for 8 years.  What a ride it has been.  Like Dr. Suess says, “ Oh the places we will go”.  Speaking of places, I have been in a total of 5 different schools through out my educational career thus far, and I have no doubt that there is a school or two more in my future.  

When my career in education started, I was not your typical teacher.  I had suffered a tragic car accident when I was 20 years old.  I had a head on collision with a car larger than mine, and I incurred a broken leg, broken arm, multiple lacerations, and a colostomy bag.  I was a mess and initially wasn’t given a high chance of survival.  I endured a tremendous amount of emotional and physical scars that changed a lot about me.  

Surgery was extremely extensive and took almost 10 hours.  I had a rod placed in my leg where my femur use to be, screw in my elbow to help secure my broken arm, and a colostomy bag was put in place to help with the ruptured colon I had endured in that accident.  Several other surgeries had to occur as well.  The physical therapy for the broken bones was nothing in comparison to the maintenance, hygiene details, and overall care that were associated with the colostomy bag.  Pain was also quite a contender and hard to get under control for some time.  I was completely overwhelmed with the care I needed to get back into shape and to continue with my education goals.  It took an incredible amount of time, to say the least, but eventually I have healed very well from the trauma my body endured.  The scars have faded but the lessons learned will be permanent.  

Today life looks complete different.  I as a person am different in so many aspects as well.  I have not let my limitations stand in the way of the goals that I had set academically and professionally so long again, and the ones I have for my future.  I would be remised if I didn’t say that the colostomy bag has been the biggest obstacle that I have had to face thus far, but It hasn’t been difficult in my teaching and administrative roles.  I have had to examine and make many adjustments in my schedules to say the least, but I don’t think anything will hinder the determined mindset I have.  Of course, I couldn’t have done any of this without the amazing physicians, teachers, family, and administrative staff that I have come in contact with over the years.  

It is very easy to get caught up in what is happening to us personally, but I feel like because of my injuries that I sustained from the car accident, specifically the addition of the colostomy bag, I have a new determination and outlook on life.  It is short and can be gone in the blink of an eye.  I have tried to bring that attitude into the Education world I find myself surrounded in, and I believe that I will continue to be used to help teach others about adversity and strength.