My stoma has never stopped me from travelling. Even shortly after my operations, I went travelling again.
One of my favourite destinations is Asia because the climate and the friendly people let me forget many of the issues I have.
They give me strength and energy for the whole year.
I pack all my supply for a few weeks into a soft cool bag without the cooling pads:
Discs – without the carton (I calculate with a new one every second day)
Stoma bag – I cut them beforehand and put them in pairs of ten into the sandwich bags
Nail scissors – for cutting the discs
Sandwich bags – to dispose of the old supply
Stoma bag clips – to close the bags
All this easily fits into my backpack but I normally do not travel with anymore than one bag anyway.
The cooling bag is ideal for all my supply and protects everything from the humid and hot climate and the pollution.
For the plane, train or bus I usually take a square plastic box for any emergencies. Sometimes it is necessary to change the supply unexpectedly.
I keep one disc, one pre-cut bag, one extra clip (yep, sometimes it falls into the toilet!), three bandages, the paste and two sandwich bags in the box.
With my emergency pack and a bottle of water (in some countries it is best to use drinking water from a bottle) in my carry-on luggage I am armed to cope with even the smallest toilet or the darkest wood.
I use the square plastic box and press it firmly against my tummy, take off the old supply and put it in the sandwich bag.
While I am still pressing the box against my tummy, I use the bottled water to clean the stoma and the skin around it, letting the water flow into the box. I dry the stoma and the skin
with one of the bandages, put the paste around the bud of the stoma, and put a new bag on. Whatever went into the box while I changed, I drain into the toilet and with the rest of the bottled water,
I clean the plastic box and put all the utensils back. If my underwear was soiled during the procedure, I use the
second sandwich bag until I next have time to wash.
Asia is a perfect place to relax and chill out. I can still enjoy a great day at the beach lightly dressed and with beautiful sarongs around my tummy and even with stronger bowel activity. Hardly anyone recognises that I have a stoma.
If I am in a remote and isolated area, I like to take off all my clothes as well as the supply and swim naked. Nothing can go back in anyway, only out!
Sometimes it is unavoidable to feed the fish, especially if I am snorkelling and there is no toilet. Of course, I only do that far away from everyone else and by swimming backwards.I even completed a scuba diving certificate without any problems. I planned the dive trips in the morning before breakfast and when my bowel action was minimal. If we did a night dive, I made sure not to eat any fatty meals.
I have been faced with all sorts of strange situations but all of them manageable and I am always glad to have my husband carry 2/3 of the luggage.
I make no secret of my stoma and people have come across as very helpful and understanding.
Especially when I did my dive course, I could not hide my stoma and after a while, it was just a common thing.
I have learnt to deal with my physical changes and I enjoy every day to the fullest.