6 months on since surgery – lots has happened. It is now the end of the Easter break and the reality of going back to work is dawning, but I feel ready. These last 2 months have been jam packed full of exciting teaching experiences, a battle to regain my cycling legs and gaining confidence in my health. 

The second part of the Spring term allowed me to complete my first half term back teaching and I was presented with an amazing opportunity to work with the ‘Bloodhound Project’ to build minature rocket cars. I was worried that this project may lead to stress and damage my health, however the opposite occurred. This exciting project kept me engaged and focused and my bag wasn’t an issue once.

The break for Easter brought my first cycle challenge – The New Forest Sportive 100km. Booked in February as an incentive to get back on the bike, fitness progress was stalled by the bad weather. This led to me using the dreaded indoor spin bike. This can be mind numbingly boring if not focused, but I got into a 30minute routine and efforts on the bike got easier. 

Finally (or rather quickly) the day was upon me. Lining up alongside over 2000 other riders at Somerly House, Hampshire I was pleased to have 2 of my closest friends with me (CF & PW). The start of the ride gently passed through the house’s grounds, but as soon as we got onto the road the racer within was released. Soon we were spinning along the lanes at over 20mph. As soon as we got onto the exposed roads of the New Forest CF and PW focused on sheltering me from the wind. This allowed us to keep our speed. After a puncture and 2 comfort stops we got around just 2 minutes outside the gold standard time – a successful return to road cycling (albeit with an extremely full bag at the finish line).

Two of the downsides to having Ulcerative Colitis are the side effects of the drugs used during a flare up and the continuation of proctitis in the rectal stump after surgery. One side effect of the strong drugs that I was given during my stays in hospital was a blocked sweat gland. This caused a lump to form under the skin in my groin which needed removing. So last week I went to hospital for minor surgery. I was extremely impressed by the team and I’ve now got a 5 week wait for the stitches to dissolve – the wonders of modern medicine.

One aspect of having a Stoma bag is that when it is full, it has to be emptied. This can be more of an issue when travelling. One of the most uncomfortable situations is traveling in a car with a seat belt squashing your bag. Therefore on our journey home I spotted an Esso petrol station, so took the opportunity to pull in and use their facilities. Upon entering the building I was informed that there were not toilets available to use. Now, when I joined Chrons and Colitis UK I was given an ‘Urgent’ card explaining I needed to use their facilities. I had never needed to use it in 9 months, but I couldn’t wait longer so brought it out to show. Without further ado the cashier stepped forward and opened the staff toilet for me to use. Thank you Esso!

All in all, 6 months have flown by and I feel I am adjusting to life with a stoma.