You’ve had your ostomy now for years. You’ve figured out how to change your wafer and seldom have any leaks. Some of you are grateful that you now have the life that you weren’t able to enjoy for years. But there are still things that bother you about having an ostomy.

Laura Cox, the Ostomy Lifestyle Specialist at Shield Healthcare, did a video on this topic earlier this year, “Things That Still Bother Me Since Getting Ostomy Surgery – And How I Resolve Them“.  She covers things like leaks, explaining dietary restrictions to others, and the concept of “you don’t look sick”. The “you don’t look sick” is the hardest one for me. In spite of feeling really good and healthy right now, I just can’t forget how sick I was.  I had ulcerative colitis, and still have memories of hours on the toilet and the life events that I had to cancel just because I was unable to function. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy now that I don’t look sick! But I heard this phrase more than once, or it’s companion phrase “you look really good”, when I was truly unable to make it through a day. Those comments try to take away someone’s personal experience, so try to avoid them when possible.