Poonami - Coping With Ostomy Leaks

If you are reading this, then you probably think that you have a bowel disease, know someone with a bowel disease, or have a bowel disease. You are most likely suffering from the most frustrating and consuming part of your life; poo - lots and lots of it.

The definition (thanks to Dr. Google!) of Tsunami--a Japanese word--is 'an arrival or occurrence of something in overwhelming quantities or amounts.'

That, folks, is what a Poonami is; 'an arrival or occurrence of something (i.e., poo) in overwhelming quantities or amounts.'

Oh, and that's exactly what life with Crohn's or ulcerative colitis is - an overwhelming quantity of poo!

I know, I know. It is a bit graphic, but we're all friends here! We're all so used to poo that we now only pretend to be extremely grossed out by the word. Or is that just me? *Sheepishly shrugs shoulders and sinks back into the shadows*

Establishing that poo, of some quantity (not quality - see what I did there?!) is already a large part of your life, and that you chose to read this, you might have heard a bit about ostomy bags and potential "leaks/blowouts."

Why do ostomy leaks happen?

I won't visit Dr. Google this time, and I'll try to keep it tame from now on. Leaks or blowouts are typical terms for when poo comes out from underneath the baseplate (AKA flange), which may have been caused by the bag being overly full of poo or gas. It may even be because it wasn't put on correctly or because the output was too high. Maybe you had a blockage? Maybe it was a bad batch? Either way, it's not where it should be.

Let me ease your racing heart and/or palpitations, but I won't totally sugarcoat it...

You will be told that leaks are completely normal, and I'm not disputing that, but I'd like to clarify. Leaks are normal, within reason.

Leaks can be embarrassing

Leaks are completely normal, but you should never feel embarrassed if they happen. I get it, though. I still do feel that pang of embarrassment when I have a leak.

What's not normal is having daily leaks or leaking so often that your skin is ulcerated and painful. You should see your stomal/ostomy nurse or your specialist if you are having reoccurring leaks. No one should ever accept the status quo of awfulness established by insecurity and judgments.

Just because you are told that life with an ostomy is going to be sh*tty (see what I did there again?!) doesn't mean that you should accept it as that. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

When you get the "itch" (a delightful thing you will understand if you've had it) or the warm feeling on your bare skin, smile and deal with the poonami however you possibly can. Once that's resolved, you can take whatever moment you need.

Do you need a cry?

Cry as much as you need. You will do it a lot in the beginning. That is totally understandable and okay.

It helps to laugh it off

However, you still need to finish it off with a laugh.

We all have a hilariously awkward poonami story. If you have one of your own, share it here! Your story may help someone new to the poonami experience.