One year on

One year ago today, I had the operation where my stoma was created, and I feel really quite calm about it. The past year's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but the ups definitely outweigh the negatives; namely, I'm not on any medication, my disease is in remission, and my stoma is healthy. I am blessed to still be here and to be living a normal - if a slightly different "normal" to before - life.

This morning, I tidied out the box that I keep my ostomy supplies in and - rather appropriately - stumbled across my hospital discharge note, which detailed what happened this time last year. I thought I'd post it, just so that I don't lose sight of how poorly I was and how grateful I should be for my health.

Date of Admission: 08/04/2011
Date of Discharge: 19/04/2011

Reason for admission: 
Diarrhoea, Abdominal pain

Treatment and management:
IVI, Analgesia (pain relief)
Fentanyl PCA (like morphine)
Epidural
IV Hydrocortisone (steroids)
IV AbX - Cefuroxime & Metronidazole 4/7 (antibiotics)

Operation/investigation:
Bloods
Laparotomy, subtotal colectomy & ileostomy formation with epidural (large incision in my abdomen to explore what was going on with my colon, followed by a near-complete removal of it and the creation of my stoma)

Diagnosis:

1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease with toxic dilatation 
2. PCOS (completely separate from my IBD, but something that I'd had a - painful - ultrasound to investigate a day prior to my hospitalisation...!)
3. Congenital Hearing Loss (also completely separate from my IBD)

Drug regimen on discharge:

1. Cloxane (to prevent against blood clots)
2. Paracetamol 
3. Fresubin (Banana) (meal replacement drinks, to replace nutrients)
4. Ibuprofen
5. Tramadol (painkillers)
6. Buscapan (I don't think I ever got this, actually! But it's to help with spasms, abdominal pain and nausea; I could have done with some when I had an adhesion-related, vomiting and pain-fest not long after being discharged)
7. Loperamide

It's been a long year, with lots of changes and learning, but life is good. Here's to many more years like it.