for what it's worth

It never fails, when I am on the run--this is when I will have a major ostomy malfunction! My solution to this is not to crawl under a rock and hide;  though that would be very nice sometimes, it is to keep a stash of supplies in my car at all times. I found a small backpack (not even big enough to hold a school binder) that fits nicely under my car's seat. I love this little thing! It cost me about $9 at Walmart and it's worth it's weight in gold.  It has saved my butt (hee hee) more times than not. I can grab it and do a quick pouch or even, the whole ostomy change right in my car. I've also taken it in to numerous convenience stores, restaurants, and other public areas. It has everything I need in it. The nice thing is it doesn't shout OSTOMY either. Here's how I fill my little back pack: Disposal Ziplock Bag Ostomy Pouch Wafer Eakin Seal Skin Prep wipe Flushable Baby Wipes I take items 2-5 and I place one of each inside one disposal ziplock ...

Ever have a moment when you scream and yell, let the obscenities fly, hurl insults like chinese throwing stars? Act like you've told your kids never to do? Throw a fit like a spoiled brat? I do. I did. Yesterday. *cringe* Not sure what got into me other than a moment of pure insanity. I said some terrible things in anger and now I'm left cleaning up the shattered pieces. Good job Monnie. I lost my temper which is honestly pretty rare. Usually I am so laid back. I guess I've been letting some issues hide under the rug and then it was like the Titanic hitting the ice burg. I went down fast and hard taking everyone with me. Ugly, plain and simple. Today is going to be a little rough with all the fallout. Here goes nothing...

Um, yeah... This is how I feel sometimes. Taking the high road is HARD but I never regret it. When I do act out in anger or frustration, I regret it every darn time. Am I the only one who feels like this? Like punching and slashing? (You're lying if you tell yourself you never feel this way.) Here's my experience in NOT taking the high road: I had to double back on my miles, apologize and do major friend maintenance. If I had only taken the high road, I would have eventually seen that the person who lashed out at me was actually not angry with me but having some major issues in her own life. Instead, I allowed my own hurt feelings to dictate my actions causing even more damage in the long run. It makes my stomach hurt every time I think about what I said. Thankfully, we are still friends but it will never be the same. I regret that. Well, I'm headed out to run for the 1st time in 2 weeks after battling a sinus infection. I'm so ready but a little nervous, I kn...

After 72 hours in the canyon at a women's retreat, I am inspired to be the woman God has called me to be. Sometimes when you step out of your comfort zone, the reward is far bigger than you can ever imagine. I went out on a limb this weekend and told a little bit of what I've gone through over the past year and how God was so faithful during that time to the women on this retreat. The idea was to help someone else who may be struggling with illness or depression. What happened was this: I was reminded of just how beautiful it is to be loved by God and how He was with me at every point during those dark days of illness and long hospital stays. And even now, He continues to be by my side faithfully. I also realized that I've totally taken Him for granted as I've become healthier and healthier. Wow. (And not 'wow' in a good way.)  It made me sick to my stomach that I could be so stinkin' shallow and self-centered. How quickly I'd forgotten all those d...

Did you know that today, October 6th 2012, is World Ostomy Awareness Day? Until last year, I wouldn't have either. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have even cared before that. Ostomies, bowel disease and bowel cancers do not get the same appreciation as other cancers such as breast cancer. I'm not dissing on breast cancer by any means, it's just as horrible and I applaud the efforts of survivors and charities supporting it. I just want the same for recognition for bowel issue sufferers. So today, I am going to be 100% on fire for my ostomy. Why? So glad you asked! Plain and simple: it gave me my life back. Yep, that's it in a bag (uh hum, cheesy, I know). This little bag on the right side of my belly has given me more to be thankful for than I could've ever imagined before. The old saying "You don't know what you have until it's gone..." Yeah, so true. A person tends to take their health for granted when there is nothing wrong. Throw in a bad...

A few of my "personalized" ostomy bags.  Life is better when you live it out loud! Tomorrow is World Ostomy Day and in honor of that I am going to be loud and proud of my ostomy and the quality of life it has given me. So get ready-- A year ago last fall I was in the middle of a horrible flare, the one that said Remicade (my drug of choice) was no longer doing it's job. Time for the colon to leave the body forever. Now--it's fall time again and I am truckin' right along. Do you know what I did yesterday? I played tennis. Yes, I realize you may thinking "SO?" but, let me set the scene for you:          It's early morning, the wind is howling at 30 mph from the north. The sky is overcast with thick grey clouds. The temperature reads somewhere in the 50's but the actual feel is more like the 30's due to the constant wind.      After a great night's sleep, I get up, out of bed and stumble to the kitchen for coffee. Looking over m...

I recently had the privilege of trying out a new product from  Awestomy.com  and have to say--I LOVE IT! My product of choice:   women's wrap  in the pink polka dot. FIT: The cut is very form fitting with the hip part flaring a bit from the waist. I like this as I am a bit of an hourglass shape. I ordered a large and it fit wonderfully. When I first took it out of the package, I thought for sure it was too small. I almost sent it back with out trying it on. (Girls, you know how depressing it can be to try to shove yourself into something too small...) But, I gathered my courage and decided I would take one for the team and what do you know! It fit! Perfectly! I was so very pleased with the way it formed to my body.  MATERIAL & DETAIL:  The material is much like that of a swimsuit. It's a nice weight with out being bulky. It lays against the body with out bulging. There is a "stay" band along the top that keeps the wrap from sliding down as you are...

Today was my first attempt at running 60 continuous minutes. All I can say is that I'm glad it's over. My running partner and I decided to meet in Amarillo at Medi-Park. A lovely little park in the hospital district that has a sidewalk winding around a little lake. It's a very beautiful place out here in the flatlands of the panhandle and it even has some elevation changes in it too. There are tons of ducks, geese and even a couple of swans to feed if you so desire. There is a nice playground located at one point as well so the park is always busy with people and kids. Lots of walkers and runners making use of the grounds too. So back to the run-- We are making our way down the sidewalk about 10 minutes or so in to the run when my foot catches on a crack in the sidewalk... Grace is not my middle name and I proved it here. I pitch forward with my whole body. Bracing myself for the fall, I throw my right hand in front of me and catch the ground with my palm as my right ...