WHERE WOULD WE BE?

WHERE WOULD WE BE?
It’s sometimes difficult to seewhere any one of us would bewithout the help that was for meprovided by my ostomy.
When ostomies have been discussedmost have seen them as a must.Without a stoma most of uswould not be here to make a fuss.
It can seem strange when things have changed and your colon’s rearranged.But when you know your life’s at stakea stoma’s what you’ll gladly take.
Without my small, red-rose rotundaI could now be six feet underand pushing up the daises, sothat’s not the way I chose to go.
Compared with the alternativea stoma’s a preservative.For it’s preserved a way of lifethat I deserved away from strife.
I would not wish this thing on youor anything that I’ve been through.For nobody that’s not been there could hope to understand or care.
When I recall what went beforeand foresaw what lay in storethere really was no choice for mebut to accept an ostomy.
I now expect my attitudereflects undying gratitude.As I can guess where I might be I bless my mighty ostomy.
B. Withers 2013

Expressed very well. Because my non-surgical docs keep avoiding pushing me to surgery, I was so weak that I flat-lined during the process. Thankfully, an old cowboy doctor in Phoenix said "I ain't this kid" and jump-started my heart and finished the job. In hindsight, having surgery two years earlier would have been the right answer. Life has been 98% normal for 30+ years. It's just one challenge I have that most others don't. But, many people deal with many issues and illnesses...if they are fortunate enough to live a long life.

Love it ????

Hello AZishome and Rosebudd44.
Thank you so much for your positive replies to this blog. It is so gratifying to think that other people appreciate the medium of rhyming verse as it seems to make the original effort to produce it more feel worthwhile. I don't have any more of these in this series on stomas but I have literally hundreds on other subjects. Maybe, if and when one of those subjects gets posted by someone who has an interest, then I might consider resurrecting them and sharing with this wonderfully receptive audience.
Best wishes
Bill

Great job, Bill! I've learned to take nothing for granted and recognize there's a reason for everything. I don't always know the reason but my perspective could help us enjoy life rather than just endure it. I know my stoma saved my life and, big deal, I have another appendage.
I don't take your writings for granted and I thank you sincerely for your contribution. It's not just the rhyming verses but the entire creation that can only enhance our lives. To understand from your perspective is wonderful. Your sharing with us is even more wonderful.
With grateful appreciation,
Mike

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Well done... thanks for sharing.

We all have a purpose... enjoy each day!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all...

Hello Mike. Thank you so much for your kind comments and your own contributions to this site, which are always insightful and welcome.
Best wishes
Bill

Hello Grateful1952. Thank you too for your comment and happy Valentine's day to you too.
Best wishes
Bill

Hey Kramer, between now and your reversal, things will get easier for you and your precious new appendage. Lots of luck and thanks for sharing.
Mike

Hello Kramer. Thanks for your reply to this post and enlightening us as to the affectionate name you have given your stoma. It made me smile as I envisaged you perhaps talking out loud to it in public and getting some disapproving looks from passers by!
Best wishes
Bill

Hi Bill! We have to make the best of this, or it will kill you!!
When someone asked me if I named my stoma, I said yes, but I don't think I should tell you! When I did, they just laughed and laughed! I can say I am handling this so much better than I did say 4 months ago! If I spring a leak now, I just poo it and deal with it. As I always say, it could be much worse!

Hello Kramer. Hello Kramer. It is as you say - we have to make the best of it and 'it could be worse'. I find that, like most other things in life, making the best of it is mostly psychological and emotional, which is where composing and writing the rhyming verses was useful. It enabled me to clarify my thinking and put things into perspective at times when those things were being disturbed by somewhat emotional and irrational thinking. Once it all settled down and I became used to managing the new set of circumstances, all that original angst seemed a bit petty and unnecessary. However, each time someone new comes on here, the memories of those past emotions get resurrected and I feel for them in their hour of need. It's so useful to have a site like this where we can share our experiences and feelings, which might help us to move forward to a better place within ourselves. Best wishes Bill

I couldn't have said it any better, Bill. My dear friend was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer which spread to her liver and bones. I can't imagine what she is feeling. I can't help but feel guilty that I'm doing so well. My heart is so heavy for her. ????

Hey Bill - Compared with the alternative,
A stoma's a preservative.

Great line! Love it.

Hello Kramer. Thank you for replying to this post and I'm sorry to hear about your friend. It' so hard to watch friends suffer in this way, when there is little you can do to help except be 'there' for them. It seems like such an inadequate response but in fact, it's just what they need because it provides emotional support.
Best wishes
Bill

Hello Silverodokid. Thanks for your kind comment. I cannot take all the credit for these sorts of lines in the rhymes as, some of them come from comments made by other ostomates. Reminiscing about posts from the past, there have been lots of people have commented on what the alternative to a stoma might have been and I just plagiarise this concept and add a rhyming line. So, really I should be thanking everyone who comments on here, for their contributions as they help me to formulate the finished verses.
Best wishes
Bill

Hey Bill, your language skills, though remarkable, are exceeded by your humaneness and humility. Thanks for all.
Sincerely,
Mike

Hello Mike. Thanks again! you are too kind!
Best wishes
Bill

Hi Bill, I am new here and a lover of poetry and prose. :) Also, a dabbler in the same. Your poem is great. I had never heard of a stoma before my emergency, nor for a week or two after it, but I am now thankful for it. Like you and most here, I am sure, without it I would be dead.

Hello Sami10. Thank you for your comment on my blog. if you are also a dabble in the art, I am sure you will appreciate feedback like this from others is always welcome. I used rhyming verse as my way of clarifying and commenting on my emotional and physical stoma journey. It seemed to help inasmuch as it gave me something else to focus upon during those spells of contemplation, which might otherwise have ended up in negativity. I hope to read some of your own work on here sometime in the near future. I'm going away next week and will not be back for about six weeks. I'm not sure if I will be able to get on here during that period but, if not, I'll catch up when I get back.
Best wishes
Bill

Hi Bill. Wishing you a pleasant trip. Please note we'll miss you and will anxiously await your return.
Mike

Hi Bill, not sure if I will be sharing on here. I am on SS and don't have the extra for their memberships. I do enjoy reading your work. Have a wonderful trip, safe travels to you.

Hey Sami, you don't have to pay to be a part of this wonderful group. There are limitations to non-paying folks but you can still join us.
Mike

Hello Sami. It is just as Mike says, you don't have to pay to be an active participant in the group. I have never been a paying member but nonetheless, I've been on here for years and feel part of the 'family'. I often get a free membership for A MONTH in recognition that I chat so often and I understand a number of high volume participants get this perk. I have never used the facilities that the membership offers so I cannot see any reason for me to pay to join. If you like writing, then why not use your talent and reply to posts on here regularly, this will no doubt take you to the top of the list of contributors and get you free membership each month. Otherwise, just enjoy what is on offer for free and correspond with people via their posts.
Best wishes
Bill

Thank you for your positive attitude. I am a newbie 3 weeks from my emergency ileostomy and 5 months since colon cancer (Stage 1). As I struggle a bit with bag failures and peristomal skin issues, your thoughts put it all in perspective. Glad to be here, for medical professionals, and for Medicare insurance.

Hey Frog, please remember there's lots of experience here with all the issues we share. You're in a good place.
Respectfully,
Mike

Hello Frog Pond.
Thanks for your comments. It is great to get feedback on the rhyming verse and know that someone somewhere can appreciate and understand the sentiments.
I found that expressing myself in this way on all sorts of angles on having a stoma helped me to put it all in perspective, especially on those occasions when the whole thing might have dragged me down.
Best wishes
Bill