Working Out With A Stoma

Working out is most likely the best thing that you can ever do with your time. Why do I say this? Because it is a well known, well researched, and well documented fact that working out regularly or getting any sort of physical activity is good for your mental health and your physical health. Don’t believe me? Just ask anyone with at least half a brain and they will tell you that I am absolutely correct. I have always been a huge proponent of working out pretty much every day of the week (except Sundays, since that is the Lord’s day of course). I have always loved working out in the morning because it can give me a great energy boost for the rest of the day and gets my mind and boby full of endorphins and pumping some blood. There is nothing better than dishing out an absolutely monstrous chest pump and 6:00 in the morning on a Wednesday in September. With all that being said, I will admit that things slightly changed when I got an ostomy. Yes - you are reading that correctly. I know what you’re thinking: How can someone as cool as me also have to wear an ostomy pouch? Well, you may be surprised to know that there are lots of cool people out there that have to wear ostomy pouches. I for one am a super cool person and I wear an ostomy pouch pretty much all the time (unless I want my output to leak out of my stoma and get everywhere).

The thing that not a lot of people know about ostomies is that you can actually live a pretty normal life even after you have a stoma put in. It may seem impossible to have any semblance of a normal life once your internal organs are completely rerouted and your body is changed forever, but this is actually not the case. I was originally concerned about now being able to workout once I had an ostomy put in, but I was surprised to learn that it is actually recommended for people with ostomies to be getting some regular exercise.

The biggest thing that you have to keep in mind when it comes to working out with an ostomy pouch is that you have to be careful not to push yourself too hard or overdo things; this is a good way to get yourself seriously hurt or end up back in the hospital. My favorite type of thing to do when I workout is to lift weights, which can admittedly be a bit risky when it comes to people wearing an ostomy pouch. I do believe that the risk for developing a hernia is much higher for people like me. However, I tend to lift lower weight for higher reps, as I feel that this is a much safer option than trying to set a new PR on deadlift every day.

In addition to being more careful in general, there are certain things that one can do to make working out with an ostomy pouch easier and more comfortable. One thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of products out there for people with ostomies that they can use while working out. Certain items like ostomy belts or wraps can actually hold the ostomy pouch in place more effectively and keep it closer to your body.

Stoma Prepping for the Election

Boy, I have never seen our country in such a craze as 2020.  Even with all the wild twists and turns of this year with COVID-19 and the Economic shutdowns, I am still amazed at how people are acting.  When tragedies have happened in the past it brought us together as a country.  I remember 9/11 and how that horribly day made us all one.  This year things are a little different and the news seems to be driving a wedge between half the country.  This has made me think about a whole lot of things and after seeing food and product shortages on the shelves this year I started to worry about my ostomy gear as well.  The fact is that most of my gear is produced overseas and it all revolves around our economy working and shipping to still exist.  That is why I am a little worried and decided to make a plan about how to protect myself if the need arises.

 

The reason this came to mind and started to become an issue was simply the memory of having stores close down.  The news not only is talking about shutting down our country again but also the possible riots and chaos that will come from the election.  The riots that took place this year across the country shut down some major cities in the United States.  Pharmacies that are my local place to pick up ostomy gear were targeted and destroyed in these locations. It was almost as if the far left wanted to cause medical issues for those living in the areas.  This led me to also remember the shortages that took place and if the news says it will be worse this time around then I may have an issue with getting my ostomy gear online as normal.

 

My goal has now been to not get caught unprepared.  I am by no means a prepper and for the most part, I think the United States is an incredible place, but I have personally seen the product and food shortages happen.  This means I shouldn't be ignorant to the fact that it may happen again and be worse.  So my goal is to instead of just getting my normal monthly shipment of ostomy bags, seals, and cleaning supplies that I will double up.  I want to double up a few months in a row so that instead of relying on that shipment each month I will have an extra two-month buffer.  Really if feels like being in a hurricane location without the storm.  Instead of the storm we have rioters and legislators who are shutting down our country.

 

So don't panic.  Most of the country shouldn't have these problems, but I live next to a major city and I think that the possibility of these things happening again near me and possibly causing my medical condition to become a scary problem is real.  I am a better safe than sorry person and I think that having some extra food and water couldn't hurt either.  Most places and government agencies say to have 3-7 days of supplies on hand at all times in case power or storm emergencies happen. But this could be a little more extended than that and I think it is wise to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.