Happy World Ostomy Day, everyone! Today I will be celebrating by heading to work and having a wonderfully ordinary day. After all, when I was recovering from surgery, I couldn’t wait to return to my job as a park naturalist. Right after my operation, life revolved around getting used to living with my new stoma. Being back at work allowed me to focus on something else and helped me see that life would indeed feel normal again. Returning to my job also made me incredibly thankful for my surgery. I remember quietly breaking into tears in my office after leading my first few hikes because I was so happy and grateful to be doing what I loved again.
As the list of things that my ostomy allows me to do again grows, so does my passion for showing what is possible after surgery. I am always excited to help spread the word about this life-saving surgery — not just on this special day, but every day.
So join me in celebrating World Ostomy Day. If you or one you love has an ostomy, help spread the word by sharing your story with someone today. Together we can educate others and end the stigmas!
Ostomy Outdoors 
Hi again and happy World Ostomy Day to you too!
Didn’t even know it was:-)
Can I ask have you had any tummy bugs or upsets since surgery? The kind everyone can get? Its just I have been completely floored by one this week – via children bringing it home from school. Frankly Sydney stoma was like a tap and I lost 7 lbs in 48 hours ! My dearest wife says I look as good as I did coming out of hospital !!!
Anyway good to see some pics of you out in the mountains, your backyard looks fantastic !
Regards
Hi Darren,
Great to hear from you again. Sorry to hear you have been ill:( I have not yet had the pleasure of having a stomach bug with my ileostomy. A couple of my friends with ostomies have gone through similar things recently though and have ended up in the ER in order to stay hydrated. It is actually one of the things I worry about when heading into the remote wilds, but I guess if that ever happened I would just try to get out of the wilderness and to the trailhead and medical care as soon as possible.
I was just realizing that I never gave an update after mentioning my possible tooth extraction in a post a while back. I remembered that you were interested because you are a dentist. As you can see in my photos… I still have the teeth in my smile zone:) I decided to get a second opinion from another dentist. He sent me to a top endodontist for a root canal and then also put a post in the tooth. The dentist said he hadn’t had a patient lose a tooth from external root resorption yet. Of course, it could still happen down the road, but we are crossing our fingers. He said I did everything right and took every step possible to save the tooth so at least I know that if it ever does have to come out.
Hope you are feeling better!
-Heidi