Support – InsideOutlet

February 18, 2018 Health, Relationships, Support, Travel

Best Laid Plans

Going back as far as I can remember I always wanted to travel the world, there wasn’t a continent not on my dreams list. As a family we never stayed put in one place for long, first living in an old bus that had been fitted out travelling around Australia getting home-schooled before settling down if you could call it that, moving house every six months to two years until I was old enough to take flight and step out on my own. At 19 I left my rental property, my boyfriend of three years, my job and my family with $50 AUD in my purse, a back pack and a sense of adventure, from that moment I was hooked on travel. I returned just over six months later to finish my accounting and finance degree with the knowledge that I could use those skills, making the world my oyster.

May 30, 2017 Support, Things I Wish I Knew Back Then...

No. 4: Things I wish I knew back then…

The Amount of Support Available.

I know I have discussed this topic before but believe it belongs in my “Things I Wish I Knew Back Then…” series, as its high on my list of things I would have loved back when my journey began. If you didn’t see it check it out HERE. I also, however, wanted to take some time to briefly introduce you to the ones who influenced my life and some up and coming ones that are inspiring me to do wonderful things. They are all amazing bloggers and ostomy awareness advocates, so if you do get the time check them out. Well worth your time. We all write differently and focus on slightly different issues with the same main aim, to raise awareness and help others along with ourselves through this ostomy life.

April 22, 2017 Body Love, General, Health, Support

Ostomy Glamour Shoot

If someone had told me when this journey began that I would be in a boudoir glamour shoot radiating confidence with an ostomy bag I would have laughed at them and then silently cried about it later. It was something I had on my dreams list but didn't dare to think about after getting an Ostomy. It would have just been another thing that would depress me on the list of things I thought never possible again. I hated getting naked and couldn't stand to look at myself in the mirror. I had gone from never being home to shying away from all social settings and avoiding photos where at all possible. Something I only recently began to regret. There are huge gaps in my memory that photos could have helped fill. I never realised how significant a part of my life it would be given all I wanted to do at the time was forget it was happening.

April 14, 2017 General, Health, Support

Ostomy Support

Let me just say wow! Thank you social media. How times have changed, going back ten years when my journey began Facebook may have existed but not in its glorious form it does these days. The ability to reach out to others across barriers is astounding. I am so blown away by the magnitude of support groups, pages, blogs and websites that are out there. The time and effort that the ostomy community puts into supporting each other is astronomical. One of my main drivers for setting up the web page and blog was to ensure that other ostomates knew not only that there was support out there but where to find it.

April 11, 2017 General, Health, Support, Travel

Great Comebacks Award Entry

My story

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) in 2006 after continuously being run down, losing weight, having poor appetite and mood. It was kept at bay with a myriad of tablets for about a year before I started getting severe abdomen pains and continued to lose weight. After three visits to the hospital, weeks of IV steroids, 13 days awake straight and 20 kilogrammes dropped in less than a month, late 2007 I ended up in emergency surgery and received a temporary ileostomy I called Squish. This was one of the most challenging times of my life. Before UC I considered myself to be an outgoing active person and used to pride myself on being the life of the party. Now I was severely depressed and couldn’t look at myself in the mirror without crying, let alone leave the house and be social. Luckily I had some amazing friends that stood by my side (sometimes literally holding me up) even when I was pushing them away.

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Category: Support