Ye Olde Ostomy Shoppe

We took a little trip today to the Ostomy Shoppe. No kidding, the place only sells Ostomy supplies. It's sobering to think that for the rest of your life you're going to need these appendages. So I guess it's good to know that there's a place dedicated to providing them. The shop is run by Bill Adkins, an early 60s, robust looking man who told us he'd had his ostomy when he was 24 years old - the result of ulcertive colitis.

He was a font of information about managing your colostomy needs and provided a lot of good information. There are, it seems, many different kinds of ostomy bags - larger ones, smaller ones, some with filters, some that can be emptied, some that can't, and small caps for those "intimate moments". He also told us of the local Ostomy Support Group. I don't know whether Steve will go to any meetings or not, but i think it might be a good thing for him to spend time with others who have gone through the same thing and learned how to cope with the challenges it presents. Surprisingly, when Bill brought it up Steve didn't seem dead set against it. That's positive in and of itself.

So we shopped, got a selection of stuff to try and see what he likes best. It's not quite Saks, but it didn't cost us anything either (thank God for Blue Cross Blue Shield!) and it was good for Steve to get out of the house.

He's been markedly improved the last few days - sitting up much of the time, reading a little, doing some puzzles (things to interact with rather than just lie on the sofa and let Sports Center wash over him). Visits have also been a huge help. Gerry and Kevin came over on Tuesday and hung out for a few hours - they played cards and whatever else guys do. I came home and Steve was sitting up, animated and seemed very much like his old self.

The guys are coming over tomorrow and Steve's really looking forward to it.

A physical therapist is also coming tomorrow to do an evaluation. Steve and I walk each night - a little further each day - but it's slow going and he's trying not to push too much for fear of overdoing. He's having some pain in his legs and could use some exercises he can do without over exerting himself to get his muscle tone back and reduce the pain he's having.

All in all, he's doing better and, as he said tonight, he can see the day when he'll be better.