A-Cation!

I'm baaaaaaaack.

Phew! That was quite a vacation! Or a-cation as Mancub would say.
 I won't go into all the crazy details because 1. That would take forever and 2. It would bore you all to tears.

I will, however, give you a quick recap.

My sister, Beppa, and I started our vacation at the 4th National UOAA conference. I posted about the first day! Beppa and I met some new friends (hey guys!) and learned new things about ostomies, people with ostomies and ourselves. It was my first conference, obviously, because my surgery was less than a year ago. I found myself amazed at how many people have been living with ostomies for decades. You can't even tell!
I definitely want to delve into the details and my thoughts on them but I'll save that for another post.

Beppa and Mama with the Colossal Colon! Affectionately called CoCo.

Beppa and I left the conference a day and a half early ::sad face:: to drive to Fort Lauderdale to board the Oasis of the Seas! ::HAPPY FACE::
There we met up with our parents, our sister with her husband and baby daughter, and my Mancub!
As a family, we have been on two previous cruises (all Royal Caribbean) so we pretty much knew the drill. Cruising with young kids is a WHOLE new experience. You have to pack extra, schedule your time carefully and forget about lounging on a deck chair for hours with a good book.
But it was worth it.
I enjoyed the other two cruises we had taken. (2004 and 2011) I was a little worried that my son would have a terrible time and make it impossible to do anything fun.
I was so wrong.
Yes, I had to wing much of our days. Yes, the long dinners were a struggle for his two-year-old attention span.
It was the most fun I have ever had on a cruise ship. I got to take him into the ocean by the beach where my sister and brother-in-law were married in 2011. I got to take him to a figure skating show and diving show. He got to splash around in the splash zone on the ship. We were able to go to a room full of Fisher Price toys and play. We went to a small zoo and fed Animal Crackers to the monkeys. I am definitely not a "no technology" kind of mom, but it was nice to spend a week without his shows and my iPhone. Most days he even napped in the middle of the day. WOOHOO!

Our room attendant LOVED him and tried to be around after she made him towel animals so she could see how excited he was!

If you know anything about my family, you know we are BIG into Disney.
Sooooo, when my sister called me one day and said "Since we're going to be in Florida ANYWAY, what do you think of getting a resort room for a couple nights and hitting the parks?!" I was like "HELL YEAH!"
So we did.
As crazy as it sounds, we did. We (my sisters, brother-in-law, and the kiddos) disembarked from the ship and drove three hours to Orlando to check into the Arts of Animation resort. Our room was Lion King themed and was perfect for a family with kids. We took off for Hollywood Studios that evening to catch the Disney Jr. Live Show, which I knew would make Mancubs head explode with excitement. Much to our delight, Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates was there signing autographs and taking pictures!
Jake is Mancub's FAVORITE.
Just look at the excitement on this kid's face. You can't beat that.

He loved the Disney Jr. Live Show, which I highly recommend to any parent with a kid who watches Disney Jr. shows.

The next morning my brother-in-law had to take off to get home for work so it was just the sisters and kids. We decided to spend the day at the Magic Kingdom. The New Fantasyland is really awesome! It was the perfect day to end a truly amazing trip.  

There's my "quick" recap. In all the excitement I didn't have time to write a post but I figure it was for the best. Vacationing with my son is so fun. He makes everything so special.
Next post I want to talk more about vacationing with an ostomy. It definitely brought up some challenges.

We're here!

I am so excited! My sister and I arrived, earlier today, in Jacksonville for the UOAA's 4th National Conference!

Tomorrow, we have a full day of classes, as well as a first timers orientation and an ice cream social! 

I will update here as often as I can! Cheers!

Apology from Cincinnati

The Cincinnati police chief has issued an apology.
Here's the back story. 

I appreciate the gesture. I accept the apology and my anger has diminished.

However, along with an apology to the ostomy community, how about we all also use this as a chance to educate the public.

Those of us with ostomies already know it is okay. We already know we're not gross. We already know we can, and do, live normal lives. We already know that this isn't preventing normal relationships.

We're not the only ones who should be apologized to. The general public deserves an apology for being exposed to ignorance and falsehoods.

To the Ostomy Community:

 Like many American cities, Cincinnati has seen an increase in the number of juveniles involved in violent crime.  Many of these juveniles become victims and suffer traumatic injuries as a result.  In developing a strategy we contacted a local hospital trauma center which has a presentation that illustrates some life changing consequences of gun violence.  Unfortunately, one of the examples used was of a gunshot victim who was now required to utilize a colostomy bag; and the news chose to highlight a poorly chosen comment by a Police Lieutenant when airing the story.  To use the example of an ostomy bag in this way was a mistake.  Although there was no ill will intended, the results were hurtful to some in the ostomy community and this will not be repeated.

 I realize the way the news story was presented has offended many in the ostomy community, and for this I am truly sorry.  As a result of the numerous contacts I received, I have taken steps to ensure this does not happen again.  I have spoken to the Lieutenant involved in the story and his commander.  Both are extremely troubled that such a well-meaning attempt to reduce the number of juveniles involved in gun violence offended so many.  I addressed this with my command staff and Public Information Office to ensure we are all educated on the issue and to prevent any future occurrences.  I also contacted Mr. Jeff Brogan, General Manager of WCPO regarding this issue. 

 I have attempted to individually answer emails, but I wanted to send a clearer message to everyone in the ostomy community.  I am very sorry this happened and will work to ensure it does not happen in the future.  I assure you this was a mistake on the part of well-meaning individuals and not a deliberate attempt to offend anyone. 

 I hope you will accept this apology on behalf of the Cincinnati Police Department.

 Sincerely,

Paul H. Humphries
Interim Police Chief
Cincinnati Police Department

The Silver Lining

I'm alive

Whenever I start to get down on myself about having a chronic disease and an ostomy I try to remind myself that I am alive.

Also...

• No more flare-up pain. (So far.)
• I don't have to blame a fart smell on the dogs...or the baby!
• Community. I have met many great people who are dealing with the same struggles.
• Knowledge. I know my body better now than I ever had. I know that I can and will push my limitations. I know how to care for a wound. I know what your insides look like! 

The best thing about this ostomy is...

that I still get to kiss this face, and hear his laugh, and be his mommy. 

That's what it's all about, right?

The Clouds

How has my life changed since my surgery?
I'm going to start with the not-so-fun parts of being an ostomate.

• I'm scared to go swimming. I love swimming and there are many ostomates who do swim but I'm always afraid of compromising my appliance.
• Leaks. Code brown. Poop, everywhere. Need I say more?
• Worry. Will I get a hernia if I pick that heavy thing up? If I fall asleep now, will the bag leak? Can I shower without the bag falling off in a couple hours? If I eat this, will it cause a painful blockage? If I wear that shirt will everyone see my bag?
• Blockages. Even small ones make me miserable.
• Stoma noise. Yes, I still pass gas. And sometimes it makes a noise. Pretty embarrassing.