Life with a Ostomy

Tranferring Closer to Home

Making lots of new friends it was kinda of a good experience; one of my sisters lived in Montreal and would come and visit me. The rest of my family live in British Columbia, the other side of Canada.  After spending Christmas there is hospital, thank goodness it was a Jewish hospital and there was no reference to Christmas we decided to transfer me to Victoria BC where I would be able to have family visit since this may be a long haul.

I went from a whole wing of people like me to a small hospital with only one other patient like me. Missed the people but at lease here the beds were rotating and not so depressing. Plus better older Dr. they had been around a while and came with a bedside manner.  Refreshing from the Dr on training in TO, they would come in, in student packs of 5-6 student poking and prodding you.

My new Dr had a different approach; he lowered all my steroid doses, which made me feel the pain I was going through, which made it easier to consent to surgery. The down side was that now with all the pain I started pain medication and started to like it.

The night before my surgery the nurse came in to help me decide where to have my stoma placed.  Place my stoma how crazy was that, we were to pick the spot on my stomach in which I would be using to go to the bathroom for the rest of my life.  Even though this was one of the scariest and upsetting decisions, I was at least aware of what was to come.  I have since learned that many are admitted to hospital only to awake in the morning with a bag on them no preparation or decision at all.

I was given a something to sleep as I had a big day ahead of me.

Sheri