Can you walk in the rain with an ostomy?

Many people are laughing or just shrugged their shoulders in disbelief at the title.  But to be honest this is the crazy kind of questions that many people think of when you tell them you have had an ostomy.  It brings about a hilarious amount of misinformation. The truth is the crazy questions don't bother me at all and I find them pretty funny and now entertaining.  Yes, yes indeed you can walk in the rain with an ostomy.  As a matter of fact you can do pretty much every single thing that a person without one can do.

 

Never be handicapped by your own thoughts.  This is something I heard when I first found out I was going to have a stoma and was really worried about what it would limit me to doing.  Luckily I had an amazing ostomy surgeon and a great team of nurses as well to get me through.  I had originally thought I was a maimed creature who would have to hide away from the world and carry my own excrement around like the black plague. Hey, we are all guilty of going overboard on reality and what we think it will be when we find out an ostomy is in the future.  Some of us were afraid we would never swim again either, but that really is not the case.

 

In fact I was given some great information from talking to an online retailer about swimming. I ended up talking to ostomy supplies about ways and products to do in order to go swimming.  Now I was told by others that this company gave free samples.  I was intrigued by this but after looking online at their website I was still a bit lost.  There were so many products on ostomy supplies sight that I didn't know where to begin. So I simply called them up and got ahold of their customer service agents and was pleasantly surprised. They clearly got that question all the time and were super helpful and nice about getting a few samples of products for me to try at home or in the tub before going out and testing at the ocean.

 

They gave me great advice, and I am here to say yes there are lots of waterproof and safe rainproof options! Now there are also some awesome swim options as well anywhere from stoma caps to small bags and I highly suggest calling up companies before ordering.

Useful Information About Ostomy Skin Barrier

An ostomy skin barrier goes against the peristomal skin while allowing the stoma to pass through the opening at its center. This barrier sticks to the peristomal skin to form a seal that prevents leakage of the stomal output.

In a two-piece ostomy pouching system, the barrier and bag are two separate devices. Both these devices connect to allow the pouching system to function. However, a one-piece ostomy pouching system comes with the pouch and barrier already connected, and they are inseparable. The barrier or flange is commonly square, and it comes in pre-cut, cut-to-fit, and moldable varieties.

Pre-cut ostomy barriers

If you have a stoma that is common amongst most of the individuals with ostomies, you can consider using a pre-cut ostomy barrier. These barriers are uniform and circular. The most significant advantage of a pre-cut barrier is that you don’t have to cut it. The barrier is ready to use the moment you open the box. However, you are going to have to make sure that it fits the size of your stoma. Forcing the barrier to fit over a stoma can result in injury to the stoma. A pre-cut barrier works best when your stoma is fully developed.

Cut-to-fit barriers

A cut-to-fit barrier comes with printed lines that guide the user to create an opening of any particular size. And this barrier doesn’t limit a user to only create a circular opening. You can create an opening of any shape, depending on the shape of your stoma. Even if you have an irregular-shaped stoma, you can use scissors on a cut-to-fit barrier to creating an opening that fits the size and shape of your stoma. The only concern caused by cut-to-fit barriers is that cutting them might be time-consuming. The best way to tackle this issue is to cut wafers for a week or month ahead of time. Readying several barriers beforehand can be particularly beneficial if you are planning to travel abroad because most of the airports in the world do not allow passengers to carry scissors in their luggage.

Moldable wafers or barriers

Newer technologies have made things even easier for ostomates. Take ostomy barriers, for instance. There are moldable barriers available that are much easier to use than all other conventional types of barriers. The concept of the moldable barrier is much similar to that of a cut-to-fit barrier. The only difference is that you are not going to have to use scissors to shape the opening in a moldable barrier. All you have to do is to roll edges of the opening outward and unravel them after applying the barrier on the peristomal skin. That will form a leak-proof cuff around the stoma. The moldable material in the barrier is so soft that it doesn’t trigger any irritation in the stoma or peristomal skin. Yet, it adheres to the skin very nicely to prevent the leakage of stomal output in the best possible way.

Pouching Solutions For Ostomates Who Are Unwilling To Use Scissors

A significant cause of concern, for people with ostomies, is the preparation of pouching systems, which might involve the use of scissors. However, the inability to cut the flange can result in complications to the stoma or the skin surrounding it. That may be the reason most of the ostomates prefer using cut-to-fit products.

However, cut-to-fit pouching systems are not an answer to all of the concerns. A stoma might not be a regular-shaped protrusion. Hence, it might not do well with a cut-to-fit solution. And since we are talking about the unwillingness or inability of ostomates to use scissors to prepare their pouching systems, it may be worth talking about some other more preferable options.

Pre-cut Pouching Systems

Let’s start with a simple solution. If your stoma has a regular round shape, you can opt for a pre-cut pouching system. There are many options available in pre-cut systems. You can choose one depending on the size and shape of your stoma. The range of these options usually starts with a small 3/4-inch (19mm) flange opening. The next alternative comes with a size increase of 1/8-inch (3-4 mm). The last option comes with a 1¾ (44mm) or 2-inch (51mm) opening.

When selecting a pouching system, you need to make sure that you are going for the one with a flange opening 1/8-inch (3-4 mm) larger than the base of your stoma. The opening of the same size as that of your stoma can result in injury to your stoma. Remember, not all styles of bags come with pre-cut options. So, you might need to switch to a different option if you must use a pre-cut system.

Using scissors

The good news is that you can easily cut the opening of your flange with a flange cutter, which is a specific type of scissor for creating or resizing flange openings. Several companies that manufacture ostomy supplies make round and oval-shaped flange cutters. These tools look pretty much like cookie cutters that can cut through the flange with the help of their sharp blades. And what’s interesting is that you do not need fine motor skills to produce the aspired shape of the flange opening.

New technology

If you want to make ostomy care an even easier job, you can consider using ConvaTec Moldable Technology™ (CMT). This pouching system comes with a barrier portion that doesn’t require any cutting. Instead, it uses a unique pliable technology that helps you create an opening of your desired shape and size. All you have to do is to work your fingers to roll the inner edge of the flange outward to expand the opening up to the size of your stoma. After setting the barrier onto the stoma, you will need to unroll the rolled edge until it touches the stoma. The soft cuff formed will not cause any irritation to the stoma even if it enlarges from time to time.