Getting outside is a wonderful way to get away from the world. For me I love to exercise and do lots of jogging in the woods. I guess they call it trail running, but its more just enjoying the views and doing a little jogging at the same time. Having a stoma does make it a little more complicated, but I find that it simply doesn't get in the way that much at all. I hear that some people refuse to do anything because they have had an ostomy surgery and they simply give up on the idea of being social or active outside. This is all rather silly, because I am an introvert and still loving being outside and with people with my stoma. It all goes to show that if you like to hike in the woods, or go jogging that you can truly do it with your ostomy bag in tow. So if you are gearing up for a woods walk, a day hike or a backpacking excursion I want to encourage you to do it. First of all there should be no excuses for not doing something because you have a stoma unless your doctor has strictly told you it's a bad idea. Obviously medical advice comes first and if you are simply unable then you shouldn't. But the majority of people I know with stomas are rather active. They enjoy hiking, swimming, and motorcycling and don't let their stoma slow them down at all. I truly appreciate this and it also encourages me to keep putting in the time and effort to doing more crazy things outside as well. Now that you have the motivation, make sure you have good and proper ostomy gear for the excursion. Many people don't change up a thing, but I like to stream line things up a bit and go for a smaller bag, which is belted to me with elastic. I talked with multiple online companies and they gave me good advice and samples of items to try for being more active. This was a jumpstart to my outdoor lifestyle that I needed and I suggest being a little phone social and calling up some of the major ones as well. Or go to your local pharmacy and talk to your pharmacist. These Doctors specialize and getting gear that people actually buy and have talked with so many people that they normally have great advice. Now go out and do some testing. Try your gear slowly and preferably around your home just incase something doesn't work. Go for a hike around your neighborhood. Put on a backpack that fits around your waste and stoma well and see what works. People are always more impressed then weirded out. They generally get really excited when you tell them you are preparing for a hike or a backpacking trip. It is also a great way to meet new people in the neighborhood. Now that you have tested out the right ostomy gear and also hiking gear, go out and give it a try at a small local park. Sometimes the clothing you wear turns out to be an issue or the shoes you have on are too hard or not hard enough and cause more bounce on your body than you want. If you clothing is not moister wicking you may want to change out some of those to work better for you ostomy bag, and backpack! But go out, give it a try and have fun!
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