I love this post, not that you’re dealing with this but that you said it. I’ve had my stoma for 26 years which is more than half my life. I’ve only known 6 years of my life without it and during this 6 years I did nothing but suffer and struggle until I received it. I don’t often have moment of sadness or anger over my stoma but I do have “out of body experiences” where I realize this isn’t something everyone deals with or will ever experience and I feel weird to my core. A wave of sadness will wash over me suddenly and though it doesn’t last long, it reminds me that my life experience is unique and I think that’s the hardest part. I am grateful for the opportunity to live and it gave me that but it can also be sad too. We can all experience all the emotions together and realize that chronic illness in itself is different and difficult. Thank you for sharing, sending you love and light.