Enjoy Your Life With a Stoma

I joined the ostomy community about 5 years ago now, due to some unfortunate circumstances that led to a necessity of surgery. While I was at first skeptical about how things would workout, I have noticed there are a ton of people getting stomas who are downright pathetic. It truly makes me sad to see so many people lying down and accepting defeat in their life after getting an ostomy. After all, you just got a whole in your body, it’s not the end of the world. I wanted to make a list of some of the things I love to do whenever I can. This list of my hobbies is proof that you can do anything you want to even after getting an ostomy. My stoma has never held me back and yours shouldn’t hold you back either. Hopefully you can take some of this to heart and realize that there is more to life than sitting around and feeling sorry for yourself about getting an ostomy.

One thing I love to do is exercise. I have always been super into working out, and I haven’t let my ostomy pouch take this part of my life away from me. The biggest thing I had to change was making sure my ostomy pouch was properly taken care of before actually starting my workout. This can easily be done with wraps and belts that are specifically designed for people like me in this exact situation. By properly wrapping up my ostomy pouch and ensuring it is fitting tight to my body, I don’t have to worry about it jostling around under my clothes or getting caught on something in the weight room. I do all the physical activity I used to and more! I will say, I’ve cut back a bit on my weight lifting, because I don’t want to risk getting a hernia or something like that.

I also love the outdoors. I really enjoy hiking around trails back home in west michigan, especially in the fall time. Surprisingly, I also really love hiking in the winter time. There is something really cool about being outdoors in the cold walking through thick pine tree forests and being able to witness the stillness of nature that does well to ease one’s soul. I was definitely not about to let having an ostomy pouch get in the way of hiking with my friends and family, so I still enjoy that to this day! Again, make sure to be prepared in these situations and have plenty of spare ostomy supplies with you in case of emergencies. You’d hate to get caught with your pants down somewhere out in the middle of the woods.

I also really enjoy eating out with my family. This is another thing that you can still enjoy after getting an ostomy. My favorite places to go out are really nice steakhouses; those are a real treat. I hope this article inspires you to get out and do things that maybe you have been afraid to do after getting your ostomy. There is really nothing that you will be stopped from doing with an ostomy, and I am living proof. I mean, it is the year 2021, where technology and medical supplies are so advanced that you will really be okay no matter what you do.