Yet again it is time to enjoy some fun in the sun. The beach is a true joy to me because it fills so many psychological needs and physical joy. One of my favorite family events is heading to Lake Michigan once a year. The family loves it, and I enjoy being outside and swimming for hours on end. This is a wonderful time for relaxation in my mind because we make very few plans and enjoy the peacefulness of the water and weather.
I always find that swimming in non-salt water is a wonderful thing and certainly makes swimming in a large body of water very easy. Seriously salt sucks and hurts the eyes. This is a fantastic time and just because I have a stoma doesn’t mean I get to enjoy it any less than anyone else. Even though I get a few questions or looks every year on the lake doesn’t mean I enjoy it any differently. In fact, I probably love being on the water and jet skiing more than anyone else! So don’t let the thought of water ever deter you from enjoying a water vacation. There is nothing wrong with having a stoma and also going to the beach.
The reason why I don’t think it’s bad is because I have been doing it for years and now things are so good I don’t even have to think about it anymore. One thing I do is to keep my ostomy care in the back of my mind. Amazing gear allows my mind to zone out and simply enjoy my time at the beach and not worry about my stoma. I basically forget it because I pre plan and get everything ready ahead of time.
If you are prepared you don’t have to worry. I always take my ostomy care gear pre-packed in a waterproof bag which is then covered by another waterproof layer inside. That keeps all my things safe and I don’t have to worry about my gear at all. Then I can focus on the fun things, like playing on floatation devices in the water and jumping waves on the jetski. But I do wear a stoma guard during jetski times. I have been thrown off a few times.
So go out and swim and have fun in the water. The Kids like to bring a huge blow-up floaty to the lake. I have to get it up and running of course but it’s super fun. It fits up to 10 people in a floatable boat. This is a bunch of fun because you are always jumping on and off and get to enjoy all the nieces and nephews playing in the water. It really is a blast and seeing them have so much fun brings out the kid in me. From that point on I love playing football or frisbee in the water as well. Then we usually end up doing lots of trick catches and passes off the boat float and it sure is a lot of fun.
But don’t stop in the water at just swimming. Then comes the adventure side of the lake. When the weather turns a big storm there is nothing more fun than getting on the jetski and riding the crazy waves. Be adventurous and live a little.
Gastrointestinal Health 