Traveling around the world and touring exotic places is one of the best pleasures of life. However, people with a stoma are afraid that their conditions will limit them from traveling. In reality, a stoma need not keep you away from planning a city break or engaging in those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Always be prepared. When it comes to traveling with a stoma, this motto should always come first in your mind, and you will enjoy life to the fullest. Before your journey, there are several factors you should plan for, including:
• Number of appliance changes you will require during the duration of your trip
• Additional appliances that you might need to account for unexpected delays travel plans
• Extra colostomy bags to account for unforeseen leakages or failures of your appliances
Traveling with excess ostomy bags is better than traveling with more minor appliances as it will give you an easy time. Also, you should ensure that you've all tools required for ostomy care, including wipes, scissors, belts, barrier strips and skin protectants. In this article, I'll answer more questions about traveling with a stoma.
Traveling by Plane
First things first, when traveling by plane, you should always consider seats near the toilet to give you easier access in case of any leakages. It would help if you also considered carrying all your ostomy supplies with you in your hand luggage. This is beneficial as it will help to ensure safe custody of your supplies which may go astray while in the cargo area.
During your flight, there is a chance that your bag will balloon caused by increased gas in your pouch. The foods and drinks you take can be the most significant cause of the gas formation and should be avoided when traveling. Some of the foods and drinks to avoid include carbonated drinks, beer,
and candies.
Impacts of Weather Changes
When traveling, it's more likely that you will experience changes in temperatures that can affect your appliances' stickiness. When traveling to cooler climates, store your devices at average temperatures. When traveling to hot regions with high humidity, it's advisable to keep your bags in a cool place away from direct sunlight to avoid damaging adhesives.
Swimming and other sports activities
Having a stoma should not be the barrier to participating in water activities during your travel. Having the right gear will give you comfort as you engage in this activity. For instance, you can switch to smaller stoma caps which are discrete under swimwear and provide more predictability to stoma function. You can also use mini pouches, which have a slightly larger capacity.
When participating in other sporting activities, ostomy belts will guarantee you more additional security. You can also use a stoma guard to protect your stoma from potential trauma. Contact your nurse to verify whether stoma guards, belts, mini pouches and stoma caps are available for your pouching system.
Traveling for Extended Periods
Not all your travels will involve a short time. In some incidences, you will be required to spend a much longer time. When traveling for extended periods, carrying all your ostomy products in your hand luggage is not realistic as it can be bulky. However, you need not worry. Most ostomy appliance suppliers have directories globally where you can shop the things you never carried. Remember to record your product's size, product name, and order number to avoid buying an appliance that cannot fit in your stoma.
