The bags come in two types, the drainable which is changed less frequently, every 24 hours, and the disposable.
“I usually get mine from Stoma World Kenya once a month but we usually have to pay for them to be shipped all the way from the United Kingdom and even then they’re never enough. I usually have to reuse mine which puts me at risk for infection and puts those without access to clean water at even greater risk,” he bemoaned.
And that’s the reason he lugs T-Shirts branded ‘Stoma World Kenya’ along with his colostomy bag, “we sell them for a thousand shillings in order to help raise money for the shipping costs. I don’t understand why the government can’t make them accessible in all public health facilities.”
Fortunately for him, the worst thing that’s ever happened is having his colostomy bag fall out in public and not an infection because of reusing what should be disposable colostomy bags.
“It’s happened to me a number of times in the city centre when it gets heavy. But you just keep on walking and pretend it’s not yours. And then you pray you can get to a bathroom in time to put on another one, if you’re lucky to have one, before the poop starts coming out again,” he said affording a smile.
He doesn’t approach everything regarding his condition with the same humour however and the virile young man has yet to be intimate with a woman since his diagnosis.
“We were intimate with my girlfriend before the operation but given everything that’s happened I’m just not ready to go back there. I’m like the girl now, I’m the one saying I’m not ready,” he revealed.
And until he is, it’s just him and his colostomy bag to keep him warm at night, “I just wish it didn’t keep me up so much,” he joked.
You can reach Isaac on +254 708 84 79 51 or +254 731 054 424 and help him, help his people.
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