Completely in the dark
Nov. 8th, 2025 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
baroque_mongooseI briefly mentioned Sibyl yesterday, but I don't think I have yet explained who she is. To give her her full name and title, she is Stroppy Sibyl the Cranky Colostomy, and she's evil, but at any rate not as evil as her predecessor, who was Squirty Sidney the Ill-Tempered Ileostomy. I had Sidney for almost exactly three years, during which time it was very difficult to leave the house for any significant length of time because he was inclined to blow his kit off at the drop of a hat (he'd been known to do that twice in one day); after that they had me into Addenbrooke's to replumb my guts, and I came out with Sibyl. That was five and a half years ago. And I'm going to say right now that if anyone reading this has something like IBS and is debating the pros and cons of having a colostomy, do not go by this. Sibyl is very atypical. I always tell medical staff she thinks she's an ileostomy, and they know what I mean; the average colostomy is very much better behaved.
I did not have IBS or anything similar, and at some point in the future I'll tell the story of how I ended up with a stoma. For now, I'll just tell you what happened last night.
I am sleeping in what used to be my nephew's room; he's 16, but he's living away from home because he has special needs (autism and Down's syndrome), and so he's in a special residential school, where he is flourishing. Like a lot of autistic children, my nephew wasn't very good at sleeping through the night, so my sister and her husband installed a blackout blind to help with that. Hence it is absolutely pitch dark in there in the middle of the night, which is fantastic for sleep, but, as it turned out, not so great when you wake up at yikes in the morning and realise that Sibyl needs taking to the loo as a matter of urgency.
At least I was able to put my hand on the Zimmer frame immediately; but after that, it was mostly guesswork. I knew I needed to follow the bed along to the end, but after that I really wasn't sure. I got to an inward-pointing corner and stopped, then flailed one arm around and found another such corner on the other side. Ah; the door must be somewhere nearby, and likewise the light switch. I managed to locate the door handle first, but that was all I needed to let just enough light into the room to find the switches. Fortunately I didn't wake anyone, so it was all good.
I actually think Sibyl's on the autistic spectrum, too. She does like her routines, and she goes all wibbly if they're broken - which, inevitably, they have to be when I'm away from home. Naturally I find that awkward, but at least I do know what to give her when I get back. I'll treat her to a vegan "nomelette", as I call it. It's primarily made from chickpea flour, and she seems to find it very soothing. It's also delicious!
I did not have IBS or anything similar, and at some point in the future I'll tell the story of how I ended up with a stoma. For now, I'll just tell you what happened last night.
I am sleeping in what used to be my nephew's room; he's 16, but he's living away from home because he has special needs (autism and Down's syndrome), and so he's in a special residential school, where he is flourishing. Like a lot of autistic children, my nephew wasn't very good at sleeping through the night, so my sister and her husband installed a blackout blind to help with that. Hence it is absolutely pitch dark in there in the middle of the night, which is fantastic for sleep, but, as it turned out, not so great when you wake up at yikes in the morning and realise that Sibyl needs taking to the loo as a matter of urgency.
At least I was able to put my hand on the Zimmer frame immediately; but after that, it was mostly guesswork. I knew I needed to follow the bed along to the end, but after that I really wasn't sure. I got to an inward-pointing corner and stopped, then flailed one arm around and found another such corner on the other side. Ah; the door must be somewhere nearby, and likewise the light switch. I managed to locate the door handle first, but that was all I needed to let just enough light into the room to find the switches. Fortunately I didn't wake anyone, so it was all good.
I actually think Sibyl's on the autistic spectrum, too. She does like her routines, and she goes all wibbly if they're broken - which, inevitably, they have to be when I'm away from home. Naturally I find that awkward, but at least I do know what to give her when I get back. I'll treat her to a vegan "nomelette", as I call it. It's primarily made from chickpea flour, and she seems to find it very soothing. It's also delicious!
