Finding my strength at work as a firefighter with a stoma bag

These days, there is a definite move towards style and comfort of the wearer. Before, it felt like it didn’t really matter if it was bulky or uncomfortable, as long as it didn’t leak. Large plastic clips were popular back then but now there’s more slim fitting Velcro which is great.

There’s also much more support available for people post-surgery and adjusting to life with a stoma. When I had my surgery 21 years ago, I had one visit from a stoma nurse and it just wasn’t enough.

There also wasn’t much available online so I couldn’t educate myself or meet others, which is so easy to do nowadays. By showing strength in ourselves, others find the strength in themselves too. We help each other to move forward as ostomates and this approach can be used a lot in life, to deal with many situations that come our way.

I first told people at work about my stoma when we were doing a training course about trauma one day. Stomas came into the conversation, to teach people what we should and shouldn’t do if we have someone to deal with who is an ostomate.

I didn’t say “oh I’ve got one of them” there and then as I didn’t want to disrupt the course. I knew that questions would come thick and fast because at this point no one at the station knew I was an ostomate.

After the training, however, I put a message onto our messaging group saying I’d be putting some emergency stoma bags on the truck just in case anyone comes across them. I then had lots of questions the next time I was at work, but everyone was supportive and I even spoke to two people who had family living with Crohn’s or Colitis too.

My stoma makes me more prone to dehydration so I always have hydration powders on me. As much as the kit I wear keeps the fire out, it also keeps the heat in. This means staying hydrated is a very important part of our work for everyone, but especially for me.

I don’t worry much about the bag itself while I’m at work, or even think about it really, but a couple of months ago it did suddenly pop into my head.

I was in full kit with breathing apparatus and searching for a casualty with no visibility in the area when I became stuck under a table. While I was there, I felt the bottom of my bag suddenly become wet and thought “Oh no, not now of all the times”.

I can always shower when I get back to the station, so a burst bag isn’t the end of the world, but it actually turned out okay and the wet sensation was just sweat! Thankfully, I’d say.