Get outside with your Stoma

There are some things in life that are simply not worth giving up.  For me, I try to keep the things that I love an open possibility no matter what the cost. But if you find out that an ostomy surgery is going to be scheduled and it is for you, your mind starts to wonder.  If this is you I want you to know that you most likely won't have to wonder about the possibility of going out and being active outside again.  I was totally afraid that my outdoor life would end once I got my stoma, but in fact, I was totally wrong.  I had a lot of fears that were not necessary and completely wrong.  This was a wonderful thing to find out, but a lot of it was more along the lines of me learning the hard way.  I had seen many people simply give up and live a sedentary lifestyle with a stoma in I was totally not a fan of it at all.  That is why I decided to step up my writing game and my availability to talk to those who are new to having a stoma.  My goal has been to give a truthful account of what it is like to get a stoma and how you can completely live an amazingly active and even wild lifestyle with a stoma.

 

The ability to go outside and enjoy the great outdoors was a part of my life that I didn't want to lose. I have always been an avid hiker, backpacker, and jogger.  These things are what give me joy on a daily basis and something that I really like to do.  So to me letting them go was not going to be a possibility unless there was no other choice. My journey to being outside has been just that a journey.  It takes a little time to go from the hospital to the great outdoors.  And for me, it took lots of research and time.

 

I first looked up what others had done and their advice was to get back into the gym or into the outdoor activities slowly. Even if your body is still in great shape it's important to make sure the rest of your body that just got through surgery catches up.  You are now more prone to having hernias and no one wants that to happen.  So for me, it was a process of heading to the gym and walking on the treadmill.  This was a huge step because it was outside my home and neighborhood and had a possibility of bad things happening in public.  So that is why I started slow and just walked for some time.  After a week, I added elevation and then slowly moved into doing ellipticals too.  It took me a few months to feel confident in my gear and in my ability to jog in public.  But each step was a psychological win and helped me move into a place that I could feel safe and be confident. 

 

I highly suggest hopping into social media and finding people with stoma's who workout and enjoy the outdoors.  Look at what they do and how they live.  It is really important to be able to do this and enjoy their journey and share yours with them as well.

Conditions And Symptoms Related To A Few Bowel Conditions

The first most essential point to take into consideration is that you can get help for all bowel conditions, and there is a complete cure available for most of those conditions.

There is tons of information available on the web about all bowel conditions, including fecal incontinence, colitis, IBS, Crohn’s disease, constipation, and all other issues. While you may not be able to grasp complex information related to those conditions, the basic information will help you know their symptoms. This way may be able to explain your bowel condition to the doctor in a much better way.

In this article, we will discuss those conditions along with their symptoms.

• If you do not have bowel movements three times a day or you have to strain excessively to pass the stool but still do not feel empty, you are suffering from constipation.
• If you have bowel movements three times a day and have more watery stools, you are suffering from diarrhea.
• If you have abdominal pain along with a change in bowel habits, and you have nausea, fever, and vomiting, you may be suffering from diverticular disease.
• Diarrhea, weight loss, and abdominal pain suggest that you may be suffering from Crohn’s disease.
• Bloody diarrhea, diarrhea with mucus, and a constant urge to go to the toilet even though you pass out nothing, you may be suffering from ulcerative colitis.
• If the stools leak out of your anus without you knowing about it, you may be suffering from bowel incontinence.

You must contact your GP immediately if you notice any of the following symptoms.

• Bleeding from the anus
• Blood in the stools
• A bowel habit change that lasts more than three weeks
• Tiredness and weight loss
• Abdominal pain

Approaching your GP about your bowel conditions

You can contact your GP for the treatment of your bowel condition no matter how severe it might be. He or she will run some tests to determine the problem and the stage it is in to formulate a treatment strategy.

Stoma for bowel conditions

Certain bowel conditions require a part of the bowel removed or bypassed. The second step of this surgical process involves bringing out of the end of the healthy GI tract through an opening in the abdomen to create a stoma. As a result, stools pass out through the stoma instead of heading to the diseased part of the bowel. With no sphincters in the stoma, there is no way you can control when to pass out stools, so you are going to have to wear an ostomy bag over the stoma to manage your stool evacuations.

A stoma can be temporary or permanent. If your surgeon finds out that resting the diseased part of your bowel will help it to recover, he will disconnect it from the healthy section of your bowel. He may do it by bringing an intestinal loop out through a cut in the belly and making an incision on the top of that loop to create a stoma, or disconnecting the diseased section and bring out the end of the healthy bowel.

You may want to discuss everything related to ostomy care with an ostomy care nurse.

Did your stoma ruin your vacation?

Flying with a stoma is not all it's cracked up to be but it is not the worst thing either.  Driving for miles with poopy diapers and my own stoma bags is not the end of the world too.  Does this sound like a nightmare or a great time?  Well, to be honest, I would say it is a little of both and a great way to make memories with family or friends for a lifetime and should not be halted because you have a stoma.  When you first learn that you are going to have surgery and will be living with a stoma it is really a scary time and it was rightfully so.  Your mind races and your heart just sinks.  The thought of living with a stoma is just disheartening for many.  On the other hand, it can save lives and many people have the opposite reactions because they are going to be safe and healthy. Either way, we all feel differently and it is all OK.  At some point, selfishness kicks in and our thoughts then linger to how good we will look, and will we ever be able to vacation again.  The answer is yes, you can and will still look good and most definitely yes you can go on vacation.  I like to plan my vacations wisely and make sure my health is going to be just fine as well.  

Don't fret too hard about the location and don't let your stoma lead the way.  The details and complications of how many diapers to bring and how much gear for my stoma I will personally need are really secondary.  Now that was a bit of a fib because let's face it those things do come first, but you must decide on the location and duration before the real planning can begin.  So know that if you are going to head to a sandy beach vacation that you will want to bring some extra gear. Sand and water ruin everything and that is just normal. Just be smart and be preparied

When ai am on the sand what do I do? Well, lots of things. I think waterproof gear is essential and it is also pretty cool.  For the basics, I buy a box of ziplock bags.  I like the zipper kind because I am a bit lazy and they waterproof just about as good as anything else.  I then double bag everything.  It takes a lot of zip locks but it is worth it.  Then I do it all again!  Why would I do it all twice?  Because things get lost or stolen on vacation.  Or even worse sand and water win and somehow find a way to destroy gear.  So take two sets of everything and separate them.  Pack one set in the trailer or car top carrier.  Just double up and be smart about it.

If you are on the sand, I actually take the gear I may need in an emergency and double bag it, and put it in a waterproof case or cooler.  I like Otterbox gear and find that it holds up well to beach destruction.  It seals out sand and water and if I need something I know that it will be the sand and water on me that causes an issue and that is great