Stoma and Gardening

It is that time of the year again.  The grass has become a very green shade of green and the weeds are growing like well weeds grow.  It means that I am not being called to gardening duty by my wife.  The thing about gardening with a stoma is that boy it can cause some extra issues that many people don’t deal with.  Now it is not extraordinary extra work, but since I do have an open wound on my abdomen It is a bit more susceptible to being rubbed the wrong way with all the movement going on. There is nothing worse than getting skin issues when working outside and that goes for stoma’s or even thies.  So there are some good things to do to keep up gardening and not get those issues.

I personally like to keep myself lubricated.  Now that can be taken in so many different ways, but using body glide for my ostomy care and general body rubbing care is really helpful.  I got the idea from a fellow backpacker who won't go on a trail without it and I tried it and decided it was the right product for me.  Now when it comes to ostomy care please ask your healthcare provider for advice and information on all products.  

Don’t trust some article you are reading on the internet!  But it still works wonders for myself.  Being able to be rash free and comfortable when moving tons of mulch, stones, and just in general mowing is a great thing.  I found you can pick up body glide for around 6 bucks at your local outdoor store.  REI or most big box stores will have something similar and it will be by the gold bond section in most stores. 

So the next thing is to make sure you are keeping your ostomy gear tightly sealed and from moving.  I suggest either wearing tighter gear to keep it close to your body and without moving.  It always seems to be nice not to have a swinging bag when doing more physical activity and I am pretty sure I am not a lone in that one.  So if you need to grab an ostomy belt go for it or if you want to wear some higher waisted tighter pants, that is another good way to keep things high and tight. But most of all be comfortable and wear what works for your body.  We are all different and no one can tell you what really works best for you but you!