Ask Jennie about returning to work with a stoma - Trio Healthcare

Our guest blogger, Jennie, was only 28 years old when she had stoma surgery as a result of aggressive Crohn’s disease. She shares her experience of returning to work with a stoma and offers advice to anyone currently thinking of doing the same.

“I thought it was just morning sickness”

 I had my stoma formed when I was 28 years old, and my little boy was nearly two. I’d had bouts of sickness and diarrhoea before I had him and just put it down to stress. But it got to the point where I couldn’t eat or drink anything. Whatever I put in my body just came straight out. The doctor dismissed it as gastroenteritis, but I knew something wasn’t right. When I found out I was pregnant I put it down to morning sickness, but I needed to find out what was wrong with me. Then one day I went to a walk-in centre and didn’t come out for a month!

“My stoma saved my life – I love it now”

My consultant originally thought it was ulcerative colitis but after I had my stoma surgery, they realised it was a very aggressive form of Crohn’s disease. The surgeon said my bowel was so close to perforating that if they hadn’t done the surgery I’d have ended up with peritonitis and possibly sepsis. It was very scary, but it made me realise how important my stoma was. I realised it saved my life. I lost the baby, but by that point there was so much going on with my body that I was just happy to be alive.

“I wanted to work in healthcare”

I used to work in a bank and went back to work six months after my operation. They were very supportive of my illness. I was very open with them and told them exactly what was going on, but I don’t think they ever quite understood it as much as I wanted them to. When Covid started to die down I decided to push myself and apply for something new. When I first had my stoma, I used to go and talk to people who were about to have stoma surgery themselves and it made me really want to work in healthcare, but I don’t have medical qualifications, so I started looking for admin roles.

“I was totally out of my comfort zone”

When I was applying for jobs, I didn’t want to write down that I had a long-term condition as I thought that would put them off, but I was always very honest in interviews. I was totally out of my comfort zone as I’d not had an interview for 10 years, but I made sure I spoke about having a stoma and how I’d worked with ostomates on Instagram. I thought I’d be stuck in the same job for life, and nobody would want to consider me, but everyone was actually really interested in my story, and I ended up being offered two roles. I’m now an admin assistant in Blackpool hospital.

“The hardest part has been the fatigue”

I found myself getting really tired. I used to work part time in the bank but now I’m full time I didn’t realise how much I needed those two days off. The advice I’d give to other ostomates going back to work is to be as open and honest as you can because people appreciate that. If you need to go and have an appointment, it’s easier if someone knows. It might be daunting telling people what’s going on, but you only need to tell one person and get it off your chest. If you’re struggling, they can support you. It’s very easy not to communicate and get burnout and resent your job. So, just keep up that communication.

“I’m so glad I went for it”

I hope I get the chance to work with nurses more in the future and support patients face to face as it helps having that personal side of things and someone who knows exactly how you feel with a stoma. I worried about starting a new job but now I’m so glad I did it. It’s like a weight has been lifted and I’m looking forward to the future.

About the author:  Jennie is ‘Ostomummy’ on Instagram where she’s an inspiration to other young mums who are ostomates worldwide. She lives and works in Blackpool with her partner and two sons, aged 5 and 11. If you’d like to become one of our guest bloggers, please get in touch.


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