It’s hot, keep your stoma safe

Boy has the weather changed.  In my neck of the woods the weather just jumped about 20 degrees and it is toasty outside.  So this means lots of new changes have occurred and should probably happen if you have a stoma.  It really just means that I am going to be wearing slightly tighter clothes and also that I may be sweating a bit more than normal.  So there are a few  good things you can do to make sure that your stoma is fitting in with your fashion style and allowing you to live your best life.

The first thing I like to make sure is that my ostomy care is coming first.  There is nothing worse than actually being in trouble for not planning ahead and taking care of an area that I know I should. So for me I like to make sure I have the right equipment on when I know I am going to be outside a little more or it's going to be a little hotter.  

This means for me that I will likely put a bag on that has belt loops.  This allows me to then get an ostomy belt to go around the bag and hold it tighter to my body.  It may sound a bit strange but to me there is nothing better than knowing my body is looking sleek during the summer.  Being able to strap my bag down helps it from moving around and allows me to wear slightly tighter fitting clothing.  Not that is not the most important part but making sure the my ostomy care gear is also water moisture wicking is a big deal.

I really don’t like my skin sweating and feeling gross all the time.  So It really matters to me to get some really good moisture wicking gear. This has always mattered to me though way before I had an ostomy.  Being able to be comfortable in warmer weather is important and you don’t want rubbing to occur in areas causing extra friction, especially if you have a stoma.  So rock the summer body and find the right gear that fits your body. 

If you don’t have good moisture wicking gear and are getting rashes, you need to contact your healthcare provider to figure out a better solution. Also maybe contact your local pharmacy and ask for their advice as well. The pharmacist I have talked to have been amazing on advice.