Having the right mindset for your ostomy

I think that knowing what is needed and having the ability to get it is important in life.  I know also that having the right gear for your stoma can be the difference between having a wonderful life and a bad one.   Mentally you can really help and harm yourself by thinking badly about your situation. Now luckily in my life one thing I love to do is hunting and I have never let my stoma stop me from enjoying it.  I have been told many times that people who have stoma's shouldn't go out and be active or enjoy the great outdoors.  I know that these comments came from ignorant people who had no knowledge of what they were talking about or who had simply given up on life.  That is a sad thing to see and many people who are convinced that life won't get better usually are simply completely to blame.  My stoma works for me and not the other way around.

Even with an ostomy bag you can go out and be an active person. I am rather athletic and in pretty good shape and I do it all with an ostomy bag on my hip. The truth is that most people can live an active and full life with a stoma and those who don't choose not to.  I first learned of people who had run the Iron Man competition with a stoma and then I found not one, but two guys who had done it recently with a stoma and normal ostomy gear.  Just think about it.  People with an ostomy bag went out and did some of the most brutal physical challenges in the world.  That is a crazy amount of running. But these guys didn't just run 24 miles, they also swam two miles in the ocean before doing that.  Now swimming in the ocean is no easy thing! So he went with is ostomy set up and transitioned from swimming to running back to back.  After all of this, they also biked 100 or so miles and that is just wild.  How could I not be active knowing that this could be done. 

What I do is nothing in comparison and this gave me a lot of confidence. I do some pretty physical things, but nothing like that. I have to be able to climb into a tree stand and also lift heavy animals.  Some states require you to drag your animals out while others allow you to carry only the meat.  This means that in some cases I may have to drag a super heavy deer half a mile.  This means I need cardio and also a whole lot of strength.  But with the right gear, I am able to keep my stoma safe and since I work out knowing this I prepare for the amount of weight that is needed to be pulled or carried. It is not the easiest thing in the world to do but I train for it and don't let my stoma get in the way.  I love the journey and learning about how to get right in the mind. It is part of being whole with life and living a good one. So don't stop learning and don't be afraid to fail. 

Does your stoma limit you?

If you just got out of an ostomy surgery then you know that your life has changed.  I was afraid of a lot of things but luckily you also have the internet.  Now being afraid, terrified, and super angry are more likely is not abnormal but you can quickly overcome it.  Don't worry though that is how I felt, but I was worried that my life outside and my looks would simply end.  No one would find me beautiful and that my outdoor passions would just stop overnight.  But the best part of unfounded fears is that they are unfounded.  It turns out that my life pretty much stayed the exact same after my surgery.  Yes, I have a stoma and now I have to do my routine business a little differently, but after a few weeks like went back to normal.  Now, just know that you can totally get back to your normal life after your surgery.  It takes some work, but life is just starting.

The first thing that I wanted to jump right back into was being in the woods and going on my trails again.  What it really took was the right gear that fit my body well and seeled up with a great flange I went back to the outdoors.  I love hiking and find outside filling my soul with life.  The passion I have for being in the outdoors is vast and I am such a huge fan of recharging my personality by being outside.  The fact is that I ended up learning how to hike and backpack like an ultra-light backpacker and used a lot of tips and tricks from that field to increase my capabilities and to go out and enjoy the outdoors without much hassle.

 Don't be fooled by super high costing gear.  You can get stuff to allow you to carry the same amount of weight since I had to bring my ostomy gear along with me for peace of mind.  I always like to make sure I have extra gear in case something happens.  It is usually better safe than sorry, but for the most part, it is no big deal to stock up and add in another day's worth of gear. 

Now if you are anything like me then you can also get back into your favorite hunting seasons.  There is nothing better than being able to hunt and stalk an intelligent creature.  The aftermath of the challenge is also the fact that you are able to harvest incredibly healthy food for a very low price as well.  I have never had an issue with being able to get out into the wild and deal with my ostomy bag as well.   There are sweet pills and sprays that can help with the order and even scent-blocking clothing to go on top.  I have used all of these items and find that I like to put them all together when I go out for deer season.  So far I have been rather successful full and my stoma has not hurt me at all.  I am careful when dragging or carrying the animals after I am done hunting. It took me a long time to get back into physical condition to hunt well again.

Just know that you life is not over and you can get back into what you want to get back into.