Living With IBD And Ileostomy Bag: The Andrew Andrew’s Story

We all know how a stomach bug feels. It’s not a major ailment, but some conditions can become more painful than a stomach bug. This is what Andrew Browne learned six years ago when he had to experience symptoms that would change his life permanently.

“I first noticed something was wrong in 2014 when I had extremely bad diarrhoea which eventually turned to blood,” says Andrew. “I was going to the toilet five times an hour; I had no appetite, wasn’t sleeping and had no energy at all.

“Initially, I didn’t want anyone to know as I was 18 and just like any other teenager [felt embarrassed]. I thought it was some sort of bug which I could fight off and it would eventually go away but it didn’t. I left it for about five weeks and when I began vomiting I went to A&E. I was told to come back a few days later for a colonoscopy and it was then that I was diagnosed with IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease).”

Coming to know that he had an IBD to deal with was a devastating blow. He tried to return to normal life, but the symptoms started to become worse. Andrew admitted that he didn’t take his official diagnosis very well. He became so upset that he used to cry sometimes. He said then when he didn’t come to terms with having this condition, he started getting angry with himself, something which he now realizes was not right.

In early 2015, he was put on medication that improved his condition for the time being. But after that, he started having really bad diarrhea that included blood. Even though doctors tried hard to improve his condition, nothing was going in his favor. Then the time came when he had to go to the toilet six times an hour, and there was nothing except blood. He didn’t even have enough energy to talk.

This situation led Andrew to undergo colonoscopy, which was followed by emergency surgery immediately. After the colonoscopy, he was told that he needed emergency surgery or could die in two hours. That surgery gave Andrew an ileostomy, meaning that he had to lose his colon for the rest of his life. The initial ten days after surgery were the hardest days of his life, according to Andrew. He was in complete denial of the fact that he would now have to live with a stoma bag for the rest of his life.

In March 2016, Andrew experienced another painful condition when his ileostomy stopped working. Whatever was meant to pass out through the stoma was now passing out through the mouth. He was admitted to the hospital where he learned about having Crohn’s disease, which meant another phase of fighting with a disease.

He started having Crohn’s disease medication in 2017, and he is currently on it. Andrew recalls all those sufferings, and what makes him get going is his determination not to give up. Who would have said that he could become a professional golfer after having such tough phases in his life? Yes, there were times when he felt down and unable to keep up with what life was asking from him. Yet, he decided not to give up. Like he often said, “Tough times don’t last but tough people do – look at me, I’m now a professional golfer, something I thought was going to pass me by when I got my bag. But I got there in the end – proof that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

Embrace Your Ostomy Bag Instead Of Despising It

A few years ago, an actress shared her photos on Facebook, revealing the colostomy bag she was wearing at that time. Her attitude towards not being shy of letting everyone know about this hidden secret is exactly what a colorectal surgeon Jean Ashburn wants to see in her patients.

According to Dr. Ashburn, most of the patients need a colostomy or ileostomy bag temporarily – usually for three to nine months to allow their intestine to heal from a condition or surgery effect. The ones who need to live with an ostomy bag for the rest of their lives get an ostomy due to conditions such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or the aftermath of surgery to treat colorectal cancer.

“Good for her,” Dr. Ashburn says about the actress. “People need to be brave and face this pathology. It doesn’t get a lot of attention because it’s very private. People do not want to talk about poop, stool or gas.”

Dr. Ashburn says further that familial and cultural barriers keep a person with an ostomy to talk about their condition openly. It’s mainly due to the other people’s joking or mocking attitude towards the subject.

“It’s something that people in their own way make fun of, which can be very sad,” she says. “This is a life-changing event and can bring a dilemma to the patient and to the family. A patient who requires a bag, even young patients, should not be valued less than anyone else. It is about making inner peace.”

Having to wear an ostomy bag is one of the biggest challenges a person with an ostomy has to overcome. According to Dr. Ashburn, there is no reason for those patients to feel ashamed. They need to enjoy their lives because they have earned that right by going through a lot of pain and suffering.

That said, the impact of an ostomy is tough for on anyone, but having to wear an ostomy bag is more psychologically difficult for younger patients since they have several years of life ahead of them. They may have to engage in many activities that could result in a greater likelihood of their ostomy bags becoming visible to others.

According to Dr. Ashburn, the key to living a healthy and active life after ostomy surgery depends on the thinking in a positive perspective. If you have any kind of ostomy, you need to keep in mind that this ostomy saved you from bigger trouble, which could have made things worse in terms of your health. The reason you have this bag is that you had to get rid of a diseased body part, which could have resulted in a more painful and life-threatening condition.