My name is Maggie and I received my ostomy at the age of 16. Originally, I had gone in for a resection of my terminal ileum and colon due to Crohn's disease. A few days after this surgery, I started having severe pain and it was discovered that my newly-connected intestines had fallen apart, leaving me with peritonitis. I was brought into emergency surgery and woke up with an ileostomy.

How did you feel before having ostomy surgery?

I had mentally sort of prepared myself for an ostomy, even though I was only heading into surgery for a resection. I had seen friends who had ostomies and had seen how much relief they had from it, so I always kind of expected I'd end up with one. I was still terrified of the logistics of living with one, though!

How do you feel now after ostomy surgery?

I feel grateful to have the ostomy now - so much so that I made it permanent in 2019. I spent most of my childhood worried about what I ate and where a bathroom was. I learned that I had so much more freedom with the ostomy.

Tell us about your hobbies. Any new ones since surgery?

I took up gardening in my adult life, loving to grow flowers. Its been a great source of physical activity but also stress-relief.

What do you know now that you wish you knew before having surgery?

I wish I had known that ostomies could be a positive outcome and not a last-resort. It makes me wonder if I would have asked about just getting the ostomy in the first place, rather than having to go through multiple surgeries, peritonitis, and sepsis to get there!

What are your favorite ostomy products from Convatec?

I love the Esenta line, particularly the adhesive remover. It makes cleaning my skin a breeze and wish I had used it those first few nights in the hospital after surgery. My skin was so tender around my stoma, but if I had the Esenta Adhesive Remover, it would have saved me so much pain!