Humiliated on the terrace

It started with a first supermarket experience at the Albert Heijn supermarket, where I was not allowed to go to the toilet. I had to put my basket down, jumped on my bike and cycled home as fast as I could. Unfortunately, the damage was done... Since then, I have been using highoutput bags so that I can empty my stoma into bins in case of emergency.

On days out, I feel zero relaxation, even in my own city. When an ostomy bag fills up, it can turn into a leak in a minute, so I can't just go around the shops hoping to find somewhere. Consultation is already a problem and in some cases I get insulted before I am refused. At Plein '44 in Nijmegen, I was refused three times in a row. There I was, walking on a full terrace, with a heavy bag in my hand. Heavily humiliated and with tears running down my cheeks. Because then you feel small, in your own little town ...

I ran as fast as I could to the nearest dustbin, where I ended up in vain. I would hardly dare to show myself there again... And then I went home quickly, because of course my clothes were completely covered. For this reason, I have had to throw away a lot of clothes. All your plans and appointments are ruined because of this and this happens to me all the time. I really don't dare to go out on a normal day anymore.

Meanwhile, my days consist of constant planning. For example, not taking my medication (laxative) and eating and drinking less so that I can go out for a while, with the risk of obstruction. I only go to standard shops where I know I can go and that via a cycle route where I know a number of stops along the way. Now that I am writing this, I realise that I avoid everything as much as possible. That I only have these experiences occasionally now because I rarely go out anymore. But when I do go, it never ends in a success story.

I really think that attention should be paid to this, because it could be better. ❤️

   
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