After 8 years of successfully living with an ileostomy, I started to run into an issue.  The past few months I had been dealing with repeated blockages behind my stoma.  It was painful and debilitating.  Already a tall and skinny guy, I still managed to lose 30 pounds over the last few months.  After consulting with 4 different surgeons and gathering their opinions, I decided to get a laparoscopic stoma revision surgery .

The 1st week after surgery was tough, but quickly got better each day.  Using the StomaShield that I created was quite uncomfortable (for the first week) when used for long stretches.  So I only used it as needed, and definitely came in handy on the car ride home from the hospital.  However, as the swelling and tenderness subsided over week 2 and 3, I was able to use the StomaShield more and more.  Over the weekend (at 3 weeks post surgery) I was able to drive my family 3 hours to see my parents.  While I was there, I participated in a woodworking class (traditional hand tool techniques).  There is no way I could have safely performed my woodworking without my stoma guard.  Although I was a little tired, I enjoyed learning something new and refining my skills.

The StomaShield, along with modern surgery techniques, allowed me to get back on my feet quickly and enjoy life to the fullest.