Tips To Travel With An Ostomy

Having an ostomy doesn’t have to be a reason for you to stop pursuing your passion to travel. It is, however, crucial to consider a few things.

 

Before leaving, you will need to calculate the number of ostomy appliances that you are going to need when you are away. You should pack a few extra supplies to account for unexpected delays in your travel plans and unexpected leakages of your ostomy appliances. Make sure that your ostomy care kit includes everything from most fundamental supplies to accessories. It will be better to have an extra amount of everything.

 

When traveling by plane, you should keep all of your ostomy supplies in your hand-carry luggage. It will be potentially bulky, but you will have access to your ostomy care supplies even if your other luggage goes astray. If you are using cut-to-fit ostomy pouches, you may find carrying scissors problematic. You may want to cut several skin barriers to the size of your stoma before traveling. Make sure that you are fully aware of restrictions related to the weight of the handy carry luggage by the air service you are using.

 

If you are going to be away from home for an extended period, packing all of your ostomy care supplies in the hand-carry luggage might not be a realistic approach. You can contact the manufacturer of your ostomy supplies, and ask them if they have a supplier at your destination. You can prepare a record of the product name, size, and other measurements for ease of purchasing items of your need.

 

During air travel, you may feel the gas increasing in your pouch. You can prevent this gas formation by avoiding carbonated beverages. You may want to suck on candies or chew gum to prevent “plugged” ears, but that can also contribute to gas buildup in your pouch.

 

A change in temperature can affect the stickiness of your flanges. If you are traveling to a cool place, you may want to store all of your supplies at room temperature. If you are traveling to a warmer place, you are going to have to keep all of your supplies in a cooler bag and make sure that it is away from sunlight the entire time. If you are traveling by car, avoid keeping your ostomy supplies in the trunk, as temperature change might affect the effectiveness of those supplies.

 

When you are out there to explore museums or enjoy restaurants, the best way to keep things simple is to use closed-end pouches because they are easy to replace and discard. You will, undoubtedly, need to use drainable pouches if the introduction of new foods and spices has caused diarrhea.

 

Before traveling, you will need to ask your ET about the precautions that you must follow to stay away from the harm’s way.