How ostomy would affect my life

As a child, I loved to be outside. My dad works on cars a lot, and I enjoyed helping him change the breaks or do oil changes. I remember also following him around as he mowed with my own small plastic push mower, thinking I was doing something. As I grew up, I got into soccer and played that for a handful of years before entering high school. When high school hit, I wanted to try new things, so I played football my freshman year only to realize how much of a waste of money it was for me. In the spring, I did track and field, specifically pole vaulting. It was fun flying through the air. I also did it my sophomore year but was done with it after that. If I were born and needed an ostomy, I would not have been able to do half the things I did. However, today I believe it would not have a drastic effect on me. 

If I was born and had the need for an ostomy procedure, I believe my childhood growing up would have been much different. I enjoyed being outside and playing sports. I did soccer for a while. If I had an ostomy, I would not have been able to play soccer. With ostomy procedures, you need a pouch. The pouch is attached to the abdomen covering the ostomy hole, also called a stoma. The pouch is so any waste excreted from the body is collected here. If I had an ostomy, I could not play soccer because if I were to get hit there, it would not only burst the bag, but it would also cause a great deal of pain if it hit directly on the stoma.

In my high school days, I believe that an ostomy would not have been such a burden as it would have been growing up. When high school hit, I tried out a few different things. I played football and was a running back and cornerback. If I had an ostomy procedure, I would not have been able to play football because it is so rough, and I would have the same risks of my ostomy bag rupturing and hurting my stoma. Pole vault, on the other hand, could still be done if I were to remove the ostomy bag. I would need to remove it so that I won’t have any kind of restriction on my reach. I would have had to take great precautions when I land, though, because if I landed on the stoma, it would hurt a lot and possibly have some other consequences. 

Today if I had an ostomy, I believe it would not be all that bad. I like to be indoors mostly now and play on my custom-built computer. I also have a job that is mostly sitting at a desk writing. Having an ostomy would not affect me because I am mostly sitting around now. It could be beneficial because it would mean fewer trips to the bathroom; thus, I would be able to get more work done and be able to play games with more minor breaks. 

As a child, I believe having an ostomy bag would have limited me to a tiny few things I would be able to do, as a child, that would be devastating because I was very active then. Nowadays, I believe that having an ostomy would not be all that bad. Sure, I would not be able to play paintball as much as I do, but I believe I could live with that as I am older and understand things better now.