Ostomies + Exercise

Hi everyone,

I have a friend who is an exercise physiologist currently looking after a patient post colon cancer with a colostomy. I have an ileostomy and personally I have not had any issues whilst exercising since my surgery, however I only do very low impact stuff like walking and yoga.

Has anyone had any issues with your ostomy bag or stoma when exercising or participating in physical activity? Would appreciate if you could go into any detail or provide any advice or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

Laura

I play basketball and golf. I switch to a mini bag and wear the little 1-inch belt plus a wrap called a my-hip T. The my hip T is designed to hide people's muffin tops, but they work well as wrap that isn't too tight.

I am a little over 5 months out from perm ileo surgery, and I didn't run too hard on the court at first because my guts kind of felt "loose" in there. Things seemed to tighten up over time and I don't have that sensation anymore.

A lot of people avoid working their abs in a concentrated fashion, like with crunches. I think that is sound advice, and I adhere to that. On the flip side, I try not to baby that area too much. But I am still a newbie, so I am not sure if I am finding the right balance or not, lol.

I've had my permanent end ileo for almost 2 and a half years now. When I was ready to start exercising again, I worked back into things pretty slowly. At this point I do any type of exercise I want without too much concern. I work out in some fashion about 6 days a weeks. My workouts include general cardio, high intensity interval training, yoga, weight lifting (not too heavy), body weight exercises, jogging, etc... Like others, I waited a bit longer to do core specific exercises, and just exercising in general helps strengthen the core in the mean time. But now I do any manner of ab exercise and the only problem I have is that once in a blue moon it is a bit uncomfortable...which I think is when my stoma is a bit more retracted (he moves around a lot!) The stronger I get, the less I worry about hernia...and maybe that's not the right attitude...but I am still careful.

Most of my workout pants are pretty snug and high waisted, so that helps a lot in keep the bag flush against my body. I do have a Nu Hope hernia prevention belt, but don't wear it much because it seems like it would hinder some movements. I should wear it though...maybe I'll start trying to more often. My surgeon knows about all the exercising I do and has never discouraged me, so I guess that's a good sign!

Simply: I exercise usually six days a week and agree with all of the above. I use either an Ostomy Secret product or a stealth belt . Can't ever let this control our lives ....