Kid with colostomy

As a young kid, I had issues with bowel movements. My parents thought it was odd that a young child like myself was having such problems. Being the concerned parents they were, they brought me to the doctor to have it check out. When my parents told the doctor everything that was going on, he told them what he thought it could be. He told my parents that he thought it was irritable bowel syndrome or IBS for short. This is a kind of disorder that affects my large intestine. He provided us with some treatments to try before getting serious. After trying the simple treatments but no results showing any real change, my doctor said I had to get a colostomy procedure; I was ten. 

I can remember that day vividly. I was very scared and did not know what was going on. After my parents explained it to me, it did not help that much. I trusted my parents, however. I knew they knew what was going to be the best for me. A few days after that meetup, my parents scheduled my ostomy procedure with the doctor. After about a week, it was time for my procedure. I was terrified because I still did not understand. 

Showing up to the hospital was scary, and when it set in. I was about to be put to sleep for a bit while doctors cut me up, at least as a kid; that’s how I saw it. The surgeon explained the procedure to me as best as he could to a ten-year-old. He told me that my large intestine and colon were not working correctly, and he would help fix that. What he had to do was put me under anesthesia. When this is done, he was going to cut my large intestine and bring it to my tummy. From there, he will make a small hole that the end of the large intestine will come out of. He explained that this part is called a stoma. It will be a pink red color and puffy but do not play with it. After explaining all of this to me, I understood it better and was ready for it to be over. 

When I went into the operating room, I remember seeing all the shiny tools and cabinets, not to mention how clean it looked. The last thing I remember was looking over and seeing my mom with a warming smile on her face; that helped a lot.  After that, the nurse came next to me and put a mask on. She told me to count down from ten to one. I only go to eight. I woke up in a different room in a bed with warm cozy sheets. My parents came in shortly after I woke up with a kind nurse. My parents were smiling ear to ear. The nurse began explaining everything she could to us about my procedure and how to care for it.

As a young kid with an ostomy, it was very scary going into the procedure and hearing about everything, but I am glad I was surrounded by kind doctors who could explain to me in a way I would understand. I did not tell anyone about my procedure for years. On my eighteenth birthday, I told my close friends about it, and not a single one was phased by it. I am very reluctant to be surrounded by people who support me and care for me. I don’t think I would have made it this far in life still sain if it were not for them.