29 year old Michelle D’Cruz had earlier shared with us how she’s been coping with chemotherapy after being re-diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Her surgery resulted in a stoma – an artificial opening in her abdomen connected to a special bag outside the body for faeces collection. 

“It was a huge challenge to learn how to manage my stoma bag but I’m thankful that I don’t have the same issues that my granddad had.” Michelle dreaded the idea of having a stoma. She confessed, “my fear stemmed from seeing my granddad cope with a colostomy more than ten years ago. At 70, my granddad was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I saw how difficult it was for him on a daily basis to do the changing, the cleaning, and the prep work that went into dealing with a stoma. I also saw the lack of support he had. I thought to myself, ‘it would be impossible for me to go out with my friends, wear my favourite clothes, leave the house, or ever travel again. However, the inevitable had to be done to save my life.”

After surgery, Michelle had to learn to cope with her stoma. “I realised that I’m stronger than what I thought I was capable of. Nothing is stopping me from doing the things I love. Not even my stoma. But I do keep a close eye on what and how often I eat. I avoid eating too late at night so that I don’t have to clean my stoma bag when food gets processed during the night. If my dinner includes foods that are gas producing, my stoma bag would turn into a balloon by the morning! Because I eat less soupy stuff and more protein, the time between outputs have become longer than normal. Now, I can plan my day and time my meals to regulate output.”

The latest medical innovations over the last ten years have also helped patients like Michelle cope. “It was a huge challenge to learn how to manage my stoma bag but I’m thankful that I don’t have the same issues that my granddad had. It takes not more than 5 minutes to drain and clean my stoma bag when I’m at home or outside. It’s hygienic and not messy at all. I carry a small pouch with some supplies that I use to help me clean out my stoma bag. I still get to wear what I was able to before my surgery, but with a little adjustment. My daily activities are not affected. Sometimes I even forget that I have a stoma! I also overcame the challenge of emptying my stoma bag outside of home and even managed to do it on a plane despite the tiny toilets. The bags are sealed well. There are perfumes, scent sprays, and even tiny sachets that gel the contents in the stoma bag. There are also pretty little pouches and wraps for both men and women to wear under their clothing to hide their stoma bags. All this helps an ostomate like me be a little more confident.”

Did you know that a stoma bag and its associated parts costs about $15-20? On average, patients change and clean out their stoma bags once a day. As part of our assistance schemes, SCS provides stoma bags to cancer patients with stomas who are in need.

In memory of

Michelle D’Cruz

1985 – 3 December 2016