IBD Awareness Month – Interview – Bag Lady Mumma – AKA Krystal Miller

With Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness month coming to an end, instead of sharing my story with you all again, I was lucky enough to get some time with one of the strongest kick arse people and bloggers I know, Krystal Miller, A.K.A Bag Lady Mama.

Like all of us she has had trying and triumph times and I am honored to count her among my friends and fellow survivors. I just love her way with words, jest for life and willing to break all the rules. Not to mention her awesome images and fun family.

So without further ado…

Ostomy Awareness

Ostomy Awareness

What is an ostomy?

An ostomy is a surgically created opening, where a portion of the intestine is pulled through the abdominal wall to create a stoma. A stoma simply means an opening or mouth. The part of the intestine pulled through, along with the waste it diverts from the damaged part of the intestine decides the type of ostomy. The stoma itself has no never endings so it does not hurt, this, however, is not the same for the skin around the stoma, which can sometimes sting if the right appliance is not found. Someone with an ostomy can be referred to as an ostomate or in the case of having two ostomies a double bagger. Ostomies can be permanent or temporary depending on your condition and how it came about. 

Interview with Ileostomy Crohn Princess – Wieke

Wieke AKA. Ileostomy Crohn Princess

I was delighted to get the opportunity to interview one of my favorite Instagram accounts ileostomy_crohn_princess, AKA Wieke from The Netherlands. Wieke is one positive as f*ck, 30-year-old dog-mom to her three fur babies Lizzy, Lotte and Lara. She also rocks an ileostomy bag and like many has crohns disease. Due to her inspiring pictures, love for bikini's and a fantastic attitude to life in spite of the challenges she faces, she has quickly gained over 3K followers with much more to come. Check out her genuine answers below and her Insta account HERE.

Meet Sally Reynolds: Owner of Phoenix Fitness Broome

Guest Story Share

NAME: Sally Reynolds

LOCATION: Broome, West Australia

BUSINESS OWNER: Phoenix Fitness Broome

For Instructional Video on Core Basics Click HERE.

I became a Fitness Leader in 1990 when I realised that my goal of becoming a famous actress was not as likely as I’d first thought. I have worked continuously in the fitness industry since then sometimes as my full-time job and at others as a sideline.  I’ve worked as a gym instructor, centre manager, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, course lecturer, anatomy tutor and gym owner. 

Great Comebacks Award Entry

Great Comebacks Awards Night
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.

Ten Years On, Why Start Now?

Erin Goodwin

It's ten years on now from when I first began this ordeal, why now have I started this you may ask as I'm not a writer. I was never any good at English in school and my spelling has always been appalling. I even had to change that word to something that spell check could recognise, as my original thought came up with "no replacements found”. My punctuation sucks, I'm not sure when I should use a comma or a full stop and don't even get me started on what a verb is versus a noun (much to my husband’s dismay, he has explained it many times but like times tables it never stuck). But despite all this, I still believe that by putting my story out there it may help others overcome any hurdles thrown in their way.