Episode 354: Stoma Diary - Stoma Anniversary

4/26/24
Two years ago today, I had a colostomy.
I've already written plenty about the details, like how poop started coming out of my penis, so that should be enough.
For those who really want to know, you can read the pinned post on my profile, and there's also a magazine.

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A colostomy is called a stoma.

Because the nurse said, "This spot is good,"
April 20th is Stoma Anniversary

※The surgery was on 4/24, but the positioning for the stoma was on the 20th.
Of course, this is a play on the "Salad Anniversary".

The "struggles" associated with the colostomy cleared up in about three weeks post-surgery, and by the end of May, one month later, I went hiking on Mount Adatara in Fukushima and even took a hot spring bath.
My daily life is almost no different from before, except for the place where the poop comes out.

In this regard, it was a big help that there was information saying,
"You can live almost without any issues even with a colostomy."
Thanks to that, I felt motivated to actively recover my physical strength after surgery, and I didn't fall into a mental slump.

There are also people who have had the exact opposite experience of having a very hard time.
However, I will leave it at "there are individual differences."

I was a carefree ostomate (a person with a colostomy) for a little over a year until my colostomy reversal last June.
I'll just leave it as a rare experience I can brag about? to people.

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The other day, I encountered an earthquake while traveling and was stranded for a night.

If I were still an ostomate, I think I would have panicked.

This earthquake didn't cause major damage, and I was able to return home safely the next day.
If the delay had been long-term and I were an ostomate, I would have run into trouble if I had to live in an evacuation center.

The bag that is attached (glued) to the abdomen to collect the waste coming out of the stoma is called a stoma pouch.
If the adhesive strength weakens, gaps form, causing the contents to leak or the pouch to come off, so it must be replaced with a new one every few days.
Since the condition of the stoma and the surrounding skin varies from person to person, stoma pouches are off-the-shelf products but require customization for each individual.

In my case, even for a trip of about three days, I brought two replacement pouches. There are other items used during replacement. I will omit the details.
If I have two, I can manage for about two weeks, but if I fail in the attachment, it becomes one week.

What happens if there is no stoma pouch?
Poop would leak uncontrollably from the stoma.
I wouldn't be able to stay in an evacuation center.

The "stuff" coming out of the intestine contains digestive juices, so the skin around the stoma gets irritated.
In the worst case, it can turn from erosion into an ulcer.

Local governments keep stoma pouches in stock, but it's unclear if they would be compatible with me.

Compared to the human and social damage caused by an earthquake, this might be nothing.

Following the earthquake on 4/20, a "Hokkaido/Sanriku-oki Post-Earthquake Advisory" was issued.

Natural disasters are something that cannot be helped by human power.
I can only sincerely hope that a massive earthquake does not occur.