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This page deals with activities and school.
Your doctor has told you you need ostomy surgery, or maybe you've had an ostomy for a little while, and you've got questions! Who do you ask? Where do you turn? No problem, I've got ya covered! Speaking from my personal experience and several years of talking to kids, teens and older folks, I've got the scoop on how to deal with just about any situation.
My name is Courtney Francoeur, I'm 20 years old and in my second year as a psychology major at the University of Western Ontario in London. On March 3, 1999, at the age of 15, I had to have a subtotal colectomy with a temporary ileostomy because of Ulcerative Colitis. My journey continues in May of 2004 when I'll have my ileostomy reversed into a J-pouch. Through experience, a positive attitude and appreciation for life, through trial and error, and by talking to other people, I learned how to cope and succeed with my ostomy, and I'd like to pass along some of my advice.
How to Reach Me
If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me either by email at
or by posting a note to me in the discussion forum. If you post your note in the discussion forum, people all over the world will also get the chance to benefit from your question. But if you don't feel comfortable posting it to the public, just email me personally. I check my email and the discussion board almost daily, so you'll get a quick response. Can't wait to chat. Best wishes and remember ... never keep your poop to yourself! 
Hi! My name is Nicole Dodds. I'm 12 years old and in Grade 7. On June 26, 2003, at the age of 11, I had to have an ileostomy because of Crohn's Disease and Ulcera- tive Colitis. If you like, you can learn more about me and my journey by reading my personal story, which can be found in the Young Ostomates section of this site.
Through personal experience and the support of my family, I learned how to cope and succeed with my ostomy, and I'd like to pass along some of my advice. On April 24, 2004, I became a certified visitor in LDOA's Patient Visiting Program, and I look forward to helping kids who are new or about-to-be ostomates adjust to this new stage in life.
• FAQ added February 10, 2004
• FAQ updated April 24, 2004
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Can I swim with an ostomy? |
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Courtney • Yes! Actually, this was my first question out of surgery when I was still under anesthetic. The only bad part is the chlorine tends to make the flange leak easier. To make your appliance less obvious underneath your bathing suit, you could purchase a smaller closed ended pouch that is very discrete. I love to swim, and I still swim all the time!
Nicole • Yes, although it does wear away the flange/wafer more quickly, but you can still go swimming even in an indoor pool.    |
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Can I still participate in sports? |
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Courtney • FOR SURE! Don’t ever stop participating in sports! Just take it easy for the first 6-8 months after surgery because your body needs to heal and, by being TOO active TOO soon, you'll strain your body by overworking it. The only thing about sports is that you have to be a little protective of your stoma. Avoid being hit in your stoma area because this will knock the wind right outta ya. Guess this means no boxing!
Nicole • Of course you can participate in sports. But you might want to wait at least 3-5 months after surgery to start participating in physical activities. |
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Can I still go on trips? |
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Courtney • OF COURSE! Go on as many as possible, just be prepared. If you go on trips with people you are close to, then no worries, just make sure to bring lots of extra supplies (just in case you can't find any where you are travelling to). I suggest you bring quite a few "emergency kits" – a grocery bag (for the leftover garbage) a flange, pouch, sissors (if needed), and whatever else you regularly use. If you're going somewhere where you'll be doing a lot of swimming, bring a lot of extra supplies because flanges come off quicker when in contact with lots of water. |
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Do I tell my teacher(s) about my health? |
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Courtney • Tell them as much as you feel comfortable, just make sure it's enough so they can understand your illness and be able to help you in case of an emergency or in case you need to leave class quickly for whatever reason. It's also a good idea to have a file in the school's office about your illness/ current meds/ostomy, etc. so in case of an emer- gency, they can turn your file over to the hospital staff or whomever. Plus the school staff knows you don't fake stomach pains! Another good idea that worked well for me was I supplied my teachers and principal with information about ostomies and colitis so they could read about it on their own and, if they didn’t understand something, they could ask me or look it up on the Internet. If your teachers know what's up, you could ask to make arrangements to use the teacher's washroom or nurse's station which would afford you more privacy in the event of an accident (see next question).
Nicole • You should always tell your teacher about your medical needs in case of an emergency or if you had an accident and had to go to the washroom right away – especially during a test or exam when you can’t leave your seat because your teacher might think you're cheating. That's one example of when your teacher should know about your ostomy beforehand.    |
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What do I do if I have an accident at school? |
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Courtney • Keep your emergency kit with you at all times. Head straight for the washrooms and change your pouch and clean yourself up. If you have previ- ously talked to your teachers and made arrange- ments to use the teacher's washroom or nurse's station, go there pronto! It's not a bad idea to keep a spare set of clothes with you in case they get poop on them. Keep them in your backpack or locker. After a while, you'll begin to realize when your flange is starting to come off your skin, and you'll be better able to judge the amount of time you have until you have to change your flange before it makes a mess. But even I'm not perfect (who is?) and my flange can still let go when I’m not expecting it and make a mess. As long as you don’t cry over spilled poop, everything will come out OK. LOL
Nicole • Thank God I haven’t had to deal with this one yet!! Well, I think you would just pretend something like your shoelace came undone and bend over and don’t panic ... yet!! Ask your teacher to help you clean up the mess. A teacher or any adult that you highly trust would be the best person to help you out and understand not to embarrass you in front of anyone. |
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How do I hide my ostomy in the change rooms? |
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Courtney • You should talk to your gym teacher or coach first to see what they think is the best option for you. You could change in a washroom stall or maybe go a little earlier and change before all the other kids get there. There are several options, but talking to your coach or teacher would be your best bet for how to avoid other people seeing your ostomy. |
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What if someone sees my scar? |
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Courtney • Depends on who sees your scar. If it's a good friend, then this is a perfect opportunity to tell them about your surgery. If it isn't a person you feel that close to, then politely say you had surgery and 9 out of 10 times they'll leave it at that if you change the subject. There are a few kids who will ask more questions, so politely say that you would rather not talk about it.
Nicole • You could either make up a "white" lie or just be open about it and tell them about your surgery. |
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What if someone sees my pouch? |
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Courtney • This would be harder than someone seeing your scar. Really, the only way they would see your pouch is if you showed them. If someone accidentally sees it, I suggest you be open with them because every time I told someone about my ostomy, they thought it was awesome – not the reaction I expected at all! I expected people to think it was gross, that I was weird and be labelled an outcast, but it was quite the opposite and people wanted to know more!
Nicole • Actually, I’ve been put on the spot like this once. Some kids at school noticed by my belly button something that was sticking out, and I quickly said it was Kleenex in my pocket because at the time I had a cold with a runny nose. That Kleenex sure came in handy! |
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What do I do if kids start to spread rumours about my having an ostomy? |
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Courtney • It's a hard situation to deal with if someone starts to spread rumours about you for any reason. The kids who spread rumours can be nasty, but mostly they are ignorant because they don't understand. My best advice would be to ask your ET nurse or someone who is very experienced in the field and whom you trust to come to your school one day and help you explain your ostomy/ illness to everyone. This way, there are no miscon- ceptions about your illness or ostomy, and I bet that you'll get some responses from the other kids that you didn't expect. I thought most kids would be like, "That's gross. You are so weird." But I got the opposite reaction – "Hey, that's cool! Wish I could choose when I could poop!" |
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