The year is starting to come to an end and it is getting cold. This is when it is time for a friends and family tradition. This is not really a polar bear plunge, but it is the time of year when we do our final beach run. I am a pretty big outdoor person, but not entirely a beach person. But even though I have a stoma and go every single day with my ostomy bag I still enjoy the beach. The fact is that having my stoma has not really kept me from doing anything that I couldn’t do before the surgery.
I have been reflecting a lot on my life lately and at one point in time, I thought I would end it because of my stoma. I was simply too young to have one and it made me so angry to even think about it. Going to the beach in my mind at that point was just as bad as walking through fire barefoot. But things have changed and so have I. Those initial fears and anger were totally understandable and in some cases justifiable, but totally unnecessary. I have simply found out that with the incredible ostomy gear available in 2020 I am 100% fine with going to the beach and even looking good doing it.
There are a few things that I have done over the years to make my beach-going trips better and for keeping my own mental stability during my beach trips. The biggest thing to me is to simply be able to go. Getting in the mental right mind to be able to get out and know that it is going to be ok at the beach is key. This means for me that I have to have the confidence to know my ostomy gear is going to work. That is really the key and for me, I try really hard to keep up with what is going on in the industry and in my own mind I work hard to get the best gear for me. I also work really hard at keeping up with people with stomas on social media as well to see how they go to the beach and how they live and look as well. That is really important to me and keeping up with social media allows me to rock the beach because I am using what not only myself finds to be the best but what I see others use as well. And I am definitely one of those social media nuts and post all the time and it helps others out. We all learn from each other and we all look better and better doing it.
I also like to make sure that I take a great bag filled with all the emergency situations that I may get into. Now I have never gotten into an emergency situation at the beach and all of my gear has worked perfectly for years, but having a waterproof bag and container to go with me really helps me get through the mental aspect of what could go wrong. It is key for me to feel comfortable and I think most people feel that way when taking clothes off at the beach too!
Stoma Care Corner 